Purdue-Miami Battle for a Sweet 16 Bid in St. Louis

Purdue (27-8) meets Miami (26-8) in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 in St. Louis, with the winner advancing to face Texas. The Boilermakers ride a high-powered offense led by Braden Smith (the NCAA’s all-time assists leader) and a hot shooting stretch from Fletcher Loyer, plus strong postseason output from Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn. Miami counters with a size-heavy frontcourt in Malik Reneau and Ernest Udeh and a dangerous perimeter threat in Tre Donaldson, aiming to control the glass and slow Purdue’s pace. The keys for Purdue are protecting the ball, containing Miami’s post presence, and avoiding second-chance opportunities, with GoldandBlack predicting Purdue 80-72 and a path to California for the Sweet 16.