GAMEDAY INFORMATION -- GAME 35 /// NCAA TOURNAMENT SECOND ROUND
[1 Seed] Purdue (30-4) vs. [8 Seed] Utah State (28-6)
Sunday, March 24, 2024
2:40 p.m. ET | Indianapolis, Indiana
Gainbridge Fieldhouse (18,345)
TELEVISION: CBS (Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, Stan VanGundy, Andy Katz)
RADIO: Purdue Global Radio Network (Rob Blackman, Bobby Riddell)
THE NOTES TO KNOW
• The Purdue Boilermakers, the Midwest Region's top seed, aims for their fifth Sweet 16 appearance in the last seven tournaments, when it battles No. 20-ranked and No. 8 seed Utah State in Sunday's second-round showdown in Indianapolis.
• Purdue leads the all-time series with Utah State (1-0), defeating the Aggies 85-64 in the Cancun Challenge on Nov. 22, 2016.
• Purdue has reached the Sweet 16 six times under Matt Painter, including four times in the last six tournaments (2017, 2018, 2019, 2022). Since 2017, only Gonzaga (6) and Michigan (5) have made more Sweet 16s than the Boilermakers.
• Purdue's 30 wins have tied a school record for most wins in a season (30-7; 2017-18 season). The 30 victories are the fourth most in the country entering the second round (Connecticut, James Madison - 32; Houston - 31).
• Purdue (29, 29, 30) and Houston (32, 33, 31) are the only schools in America to have at least 29 wins in each of the last three seasons.
• Purdue is 7-0 against nationally-ranked teams this season, with all seven victories coming against teams ranked in the AP top 12. Utah State enters Sunday's game ranked No. 20 in the final Associated Press Top 25.
• Purdue has won 18 straight non-conference, regular-season AND postseason games against teams that are either in a power conference OR nationally-ranked, the fourth-longest streak in NCAA history. Utah State falls in the category, ranked No. 20 in the final AP poll.
• Purdue enters the second round as one of six teams to rank in the top 20 in both offensive and defensive efficiency via KenPom.com (Connecticut, Purdue, Arizona, Houston, North Carolina, Marquette).
• Utah State assistant coach Johnny Hill was a transfer at Purdue for the 2015-16 season, averaging 5.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game for the 26-9 Boilermakers. Hill has had stops at Northwestern Ohio, Grand Canyon, Idaho and Montana State before heading to Utah State with Danny Sprinkle.
• Purdue's 28-point margin was over Grambling was Purdue's largest in the NCAA Tournament since March 13, 1998 (95-56 vs. Delaware). The 28-point victory was the fourth-largest win of the first round (40 - Houston; 39 - UConn; 34 - Tennessee; 28 - Purdue).
• The 50 points allowed against Grambing were the fewest allowed in a NCAA game since March 21, 2019 vs. Old Dominion (61-48 win).
• Purdue recorded 23 assists against 10 turnovers, improving to 24-0 when having 13 or fewer turnovers.
• Purdue is shooting 42.2 percent from 3-point range in the last 11 games (86-of-204). Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith are a combined 32-of-66 (.485) from deep in that span.
• Zach Edey became just the second player in the last 50 years to record a 30-20 game in the NCAA Tournament, joining Maryland's Joe Smith vs. Texas (March 18, 1995) as the only players to do so in the last 50 years. Edey became the first player since Memphis' Larry Kenon in 1975 to have at least 30 points, 20 rebounds, three blocks and two assists in an NCAA Tournament game.
• Zach Edey became just the sixth player in NCAA Tournament history, and the first since 1972, to have 30 points and 20 rebounds and shoot at least 60.0 percent from the field in a win (1972 - Bill Walton; 1972 - Roy Ebron (Marshall); 1969 - Lew Alcindor; 1968 - Elvin Hayes; 1961 - Jerry Lucas).
• The 30-20 game was Zach Edey's third of his career, the most for a player in the last 25 years. He has scored at least 22 points in 11 straight games, averaging 26.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.1 blocks per game.
• Zach Edey has shot 384 free throws, already the eighth most in a season in NCAA history and the most since 1970 (Pete Maravich - 440).
• Zach Edey became the first player in NCAA history with 800 points, 400 rebounds, 50 assists and 50 blocks in a season, entering the second-round matchup with 836 points, 408 rebounds, 76 blocked shots and 70 assists. He needs 17 rebounds to become the fourth player in NCAA history with at least two seasons of 750 points and 425 rebounds (Elvin Hayes - 3; Rick Barry - 2; Oscar Robertson - 2).
• Braden Smith recorded his seventh double-double of the season with 11 points, 10 assists and five rebounds, with zero turnovers. Smith's 10 assists with no turnovers made him the first Purdue player since Nov. 2011 (Lewis Jackson) to have at least 10 assists with no turnovers.
• Smith became the seventh player in Big Ten history to have 250 assists in a season (Cassius Winston, Mateen Cleaves, Magic Johnson, Deron Williams, Trey Burke, Demitri McCamey).
• Braden Smith needs four rebounds to become the fifth player in NCAA history with 425 points, 250 assists and 200 rebounds in a season (UCLA's Lonzo Ball, BYU's Kyle Collinsworth, Cal's Jason Kidd, Michigan State's Magic Johnson).
• Braden Smith (403) surpassed 400 assists in his career in the win over Grambling, making him the fourth player in Big Ten history to have at least 400 assists by the end of his sophomore season (Magic Johnson - 491; Cassius Winston - 423; Trey Burke - 416). He is just the second sophomore in league history with at least 750 points, 400 assists and 300 rebounds (Magic Johnson).
• Zach Edey and Mason Gillis are the only players in Purdue history to score at least 800 points with 500 rebounds and 100 assists and to shoot at least 40.0 percent from 3-point range. Edey is 1-of-2 from deep, while Gillis is at 144-of-355 (.406).
• Fletcher Loyer is 41-of-83 (.494) from 3-point range in the last 24 games which consists of the final non-conference game, the entire Big Ten season, the Big Ten Tournament and the first-round win over Grambling. In his last six games, Loyer is 12-of-16 (.750) from deep.
• Trey Kaufman-Renn had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists in the opening-round win over Grambling. TKR's 11 points were his most since scoring 12 against Ohio State (Feb. 18). It marked his second double-digit scoring game in his last 19 games. He has 20 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists in 38 minutes over the last two games.
• Purdue's 2,830 points scored are the fifth most in school history. The Boilermakers are averaging 83.2 points per game, the highest average in a season since the 1997-98 season (83.7 PPG).
[1 Seed] Purdue (30-4) vs. [8 Seed] Utah State (28-6)
Sunday, March 24, 2024
2:40 p.m. ET | Indianapolis, Indiana
Gainbridge Fieldhouse (18,345)
TELEVISION: CBS (Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, Stan VanGundy, Andy Katz)
RADIO: Purdue Global Radio Network (Rob Blackman, Bobby Riddell)
THE NOTES TO KNOW
• The Purdue Boilermakers, the Midwest Region's top seed, aims for their fifth Sweet 16 appearance in the last seven tournaments, when it battles No. 20-ranked and No. 8 seed Utah State in Sunday's second-round showdown in Indianapolis.
• Purdue leads the all-time series with Utah State (1-0), defeating the Aggies 85-64 in the Cancun Challenge on Nov. 22, 2016.
• Purdue has reached the Sweet 16 six times under Matt Painter, including four times in the last six tournaments (2017, 2018, 2019, 2022). Since 2017, only Gonzaga (6) and Michigan (5) have made more Sweet 16s than the Boilermakers.
• Purdue's 30 wins have tied a school record for most wins in a season (30-7; 2017-18 season). The 30 victories are the fourth most in the country entering the second round (Connecticut, James Madison - 32; Houston - 31).
• Purdue (29, 29, 30) and Houston (32, 33, 31) are the only schools in America to have at least 29 wins in each of the last three seasons.
• Purdue is 7-0 against nationally-ranked teams this season, with all seven victories coming against teams ranked in the AP top 12. Utah State enters Sunday's game ranked No. 20 in the final Associated Press Top 25.
• Purdue has won 18 straight non-conference, regular-season AND postseason games against teams that are either in a power conference OR nationally-ranked, the fourth-longest streak in NCAA history. Utah State falls in the category, ranked No. 20 in the final AP poll.
• Purdue enters the second round as one of six teams to rank in the top 20 in both offensive and defensive efficiency via KenPom.com (Connecticut, Purdue, Arizona, Houston, North Carolina, Marquette).
• Utah State assistant coach Johnny Hill was a transfer at Purdue for the 2015-16 season, averaging 5.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game for the 26-9 Boilermakers. Hill has had stops at Northwestern Ohio, Grand Canyon, Idaho and Montana State before heading to Utah State with Danny Sprinkle.
• Purdue's 28-point margin was over Grambling was Purdue's largest in the NCAA Tournament since March 13, 1998 (95-56 vs. Delaware). The 28-point victory was the fourth-largest win of the first round (40 - Houston; 39 - UConn; 34 - Tennessee; 28 - Purdue).
• The 50 points allowed against Grambing were the fewest allowed in a NCAA game since March 21, 2019 vs. Old Dominion (61-48 win).
• Purdue recorded 23 assists against 10 turnovers, improving to 24-0 when having 13 or fewer turnovers.
• Purdue is shooting 42.2 percent from 3-point range in the last 11 games (86-of-204). Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith are a combined 32-of-66 (.485) from deep in that span.
• Zach Edey became just the second player in the last 50 years to record a 30-20 game in the NCAA Tournament, joining Maryland's Joe Smith vs. Texas (March 18, 1995) as the only players to do so in the last 50 years. Edey became the first player since Memphis' Larry Kenon in 1975 to have at least 30 points, 20 rebounds, three blocks and two assists in an NCAA Tournament game.
• Zach Edey became just the sixth player in NCAA Tournament history, and the first since 1972, to have 30 points and 20 rebounds and shoot at least 60.0 percent from the field in a win (1972 - Bill Walton; 1972 - Roy Ebron (Marshall); 1969 - Lew Alcindor; 1968 - Elvin Hayes; 1961 - Jerry Lucas).
• The 30-20 game was Zach Edey's third of his career, the most for a player in the last 25 years. He has scored at least 22 points in 11 straight games, averaging 26.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.1 blocks per game.
• Zach Edey has shot 384 free throws, already the eighth most in a season in NCAA history and the most since 1970 (Pete Maravich - 440).
• Zach Edey became the first player in NCAA history with 800 points, 400 rebounds, 50 assists and 50 blocks in a season, entering the second-round matchup with 836 points, 408 rebounds, 76 blocked shots and 70 assists. He needs 17 rebounds to become the fourth player in NCAA history with at least two seasons of 750 points and 425 rebounds (Elvin Hayes - 3; Rick Barry - 2; Oscar Robertson - 2).
• Braden Smith recorded his seventh double-double of the season with 11 points, 10 assists and five rebounds, with zero turnovers. Smith's 10 assists with no turnovers made him the first Purdue player since Nov. 2011 (Lewis Jackson) to have at least 10 assists with no turnovers.
• Smith became the seventh player in Big Ten history to have 250 assists in a season (Cassius Winston, Mateen Cleaves, Magic Johnson, Deron Williams, Trey Burke, Demitri McCamey).
• Braden Smith needs four rebounds to become the fifth player in NCAA history with 425 points, 250 assists and 200 rebounds in a season (UCLA's Lonzo Ball, BYU's Kyle Collinsworth, Cal's Jason Kidd, Michigan State's Magic Johnson).
• Braden Smith (403) surpassed 400 assists in his career in the win over Grambling, making him the fourth player in Big Ten history to have at least 400 assists by the end of his sophomore season (Magic Johnson - 491; Cassius Winston - 423; Trey Burke - 416). He is just the second sophomore in league history with at least 750 points, 400 assists and 300 rebounds (Magic Johnson).
• Zach Edey and Mason Gillis are the only players in Purdue history to score at least 800 points with 500 rebounds and 100 assists and to shoot at least 40.0 percent from 3-point range. Edey is 1-of-2 from deep, while Gillis is at 144-of-355 (.406).
• Fletcher Loyer is 41-of-83 (.494) from 3-point range in the last 24 games which consists of the final non-conference game, the entire Big Ten season, the Big Ten Tournament and the first-round win over Grambling. In his last six games, Loyer is 12-of-16 (.750) from deep.
• Trey Kaufman-Renn had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists in the opening-round win over Grambling. TKR's 11 points were his most since scoring 12 against Ohio State (Feb. 18). It marked his second double-digit scoring game in his last 19 games. He has 20 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists in 38 minutes over the last two games.
• Purdue's 2,830 points scored are the fifth most in school history. The Boilermakers are averaging 83.2 points per game, the highest average in a season since the 1997-98 season (83.7 PPG).