After dispatching the top-seeded Michigan Wolverines on Sunday to win the Big Ten tournament, the Purdue Boilermakers now set their sights on the bright lights of March Madness. First up for the 2-seeded Boilers is the 15-seed Queens University, winners of the Atlantic Sun postseason tournament, on Friday night.

The Royals, which are based out of Charlotte, NC, are making their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance. In its first year eligible to make the NCAA Tournament after transitioning from Division II, it outlasted Central Arkansas 98-93 in overtime to claim its first ASUN Tournament Championship.

Here is a detailed primer to prepare fans for Friday’s first-round matchup.

How To Watch Purdue Vs. Queens

Game: (15) Queens University Royals vs. (2) Purdue Boilermakers

Event: NCAA Tournament, West Region 1st-round game

Date/Time: Friday, March 20, 7:35 ET

Location: St. Louis, MO, Enterprise Arena

TV: truTV

Purdue Preparing Queens’ Balanced Attack Queens University’s Nasir Mann

This year’s Royals team boasts one of the most balanced offensive teams in the country. Queens and Miami (OH) are the only Division I schools with six players averaging double-digit points. Queens features the 19th-ranked scoring offense at 84.9 points per game and is 17th nationally with an effective field goal percentage of 56.7%.

Leading the Royals in scoring is senior Nasir Mann, who pours in 13.4 points per game. Mann also leads Queens in rebounding by grabbing 5.8 boards each game. Additionally, he has March Madness experience from when he was a member of McNeese’s team in 2024.

Sophomore guard Yoav Berman is second on the team in scoring, checking in at 12.6 points per game. Berman contributes 3.7 assists per game, also second-best for the Royals.

Sixth-man Jordan Watford, a freshman guard, adds 11.9 points each game, all while converting on 60% of his field-goal attempts. His 129 assists are tops for the Royals.

Rounding out the double-figure scorers for Queens are graduate student guard Chris Ashby (11.7), junior forward Avante Parker (11.3), and sophomore forward Carson Schwieger (10.2). Ashby leads Queens in three-pointers made with 109.

Queens’ Rapid Rise In Division I Queens’ Jordan Watford

Queens fielded its first NCAA basketball team in 1989 and began as a Division II competitor. The Royals earned Final Four berths in 2003 and 2018 before making the jump to Division I in 2022.

While this year’s squad is the first in school history to play in the “Big Dance,” Queens played in last season’s 16-team CBI tournament. They defeated Northern Arizona in their first game before losing to Cleveland State in the quarterfinals.

Head coach Grant Leonard has been at the helm since Queens joined the Division I ranks. He understands the historical and emotional significance of his team’s inaugural appearance in the tournament.

“It was all sorts of emotions,” he said of the moment he saw Queens listed in the bracket. “It was just a dream come true. As a little kid, you dream of being a part of March Madness, and here you are. It’s awesome.”

After the initial wave of excitement died down, Leonard was given a reality check when he saw who his team was paired up with. He realizes that facing Purdue offers a challenge unlike anything he has witnessed in the Atlantic Sun.

“We did a lot of work on us (in practice), now we have a few things we’re going to have to tweak to go at Purdue,” he said. “They have probably the best point guard in the country (Braden Smith). They have a depth of post players that we’re going to have to handle.

“Big 10 basketball is so different. It’s so physical, and big and strong. We’re going to have to ramp up to handle that.”

End Of My Purdue Rant: Boilers Peaking At The Right Time, But FDU Memories Must Not Be Overlooked Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) and Purdue Boilermakers guard C.J. Cox (0) celebrate as the Big Ten Tournament championship game against the Michigan Wolverines ended on March 15, 2026.
Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Beginning the 2025-26 season as the preseason #1 team in the country, much was expected out of Purdue this year. The Boilers started 17-1, but they limped to the finish line, losing seven of their final 13 regular-season games.

Now that the calendar reads March, it is a whole new season, and the Boilermakers began the postseason on the highest of notes in the Big Ten tournament.

Purdue head coach Matt Painter knew how big winning the conference tournament was for the psyche of his players.

“We needed this for confidence, more than anything,” he said. “The people who came into Mackey Arena and beat us, it wasn’t offensive issues with us; we were very good offensively in those losses. We weren’t good enough defensively. You can’t forget about that. You have to defend, because there are games when the ball isn’t going to go in. You have to grind it out, guard the ball, play good team defense and rebound the basketball.”

Defense carried the Boilermakers, now 27-8, to the title. In Purdue’s four wins in Chicago last week, they allowed just 66 points per game. During the previous 31 games, the Boilers gave up almost 71 points each game.

Senior Fletcher Loyer knows he and his teammates do not want their season to end any time soon.

“This one felt really good. Obviously, we want to go do more,” he said. “To do it for this group of guys, these young guys who came in and proved they’re about the team, they’re about the university, they’re about doing it for the group of guys and not themselves. It felt really good to win it for them. It felt great.”

Loyer, along with Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn, were integral contributors as freshmen when Purdue entered the NCAA tournament as a 1-seed. Their season ended abruptly when 16-seed Farleigh Dickinson shocked the Boilers in the first round, and they know that any lapse in focus could be disastrous.

Purdue, listed as a 24.5-point favorite, must use that massive disappointment as motivation to avoid such a monumental letdown against Queens. With arguably the most experienced roster in the country, and with the Boilermakers clicking on both ends of the court, Purdue is primed for a deep March run.