ST. LOUIS — No. 2 seed Purdue begins the NCAA Tournament on Friday night, taking on No. 15 seed Queens in the first round. The Boilermakers are hoping to make a push towards another Final Four appearance, but the first step is to get a victory to start the weekend.
Queens is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance and hopes to make a statement. The Royals got to this point by winning the ASUN Tournament, defeating Central Arkansas in the Championship Game.
Follow along with Purdue Boilermakers on SI, bringing you live coverage of the first-round game between Purdue and Queens. You can refresh this page frequently for the latest updates and analysis from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) shoots a free throw. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
#2 Purdue vs. #15 Queens live game blog
Tipoff between #2 Purdue and #15 Queens is set for 7:35 p.m. ET and will air on truTV. It is a first-round NCAA Tournament game.
What’s at stake?
Purdue’s senior trio of Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn are hoping to make one last deep run in the NCAA Tournament. This is a group that has experienced everything from losing in the first round to a No. 16 seed to playing in the National Championship Game.
The Boilermakers are fresh off a Big Ten Tournament championship, winning four games in four days. That included victories over No. 2 seed Nebraska and No. 1 seed Michigan. Purdue should be carrying plenty of momentum into March Madness.
Queens has never experienced the NCAA Tournament, making the field in its first season of eligibility. It would love to be this year’s biggest Cinderella story and upset one of the top programs in the country.
Friday night’s winner will advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, playing the winner of No. 7 seed Miami (Florida) and No. 10 seed Missouri.
Get top Boilermakers stories, expert analysis, and can’t-miss moments straight to your inbox for free by signing up for the Purdue Boilermakers on SI newsletter!