The field continues to dwindle as the NCAA Tournament marches on, and tickets to the Sweet 16 await the winners of Sunday’s games.
Purdue trounced Utah State to be the second No. 1 seed to advance to the Sweet 16. Zach Edey recorded his third double double this season in the first half and the Boilermakers scored the most points in an NCAA Tournament game in program history (106).
Meanwhile, Marquette held off Colorado’s late comeback effort to advance to its first Sweet 16 since 2013. It is Marquette coach Shaka Smart’s first Sweet 16 appearance since 2011 with VCU.
Below is the full recap of Friday’s action-packed schedule of the 2024 men’s NCAA Tournament.
Purdue wholly dominates Utah State
INDIANAPOLIS — As the Purdue bus followed its three motorcycle police escort down South Street en route to Gainbridge Fieldhouse, it happened upon the intersection with Maryland Street. One policeman dashed ahead and gave two buses waiting to make the turn the stiff arm, putting his hand up to signal that the buses wait to allow the Boilermakers to continue ahead.
The first bus belonged to the Utah State band, the second to the basketball team. Never has there been a more apt metaphor. Purdue stopped the Aggies dead in their tracks, delivering a second-round humiliation that felt personal. Not, mind you, against Utah State. Despite Matt Painter’s end of pre-game speech to “shove it down their throat,’” the intended receivers were not the overmatched team from Logan, Utah; it was against everyone and anyone who has considered the Boilermakers not worthy, not real, not good enough.
This was an exorcism and a statement, Purdue gifting its happy fans with a 106-67 parting gift as it heads to Detroit for a Sweet 16 date with Gonzaga.
The Boilermakers knew they had to win their first-round game; they also knew that once they did, the goalposts would move again. Now it’s about proving that Purdue isn’t somehow fatally flawed, that its style of play can actually survive this three-weekend tournament. The answer came at about the eight-minute mark of the first half, Purdue turning an uncomfortable 25-24 game into a rout that ended with the scrubs in the game, swishing threes like the starters, Lance Jones’ pointing to the scoreboard as he exited the game, and Zach Edey chilling on the bench with a towel around his neck. The boxscore read like a near work of art, the Boilermakers dishing 29 assists on 37 made field goals, mixing up 11 3s with 44 points in the paint, following Painter’s constant harping to crash the boards to the tune of a 49-26 advantage. Four players finished in double figures, including, of course, Edey.
Much to the consternation of the Utah State fan who, from a safe zone of 30 feet and a table away, screamed over and over again that Edey is soft, the Big Maple finished with 23 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and three assists. He sent Utah State’s two big men to the bench with two fouls early, and treated the rest of the Aggies like Godzilla used to treat the airplanes in those old black-and-white movies.
This, of course, will not be enough either. The Boilers have reached the Sweet 16 six times under Painter and have but one Elite Eight to show for it (albeit an epic of regional final loss to Virginia in 2019). There’s only one final destination for Purdue and that’s Phoenix, the site of the Final Four.
But perhaps this will question at least some who think if they’ve got the engine to get there. — Dana O’Neil
Marquette holds off late Colorado comeback effort
INDIANAPOLIS — If this first game was any indication, then Sunday is going to be a heck of a day of basketball in the NCAA Tournament. No. 2 seed Marquette hangs on against No. 10 seed Colorado for a 81-77 victory to advance to its first Sweet 16 in 11 years. It also represents the first time Marquette coach Shaka Smart has been to the Sweet 16 in 13 years, since he led VCU to the Final Four.
Marquette led by nine points at the half, but the ensuing 20 minutes were back-and-forth. Colorado took its first lead at 55-54 on KJ Simpson’s 3-pointer, but a short jumper from Tyler Kolek in the lane gave Marquette the lead right back. Somehow, the Golden Eagles managed to hang on the rest of the way in what often was a one-possession game. David Joplin’s clutch free throws with 7.4 seconds remaining gave Marquette the breathing room it needed to escape with a win.
Colorado deserves a lot of credit for making this a game, particularly after trailing by double figures in the first half. It looked as though the Buffaloes were out of gas after already playing two NCAA Tournament games, including a First Four game on Tuesday. But Marquette executed better down the stretch. Kolek was phenomenal, finishing with 21 points and 11 assists. Leading scorer Kam Jones, who was saddled with foul trouble for most of the game, still finished with 18 points. — Jesse Temple
Sunday schedule (tip-off times, network, location)
12:10 p.m.: No. 2 Marquette versus No. 10 Colorado (CBS, Indianapolis)
2:40 p.m.: No. 1 Purdue versus No. 8 Utah State (CBS, Indianapolis)
5:15 p.m.: No. 4 Duke versus No. 12 James Madison (CBS, Brooklyn)
6:10 p.m.: No. 3 Baylor versus No. 6 Clemson (TNT, Memphis)
7:10 p.m.: No. 4 Alabama versus No. 12 Grand Canyon (TBS, Spokane)
7:45 p.m.: No. 1 UConn versus No. 9 Northwestern (truTV, Brooklyn)
8:40 p.m.: No. 1 Houston versus No. 9 Texas A&M (TNT, Memphis)
9:40 p.m.: No. 5 San Diego State versus No. 13 Yale (TBS, Spokane)
Players to watch
Besides the stars on the biggest teams, here are a few worth keeping your eye on in Sunday’s action:
- Tyon Grant-Foster, Grand Canyon: Grant-Foster led all scorers with 22 points to go along with eight rebounds in the Antelopes’ 75-66 upset over No. 5 Saint Mary’s on Friday, and his stats this season prove that performance was no fluke. He has scored at least 20 points in six of Grand Canyon’s last eight games.
- John Poulakidas, Yale: The junior guard said the Bulldogs’ scrappy victory over SEC champion Auburn “wasn’t a one-man show,” but he was definitely a main character in the thrilling victory. Poulakidas finished with a career-high 28 points and hit a clutch 3-pointer to give Yale a 73-72 lead with just over two minutes remaining.
- James Madison’s defense: OK, this isn’t technically a player to watch, but JMU’s defense is worth your attention. The 12th-seeded Dukes forced 19 turnovers that led directly to 27 points in their 72-61 win over No. 5 Wisconsin. JMU jumped all over the Badgers from the opening tip and never trailed in the game, forcing turnovers, pushing the ball in transition and setting the pace and physicality against a Big Ten foe. Now the Dukes will face a bigger test in a different kind of Duke — the No. 4 Blue Devils.
Required reading
For ticket information on all tournament games, click here.
(Photo: Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
