Purdue wrapped up the first weekend of the 2025 NCAA Tournament with a first round victory over No. 13 seed High Point and advanced to the Sweet 16 with a round of 32 win over No. 12 seed McNeese.
The 2-0 start to March Madness for the Boilermakers sets up a much taller task as Purdue will take on No. 1 seed Houston in the Sweet 16. The matchup is between two programs that have frequented the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2017, six times to be exact, which is second in the country to only Gonzaga.
The Boilermakers will welcome the Cougars to their home state on Friday night, under the bright lights of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. CBS Sports and TNT Sports announced the game times for regional semifinal matchups on Thursday and Friday next week.
How to watch:
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, Indiana)
When: Friday, March 28th at 10:09 p.m. ET
How to watch: TBS/TruTV or March Madness App
Another battle of NCAA Tournament mainstays, No. 2 seed Tennessee and No. 3 seed Kentucky will serve as the precursor for the main event between the Boilermakers and Cougars on Friday night.
Purdue will look to advance to the Elite 8 for the third time under Matt Painter and the first time in back-to-back seasons in program history with a victory. Conversely, Houston is aiming to get back to the Final Four for the first time since 2021, after falling in the Elite 8 in 2022 and getting bounced in the Sweet 16 in each of the last two seasons.
Houston used a near 40-point rout of SIU Edwardsville in the opening round and a thrilling win over No. 8 seed Gonzaga in the round of 32 to cement its spot among the final 16 teams still alive in the NCAA Tournament. Purdue was tested by one of the top defensive squads in the country on Saturday in McNeese, and will now be rewarded with KenPom's top rated defense in the country, owned by Kelvin Sampson and the Cougars.
