2025 March Madness scores, takeaways: Big Ten takes first losses as Tennessee pounds UCLA, BYU tops Wisconsin

The Big Ten finally took its first two losses but is still 10-2 in the NCAA Tournament

The first day of the NCAA Tournament's second round delivered a little bit of chalk and a nice dash of drama as three lower-seeded teams beat their counterparts, both No. 1 seeds survived scares of varying degrees and teams from the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 seed lines were all sent packing.

No. 2 seed St. John's and its 75-66 loss to No. 10 seed Arkansas registered as the biggest wow of the day as the Johnnies became the highest-seeded team to exit of this year's postseason (so far). Arkansas was a 7-point underdog but controlled the game throughout. It held St. John's to 1-of-9 shooting to finish the game while outscoring it 11-4 as Johnnies star RJ Luis Jr. was curiously relegated to an onlooker in the crunch time.

No. 3 seed Wisconsin's 91-89 loss to No. 6 seed BYU and No. 4 seed Texas A&M's 91-79 loss also registered as upsets by a seeding perspective, though betting markets had the point spread of both games favoring the loser by a single possession. 

At the top of the seed tree, No. 1 overall seed Auburn pulled away from No. 9 seed Creighton after a back-and-forth second half, while No. 1 seed Houston had to stiff-arm a furious comeback from No. 8 seed Gonzaga to do its advancing.

The wild day to start the weekend leaves us with 24 teams standing entering Sunday and eight more teams set to be booted from the bracket over the next day.

2025 NCAA Tournament TV schedule

All times Eastern | NCAA Tournament schedule | LIVE bracket

• (4) Purdue 76, (12) McNeese 62 | Highlights
• (10) Arkansas 75, (2) St. John's 66 | Highlights
• (5) Michigan 91, (4) Texas A&M 79 | Highlights
• (3) Texas Tech 77, (11) Drake 64 | Highlights
• (1) Auburn 82, (9) Creighton 70 | Highlights
• (6) BYU 91, (6) Wisconsin 89 | Highlights
• (1) Houston 81, (8) Gonzaga 76 | Highlights
• (2) Tennessee 67, (7) UCLA 58 | Highlights

[Mar 23, 2025 at 12:08 am ET · Kyle Boone]

Pitino squeezed as much juice as possible out of St. John's

A dream season for No. 2 seed St. John's fell short of a Sweet 16 Saturday in a disappointing 75-66 second round loss to Arkansas. But given some space and perspective, I wonder if we won't look back at this season for the Red Storm as anything less than a houdini act by a coach in his twilight somehow performing like his prime.

None of what St. John's did this season – or certainly not the overwhelming success it had – makes a ton of sense. This team won 31 games, won Big East regular season and tourney titles, and earned a No. 2 seed with the following:

• 30.1% 3-point shooting (worst in the Big East)
• 23.5% of points attributed to 3s (second-lowest among all major conference teams)
• 24.5% bench minutes, per KenPom, a stat that accounts for how much playing time players not starters earn
• No. 2 defense in adjusted efficiency
• No. 9 in offensive rebounding rate

That boils down to a few things. Its defense was great and it was great at generating second-chance opportunities – two metrics that correlate to effort and coaching – despite having a mediocre offense and a stone-aged approach to scoring. 

Pitino played the hand he was dealt and cleaned up with a pair of deuces. How he got 31 wins out of this team playing this style is remarkable.

[Mar 23, 2025 at 12:07 am ET · Kyle Boone]

Dusty May's year-one turnaround deserves flowers

One year ago, Michigan was a mess of staggering magnitude. It finished the season 8-24 overall, last in the Big Ten race (3-17) and as a laughingstock in the sport with its traveling circus that included a unique road-game-only suspension to starting guard Dug McDaniel.

The program parted ways with Juwan Howard in the offseason and hired Dusty May from Florida Atlantic.

May in his first year has made good on all the promise and hope — and more — with what has been one of the most remarkable year-to-year turnarounds in the sport. UM beat Texas A&M 91-79 to punch a ticket to the Sweet 16 on the heels of a postseason rally that also includes a Big Ten Tournament title. It's hard to envision things going much better in Year One. May and his staff deserve their flowers as Michigan and athletic director Warde Manuel revel in what already looks like a potential program-altering hire from a year ago.

[Mar 23, 2025 at 12:07 am ET · Kyle Boone]

No. 1 seeds advance

Two of the four No. 1 seeds in this year's field advanced Saturday and two more will have a chance to join them Sunday. No. 1 overall seed Auburn became the first No. 1 seed to punch its Sweet 16 ticket with an 82-70 win over No. 9 Creighton. The Tigers trailed by two at the break but blew it open in the second half behind Tahaad Pettiford's 16 points in the final 20 minutes, as he finished one point shy (23) of a career-high. 

Houston worked its way to a win in reverse order by building a huge lead late then hanging on for dear life down the stretch. It led by 14 in the second half over No. 8 seed Gonzaga and saw its lead drop to one point in the final minute. It got enough defensive stops and free throws late to seal it, though, which included four made shots from the charity stripe in the final 15 seconds to ice the game.

[Mar 23, 2025 at 12:06 am ET · Kyle Boone]

Tennessee topples Bruins to wrap Saturday

FINAL: (2) Tennessee 67, (7) UCLA 58

On a day that finally delivered some real drama to this year's NCAA Tournament, Tennessee made sure the Saturday slate wrapped with a dud. The Vols wrested control of their second-round bout vs. UCLA in the Midwest Region by halftime and bludgeoned the Bruins with their defense, building the lead to as many as 19 points before setting it on cruise control late.

Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier was once again immense with 20 points in an encore to his 29-point first-round outing vs. Wofford. Lanier had four of the team's 11 made 3s on the day. 

UCLA's defense was good but not good enough to overcome its own struggles offensively. It finished the game with 11 turnovers to 10 assists, shot just 37% from the field and got two points from second-leading scorer Eric Dailey Jr. on five shot attempts. 

Tennessee's win advances it into the Sweet 16 for a third consecutive year where it will play the winner of Illinois or Kentucky next Friday.

[Mar 22, 2025 at 11:05 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Houston survives furious Gonzaga comeback

FINAL: (1) Houston 81, (8) Gonzaga 76

Gonzaga made a late run and nearly completed a dramatic comeback after trailing by 14 in the second half, but No. 1 Houston survived the upset bid to move into the second round. The Cougars got some clutch plays late and a huge scoring performance from LJ Cryer. 

Gonzaga closed on an 11-5 run, made six of its last eight shots from the field and held Houston to without a field goal over the final 4:29, but alas the comeback fell just short. 

Cryer became the second player in the NCAA Tournament to score 30 or more points, finishing with 30 on 8 of 15 shooting. J'Wan Roberts was tremendous as well for the Cougars -- finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds and the game-sealing steal.

[Mar 22, 2025 at 10:53 pm ET · David Cobb]

BYU survives vs. Wisconsin

FINAL: (6) BYU 91, (6) Wisconsin 89

BYU led by 10 with 2:34 remaining after an Egor Demin 3-pointer, but Wisconsin staged a furious late rally that came up just short. John Tonje missed a contested potential game-tying shot just before time expired, allowing the Cougars to escape and reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011. Richie Saunders led BYU with 25 points, and the Cougars needed all of them to survive Tonje's 37-point barrage.

With BYU's win, zero perfect brackets remain in the CBS Sports bracket challenge. 

[Mar 22, 2025 at 10:33 pm ET · Matt Norlander]

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Here's the story of how John Calipari, a loose, relaxed Calipari, overcame a slow start in SEC play to keep his Razorbacks together this season, culminating with a Sweet 16 berth Saturday:

John Calipari's not done yet: Sweet 16 run after besting Rick Pitino adds new chapter to complicated career

Matt Norlander

[Mar 22, 2025 at 9:44 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Michigan's March Madness turnaround under Dusty May shows why he's one of the nation's elite coaches

When Dusty May accepted the Michigan job last offseason, he inherited a tall task — pun intended — building a roster around two 7-foot transfer centers, Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf, at a program coming off an eight-win season.

May admitted things "didn't click right away," pointing to a loss against Wake Forest in the second game of the season as a turning point. But his decision to stick with an unconventional lineup paid off when it mattered most.

No. 5 seed Michigan knocked off No. 4 Texas A&M 91-79 on Saturday in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, completing one of the most improbable turnarounds in college basketball history.

Michigan's March Madness turnaround under Dusty May shows why he's one of the nation's elite coaches

Cameron Salerno

[Mar 22, 2025 at 9:38 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Houston leading Zags at half

FINAL: (1) Houston 35, (8) Gonzaga 27

Gonzaga dominated Georgia in the first round and looked worthy as a potential spoiler to take down No. 1 seed Houston. But the Cougars are in control of this one in Wichita early, leading wire-to-wire and taking an eight-point lead into the break.

Houston jumped out to a 14-point lead before Gonzaga back just before the halftime intermission.

It's been all LJ Cryer for Houston. He has 16 points, two assists and two steals. Cryer is 6 of 8 shooting and 4 of 6 from 3. Big 12 Tournament star Milos Uzan has just two points on two shots, but leads the team with four assists.

[Mar 22, 2025 at 9:32 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

BYU opens up big lead

HALF: (6) BYU 47, (3) Wisconsin 36

We have a developing situation in Denver, Colorado, where No. 6 seed BYU -- a 1.5-point underdog -- leads by 11 over No. 3 seed Wisconsin at halftime. BYU is shooting 6-of-14 from 3-point range and dominating in the paint with 20 of its 47 points coming from the inside.

Richie Saunders has 12 points at the half for the Cougars.

Wisconsin star John Tonje has 11 points and Steven Crowl and John Blackwell each have 10. But aside from those three, the team is a combined 2 of 11 shooting thus far.

[Mar 22, 2025 at 9:23 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

No. 1 overall seed Auburn advances

FINAL: (1) Auburn 82, (9) Creighton 70

Auburn took a couple of punches on the chin, but the No. 1 overall seed showed its mettle to advance into the Sweet 16. The Tigers trailed in the second half but rallied to lead by many as 14 down the stretch behind a huge game from freshman Tahaad Pettiford -- who scored 16 in the second half. 

Pettiford finished with a game-high 23 points and stepped up when Auburn needed it most after Chad Baker-Mazara appeared to get dinged up. That's just shy of his career-high --a 24-point explosion on Jan. 18 against Georgia in a 70-68 road win.

Auburn moves into the Sweet 16 where it will face No. 5 seed Michigan, which defeated No. 4 seed Texas A&M earlier in the day. It's the team's first Sweet 16 since 2019, when it went to the Final Four and lost to eventual national champion Virginia.

[Mar 22, 2025 at 8:13 pm ET · David Cobb]

Texas Tech cruises onward

FINAL: (3) Texas Tech 77, (11) Drake 64

Texas Tech cruised into the Sweet 16 behind a huge performance from JT Toppin. The sophomore big man finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds while hitting 11 of 13 shots. The New Mexico transfer added a pair of blocks, too. Darrion Williams actually led the Red Raiders in scoring, though, as he totaled a season-high 28 points on 11 of 18 shooting. Williams and Toppin combined for 22 of Texas Tech's 28 made field goals to send the Red Raiders dancing onward. Bennett Stirtz led Drake in defeat with 21 points and eight assists.

[Mar 22, 2025 at 8:06 pm ET · David Cobb]

Auburn in a battle

HALF: (9) Creighton 37, (1) Auburn 35

Creighton hit 9 of 14 shots from beyond the arc in the first half while building a 37-35 lead on No. 1 overall seed Auburn. Johni Broome went just 2 of 8 from the floor and didn't reach the free-throw line for the Tigers, who hit just 3 of 11 attempts from beyond the arc. Auburn feasted on the offensive glass, though, as it used an 8-1 edge in offensive rebounds to create a 13-2 edge in second-chance points. 

[Mar 22, 2025 at 7:55 pm ET · David Cobb]

Michigan keeps Big Ten unbeaten

FINAL: (5) Michigan 91, (4) Texas A&M 79

Michigan rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to down Texas A&M and advance to the Sweet 16 under first-year coach Dusty May. Tre Donaldson came up with a clutch bucket at the one-minute mark. With the shot clock winding down, he scooped it up and in to put the Wolverines up 84-79. 

An open look from Texas A&M's Wade Taylor IV went in and out on the subsequent possession, paving the way for Michigan to advance. Roddy Gayle Jr. fueled the rally by scoring 21 of his 26 points in the second half. The Wolverines also matched the hard-crashing Aggies on the glass with 16-15 edge in offensive rebounds while pushing the Big Ten to 10-0 in the NCAA Tournament.

[Mar 22, 2025 at 6:53 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

JT Toppin is taking over

HALFTIME: (3) Texas Tech 37, (11) Drake 30

Texas Tech star JT Toppin had himself a half to remember against No. 11 seed Drake. He recorded 19 points and eight rebounds, and Darrion Williams added 14 to help the Red Raiders take a 37-30 lead into the half. Texas Tech's other starters have scored just four points. Drake went the final two and a half minutes after leading by as many as six points with 11:08 remaining.

The winner of this game faces No. 10 seed Arkansas in the Sweet 16.

[Mar 22, 2025 at 6:24 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Texas A&M ahead at halftime vs. Michigan

HAFLTIME: (4) Texas A&M 39, (5) Michigan) 35

No. 4 seed Texas A&M will take a 39-35 lead into halftime over No. 5 Michigan. Michigan ended the first half by missing its last seven field goal attempts and went scoreless for the final 2:18. Texas A&M is one of the top offensive rebounding teams in the country but hauled in the same amount of offensive rebounds (nine) as Michigan in the first half.

The winner of this game will face No. 1 Auburn or No. 9 Creighton in next week's Sweet 16.

[Mar 22, 2025 at 5:26 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Arkansas stuns St. John's in second round

FINAL: (10) Arkansas 75, (2) St. John's 66

A stunner from Providence, Rhode Island: the No. 2 seeded St. John's Red Storm are going home.

The No. 10 seeded Razorbacks, led by Hall of Fame coach John Calipari, pulled off a second-round upset to down fellow Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino and his Johnnies. They are the second team to punch a Sweet 16 ticket, joining No. 4 seed Purdue. 

The result makes St. John's the highest-seeded team to fall in March Madness thus far.

The win for Arkansas improves Calipari to 14-10 vs. Pitino in head-to-head battles between the two Hall of Famers and ends a streak of four consecutive tournaments in which Calipari-coached teams failed to reach the second weekend.

Calipari is coaching in his first season at Arkansas after a stint at Kentucky from 2009 until last season. The Razorbacks narrowly scooted into the NCAA Tournament field after spending weeks on the bubble and have downed Kansas, the preseason No. 1 team, and St. John's, a top-10 AP team, to move into the second weekend.

It's the first time Calipari has made the Sweet 16 since 2019 and the first time the program is in the Sweet 16 since 2023.

[Mar 22, 2025 at 5:10 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

St. John's on upset alert

2:51, 2H: (10) Arkansas 68, (2) St. John's 64

St. John's is giving Arkansas everything it can handle to try and erase its 13-point second-half deficit -- but Arkansas isn't giving this one away without a fight. Johnnies trail by four at the under-four timeout. They've made some pushes in the last few minutes but haven't quite finished on some opportunities to swing this one back their way. Crucial couple minutes upcoming. Can St. John's save its season?

[Mar 22, 2025 at 4:54 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

St. John's on the ropes

7:57, 2H: (10) Arkansas 61, (2) St. John's 53

No. 10 seed Arkansas has No. 2 seed St. John's backed into a corner in the second round with crunch time fast approaching. The Razorbacks have led the entire second half and managed to keep the Johnnies at arm's length throughout. 

St. John's is struggling to stop Arkansas' penetration into the lane and failed to capitalize on Arkansas going cold from beyond the arc. Johnnies also giving up uncharacteristic second-chance opportunities and getting pushed around a little.

Feels like now or never for this Johnnies team to stage a rally. They aren't equipped to play from behind.

[Mar 22, 2025 at 4:31 pm ET · David Cobb]

Friday's Winners and Losers

Before action really begins to heat up in Saturday's second round, check out the Winners and Losers from Friday's first round slate. Redemption was the theme, as several teams that suffered first round losses in the 2024 NCAA Tournament began the 2025 Big Dance with big wins. Among them was No. 3 seed Kentucky, which crushed No. 14 seed Troy 76-57 as coach Mark Pope secured his first-ever NCAA Tournament win. Florida, Saint Mary's, Colorado State and New Mexico also bounced back from one-and-done showings in last year's tournament to dance onward.

March Madness 2025 scores, winners and losers: Kentucky, Florida get redemption; ACC makes (bad) history

David Cobb

[Mar 22, 2025 at 4:26 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Arkansas-St. John's a battle inside

Early 2H: (10) Arkansas 42, (2) St. John's 33

Neither Arkansas nor St. John's are good 3-point shooting teams this season by percentage — and that has so far played a huge role in how this game is trending toward being decided. Razorbacks are 2 of 12 from 3 and Johnnies just 1 of 14 from 3.

Big stat to watch: paint points. Arkansas winning that battle 24-18. 

If Johnnies can drain some 3s or better clog the lane vs. the Hogs, they can turn this around. But their normally-reliable defense just hasn't quite been up to the task so far. Arkansas' athleticism helping it probe into the lane at will early.

[Mar 22, 2025 at 4:17 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

NC State likely to land manager from McNeese

The transfer portal doesn't apply just to college athletes.

NC State, in addition to landing McNeese coach Will Wade, is expected to also add Cowboys student manager Amir "Aura" Khan from the portal this offseason to boot, Matt Norlander reports.

Khan has been a viral sensation this March thanks to his boom-boxing swagger and will apparently finish his college career with the Wolfpack. A Lake Charles, Louisiana, native, Khan is studying sports management and will enter his third season as a manager when he heads to NC State next season.

'Aura' in the transfer portal? Viral McNeese manager Amir Khan likely to follow Will Wade to NC State

Matt Norlander

[Mar 22, 2025 at 4:01 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Arkansas has early edge

HALFTIME: (10) Arkansas 35, (2) St. John's 32

There was a stretch in the first half when St. John's missed 13 consecutive field goals en route to Arkansas taking an eight-point lead. St. John's has attempted 10 more field goals (42 to 32) than Arkansas, but finds itself trailing 35-32 at halftime. Johnell Davis, Karter Knox and Billy Richmond lll each scored seven points for Arkansas during the first half.

Saying this game has been physical would be an understatement. St. John's is flying around on the offensive glass and has 14 offensive rebounds as a team. St. John's big Zuby Ejiofor has 16 points, while Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis Jr. only has only four points on 2 of 12 shooting.

[Mar 22, 2025 at 3:22 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Arkansas vs. St. John's is living up to the hype early

Early 1H: (10) Arkansas 18, (2) St. John's 13

They say styles make fights, and Arkansas looks equipped early to handle the relentless pressure St. John's is throwing at them on defense. Arkansas' size down low with Jonas Aidoo (6-foot-11) and Trevon Brazile (6-foot-10) seem to be giving Rick Pitino's squad some trouble. Arkansas ranked as one of the best shot-blocking teams in the country and already has three blocks in the first nine minutes.

Let's see how Pitino adjusts because Arkansas has already attempted seven free throws. The Razorbacks seem to be applying pressure at the rim against the No. 1 ranked defense in adjusted defensive efficiency.

[Mar 22, 2025 at 3:00 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Will Wade headed to NC State

McNeese's NCAA Tournament run now makes official what has long been expected: he's headed to NC State.

Wade spent two seasons coaching the Cowboys and accrued 58 wins in that span. He returns to the major conference level after a five-year stint at LSU where he went 105-51 before eventually being run off amid scandal.

Wade, 42, steps into an NC State program that is itching to step out from the shadow of Duke and North Carolina in the triangle, and he's got the gravitas to believe he can lead that effort. A very fun coach/program pairing with a Wolfpack team that is primed to jump up the pecking order in the wide-open ACC.

Will Wade agrees to NC State job on six-year deal after McNeese's season ends vs. Purdue in NCAA Tournament

David Cobb

[Mar 22, 2025 at 2:40 pm ET · Matt Norlander]

Pitino vs. Calipari rivalry renewed

The basketball gods must have an affinity for sportswriters, because the fact we are going to get Rick Pitino vs. John Calipari one more time is so good, it almost feels nudged into our reality on a celestial level. There are infinite other timelines under which Calipari and Pitino — two of the greatest coaches ever and bona fide (former?) enemies — would have all too reasonably never crossed paths in an arena ever again. Pitino was exiled to coaching in Greece after his 2017 firing from Louisville, only to return to Iona in 2020 before (somewhat improbably) making his way back into the Big East at St. John's.

Calipari was presumed fated to finish his Hall of Fame career at maybe the best job in the sport: Kentucky. But that wound up changing after an unexpected cascade of events triggered the opportunity for him to leave Big Blue Nation for Arkansas on the Sunday before the national title game last year.

Rick Pitino vs. John Calipari: Rivalry once stoked in hate gets proper resurrection Saturday in March Madness

Matt Norlander

[Mar 22, 2025 at 2:33 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Big Ten improves to 9-0 in the NCAA Tournament

The Big Ten made history yesterday by finishing a perfect 8-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The conference's record improved to 9-0 with Purdue's blowout 76-62 win over McNeese in the second round. It's fitting that Purdue became the first team from the conference to punch its ticket to the Sweet 16 after being the final team from the Big Ten left standing in last year's NCAA Tournament.

After losing two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey to the NBA, his fellow co-star last season -- Braden Smith -- has been a huge reason why the Boilermakers are back in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Smith is second in the country in assists per game (8.6), and the rise of forward Trey Kaufman-Renn has been one of the most underrated storylines in the country. Kaufman-Renn started 39 games last season and averaged a mere 6.4 points per game, but that number has skyrocketed to 20.2 this year.

Purdue's next test? The winner of No. 1 seed Houston vs. No. 8 seed Gonzaga.

March Madness 2025: Big Ten sets NCAA Tournament record with 8-0 mark in Round 1, challenges SEC's supremacy

David Cobb

[Mar 22, 2025 at 2:23 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Purdue punches Sweet 16 ticket

Final: (4) Purdue 76, (12) McNeese 62

Purdue is the first team to punch its ticket to this year's Sweet 16 after downing -- no, dominating -- McNeese in the second round on Saturday. The Boilermakers handled this one from tip to final horn, led by another big day from big Trey Kaufman-Renn -- who finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds. This marks his his fourth game of at least 20 points and 10 boards in a game and third in three months as he's taken control of Purdue's offense and transformed into a monster in the paint.

Braden Smith paced Purdue early with 10 first-half points but was held scoreless in the final 20 minutes as the Boilermakers bled clock and sat on a gigantic lead.

The win advances Purdue to its sixth Sweet 16 in the last eight NCAA Tournaments under coach Matt Painter. The Boilermakers will face the winner of Houston-Gonzaga in the next round on Friday in Indianapolis. Purdue is coming off last year's magical March run where it finished as the national runner-up to UConn.

[Mar 22, 2025 at 1:40 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Will Wade hit with T as McNeese implodes

Early 2H: (4) Purdue 53, (12) McNeese 28

McNeese coach Will Wade has been bordering on a breakdown for much of this second half. He practically begged for a technical -- and was just awarded it for taking issue with a foul call on Christian Shumate, who received one, too.

Purdue goes to the free throw line and makes three of the four technical free throws to add to its lead. Trey Kaufman-Renn then adds two more free throws from the original call, giving the Boilermakers a 5-point (!) possession.

This game was teetering toward being out of control and that blow-up won't help McNeese's case.

[Mar 22, 2025 at 1:09 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Purdue putting it to McNeese

HALF: (4) Purdue 38, (12) McNeese 20

After letting High Point hang around longer than comfortable in the first round, No. 4 seed Purdue is taking no prisoners here to kick off second round action. It has led for all but 19 total seconds and takes an 18-point lead into the break led by Braden Smith's 10 points and Trey Kaufman-Renn's 8 points and 8 boards.

McNeese really struggling to get offense going early — it is 2 of 12 from 3-point range — and having an equally tough time slowing Purdue's top two stars. Smith getting to his spots when he wants to set things up and Kaufman-Renn is rolling inside. Boilermakers have 14 of their 38 points in the paint and finding little resistance around the basket.