By ZACH VOGT
ISL Writer

Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn and the Purdue Boilermakers danced their way into the Sweet 16 and have presented themselves with a fantastic opportunity.

The 4th seed out of the Midwest Region handled a first round battle with 13th-seeded High Point by a final score of 75-63. The Panthers cut the lead down to 3 with 7:47 remaining when Juslin Bodo Bodo slammed home a big dunk. Kaufman-Renn followed with a difficult fadeaway jumper as the shot clock expired and Purdue finished the game on a 16-7 run to put the game away and advance into the Round of 32.

Waiting in the next round was the Cowboys of McNeese State following their upset over 5th-seeded Clemson. McNeese blitzed Clemson in the first 10 minutes of the game and they were never able to fully recover. Purdue then gave McNeese a taste of their own medicine when they blitzed the Cowboys in the first half and never let up. The Boilers built a 27-11 lead within the first ten minutes of the game and never looked back from there. Their offense was getting whatever they wanted and they put together one of their most connected defensive halves of the season. The Boiler lead ballooned up to 25 early in the second half but it was a 76-62 final that sent Purdue into their 6th Sweet 16 in the last eight NCAA Tournaments.

So now what lies ahead?

Awaiting the Boilermakers in downtown Indianapolis on Friday night will be the top-seeded Houston Cougars. The Cougars rolled through their opening round game with a 78-40 win over SIUE and then survived a second round scare from eighth-seeded Gonzaga by a final score of 81-76.

In the opposing Sweet 16 matchup is 2nd-seeded Tennessee and 3rd-seeded Kentucky, an SEC rivalry renewed in March. 

Downtown Indianapolis is going to be rocking on all fronts Friday night, so let’s take a deeper look at what each of these teams bring to the table:

The Houston Cougars of the Big 12:

• 32-4 Overall (19-1 Conference)
• Head Coach: Kelvin Sampson
• This is their 17th Sweet 16 appearance in program history
• Net Ranking: 3rd
• KenPom Rankings: 2nd Overall – 10th Off – 1st Def

The Cougars are led by All-American point guard LJ Cryer. He is averaging over 15 PPG while shooting over 42% from three. He is a do everything guard that is the head of the snake for the Houston offense. Cryer scored 30 points in their win over Gonzaga and knocked down six three pointers in the process.

The man inside for the Cougars is J’Wan Roberts. He is averaging almost 11 points per game and tallies over 6 rebounds a game. He is a well rounded big that is a force in the paint and will be a handful for Trey Kaufman-Renn for 40 minutes.

Purdue will have a big advantage when it comes to the crowd Friday night, but the players on the court will need to execute their best game of the season in order to beat this Houston team. It is a great challenge that Matt Painter will have his players ready for.

Purdue and Houston will tip off at approximately 10:09 PM ET Friday night.

Starting off the two-game slate in Indy will be a classic SEC matchup between Tennessee and Kentucky.

Let’s take a look at those two teams:

The Tennessee Volunteers of the SEC:

• 29-7 Overall (12-6 Conference)
• Head Coach: Rick Barnes
• This is their 11th Sweet 16 appearance in program history
• Net Ranking: 5th
• KenPom Rankings: 5th Overall – 17th Off – 3rd Def

The Vols are led by All-American point guard Zakai Zeigler. The senior guard is averaging over 13 points per game along with dishing out over 7 assists per game. He is very active on the defensive end as well as he forces 2 steals per game.

Chaz Lanier is the volume scorer for the Vols this season as he is averaging over 18 points per game while shooting 41% from the three point line. Lanier is a three-level scorer that can beat you in a multitude of different ways and is incredibly difficult to guard.

The Vols will take on Kentucky in the Sweet 16, a team they have already lost to twice earlier this season. Let’s take a look:

The Kentucky Wildcats of the SEC:

• 24-11 Overall (10-8 Conference)
• Head Coach: Mark Pope
• This is their 46th Sweet 16 appearance in program history
• Net Ranking: 14th
• KenPom Rankings: 15th Overall – 11th Off – 45th Def

The Wildcats are led by guard Otega Oweh. He is a streaky guard that is incredibly dangerous when he gets it going. Oweh is averaging over 16 points per game and also brings in almost 5 rebounds per game. He is a 49% shooter this year who can go very hot or cold, a microwave scorer at his finest and is a tough match-up for opposing teams.

Amari Williams down low is the force in the paint for the Wildcats. Williams is averaging over 10 points and 8 rebounds per game while also blocking nearly 1.5 shots per game. He is a very athletic big that creates match-up problems for any opposing defense.

Two match-ups.

One between the hometown team against the top dog.

Another between two SEC rivals where no love is lost.

Lucas Oil Stadium is expecting upwards of 35,000 fans in attendance Friday night.

 Purdue is in the Sweet 16 for the sixth time in the last eight NCAA Tournaments, and is looking for their third Elite 8 appearance during that span.

They will need all hands on deck Friday night.

They will take the floor in front of 35,000 strong to try and pull off the upset.

The game of basketball is played on the court, not on paper.

In case anyone forgot – it’s March. Anything can happen.

Why not Purdue?

See you Friday night.