Purdue’s journey to the Sweet 16 involves a matchup against Miami. The focus is on how Purdue can secure a spot in the second weekend of the NCAA tournament.
Purdue’s Strategy for Sweet 16 Success
Purdue can win if Braden Smith controls the pace of the matchup and its frontcourt gets the upper hand over Miami’s frontcourt. Trey Kaufman-Renn has averaged 17.4 points and 7.4 rebounds over the past five games. That inside-outside threat was the catalyst for a run to the Big Ten tournament title game. Add Fletcher Loyer’s sharpshooting, and the Boilermakers can beat anyone, as they’re a tough team to stall with their size inside and Smith’s ability to dictate the flow of any game. In their last loss this season, Wisconsin made 18 3-pointers. Miami doesn’t present a similar threat in this matchup.
Miami’s Road to the Sweet 16
Jai Lucas has already orchestrated one of the biggest turnarounds in Division I basketball this season. A win over Purdue and a Sweet 16 appearance would be another achievement in a remarkable first season at the helm, but it won’t come easily. Malik Reneau will have to be the best player on the court to give Miami — a team that doesn’t have wins against any national title contenders — a chance to win. The Hurricanes will also have to pressure Smith and play disciplined in the paint. Even if they do just that, though, they’ll still need Reneau, Tre Donaldson and Shelton Henderson to match — or exceed — whatever Smith, Kaufman-Renn and Loyer bring. This is the kind of game where Miami’s best players will have to be better than Purdue’s.
Iowa State’s Potential Path
Even with Joshua Jefferson unlikely to play, Iowa State has enough to beat Kentucky. The Cyclones have the individual perimeter defenders to slow down the trio of Otega Oweh, Collin Chandler and Denzel Aberdeen — particularly Tamin Lipsey and Killyan Toure — and could have success forcing turnovers. Kentucky also doesn’t have an answer for Milan Momcilovic, who has a case to make as the best shooter in the country and stands at 6-foot-8. The Wildcats will likely have to guard him with 6-4 Oweh or 6-5 Chandler, so Momcilovic should have the edge there. Without Jefferson, TJ Otzelberger could opt to go with a smaller lineup that features Momcilovic at the 4, which might create a tougher individual matchup but would also space out the Kentucky defense and remove some of its shot-blockers from the paint.
Kentucky’s Keys to Victory
It starts with taking care of the ball. Iowa State thrives when it can force turnovers and get out in transition for easy baskets. The Cyclones are fourth in the country in defensive t