Purdue and Miami Battle for Sweet 16 Berth

No. 2 seed Purdue takes on No. 7 seed Miami in the second round of the NCAA Tournament

Mar. 22, 2026 at 2:50pm

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The second day of Round 2 in the NCAA Tournament gets underway in St. Louis, with No. 2 seed Purdue taking on No. 7 seed Miami. Purdue reached the second round by posting an impressive 104-71 victory over No. 15 seed Queens, while Miami defeated No. 10 seed Missouri 80-66 to get to the second round of March Madness. The winner of this matchup will advance to the Sweet 16.

Why it matters

Purdue is looking to reach the Sweet 16 for a third consecutive season and continue its March Madness journey. This is a particularly important postseason for the Boilermakers, as longtime program leaders Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn are suiting up for their final NCAA Tournament run. Miami coach Jai Lucas is hoping to continue this magical first-year run with his team, as the Hurricanes enter the game with a 26-8 record despite having to build a roster through the NCAA transfer portal.

The details

Tipoff between Purdue and Miami is set for 12:10 p.m. ET. The game will air on CBS. Purdue reached the second round by posting an impressive 104-71 victory over No. 15 seed Queens, while Miami defeated No. 10 seed Missouri 80-66 to get to the second round of March Madness.

  • The game is scheduled to tip off at 12:10 p.m. ET on March 22, 2026.
  • Purdue defeated Queens 104-71 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The players

Braden Smith

A longtime program leader for Purdue who is suiting up for his final NCAA Tournament run.

Fletcher Loyer

A key player for Purdue who is also in his final NCAA Tournament with the Boilermakers.

Trey Kaufman-Renn

Another longtime program leader for Purdue who is playing in his last NCAA Tournament with the team.

Jai Lucas

The head coach of Miami, who is hoping to continue the Hurricanes' magical first-year run in the NCAA Tournament.

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What they’re saying

“We must be ready for a tough battle against a very good Miami team. They've had a great season and we know they'll be a tough out.”

— Braden Smith, Purdue Guard

“This is an incredible opportunity for our program. We've worked hard all season to get to this point, and we're excited to compete against a top-tier team like Purdue.”

— Jai Lucas, Miami Head Coach

What’s next

The winner of this second-round matchup between Purdue and Miami will advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

The takeaway

This second-round clash between Purdue and Miami features two teams with different paths to this point, but both with the same goal of reaching the Sweet 16. It should make for an exciting and hard-fought battle as the Boilermakers look to continue their March Madness run, while the Hurricanes aim to pull off the upset and extend their magical season.