PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Trey Kaufman-Renn recorded 22 points and 15 rebounds to help Purdue punch its sixth Sweet 16 ticket in the last eight NCAA Tournaments with a 76-62 win over McNeese in second-round Midwest Region action on Saturday.
The fourth-seeded Boilermakers (24-11) never looked back after starting 5-of-5 and 11-of-15 from the field en route to a 45.1 percent shooting performance, including 11 of 26 from distance. Fletcher Loyer (15 points, five assists), Massachusetts native C.
J. Cox (11 points) and Braden Smith (10 points) also scored in double digits for Purdue, which sank double-digit threes twice during its 2024 national title game run. The 15 rebounds were a career-high for Kaufman-Renn, a unanimous All-Big Ten selection.
"He's very unique, he's stronger than he looks," Purdue coach Matt Painter said of Kaufman-Renn. "He's a good passer. Tonight was probably his best rebounding game of the season.
He hasn't rebounded like that. That really would be a separator from him in terms of a national player." The Boilermakers will face either top-seeded Houston or No.
8 Gonzaga in the Sweet 16. Sincere Parker had 17 points and Javohn Garcia had 12 on four 3-pointers for 12th-seeded McNeese (28-7), which entered Saturday on a 12-game win streak. "Purdue was more aggressive from the start.
We couldn't get stops," Cowboys coach Will Wade said. "They had us spread out. We were switching too low and they made us pay for it.
We weren't as crisp as we were on Thursday from the .
