A ticket to the Sweet 16 in Indianapolis is on the line today.
McNeese vs. Purdue: MASTER DISCUSSION THREAD
- Thread starter Travis Miller
- Start date
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This afternoon, it's the #12-seed McNeese Cowboys (28-6) taking on the #4-seed Purdue Boilermakers (23-11) in the first game of the day for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, a MIDWEST Region 2nd round game from Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence. Tip is set for approximately 12:10 pm (Eastern time) with television coverage on CBS. Winner of this game advances to the MIDWEST Region Semi-Final games in Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis next Friday evening.
Projected Starting Line-ups:
McNeese - Joe Charles, Christian Shumate, DJ Richards Jr., Javohn Garcia, and Quadir Copeland
Purdue - Trey Kaufman-Renn, Caleb Furst, CJ Cox, Fletcher Loyer, and Braden Smith
_________________________________
McNeese is coming off an impressive 69-67 win over the #5-seed Clemson on Thursday, holding the Tigers to 13 points in the first half and then hanging on the last stages of the game as Clemson made a push to the end. The Cowboys have 28 wins on the season and their first NCAA tournament win, coached by Will Wade, who is headed to North Carolina State to coach next season. On Thursday, the Cowboys showed off a defense that has been their strongest attribute. They held Clemson to just 37 percent shooting from the floor and 9-of-30 from beyond the arc. They also outrebounded Clemson by 7 and committed two fewer turnovers in the game. Offensively, they shot 43.5 percent from the floor overall. Surprisingly, the Cowboys struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 4-of-19 from 3-point land. They did, however, dominate the paint, outscoring Clemson 44-24 in points in the paint. Similarly to Purdue, they struggled from the FT line, just 11-of-22.
McNeese has good balanced scoring on offense, led by guards Javohn Garcia and Sincere Parker (off the bench) with 12.6 points and 12.1 points per game, respectively. Forward Christian Shumate chips in 10.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per contest. Quadir Copeland is another playmaker, who averages 9.2 points and leads the team with 4.5 assists per game. Joe Charles leads the Cowboys with 7 rebounds per game.
McNeese is 58th overall in the KenPom ratings, 63rd in offensive efficiency and 60th in defensive efficiency. The Cowboys play at a slower pace than average, similar to Purdue, rated 278th overall in adjusted tempo. Currently, Purdue is rated 15th overall in KenPom, 6th offensively and 58th defensively. The Boilers' adjusted tempo is currently rated 303rd overall.
Purdue did what it needed to get past High Point on Thursday. McNeese poses some similar challenges with the way they can drive into the paint and play off from there. They are also a better defensive team than High Point. The Boilers will need to improve in some key areas offensively today - they shot 45 percent against High Point and also hit just 5-of-15 from beyond the arc. More troubling, Purdue connected on just 14-of-22 at the free-throw line (although they did make the last six). They did control the paint, outscoring the Panthers 38-22, and the defense was generally solid, especially on the offensive glass. Purdue had a 38-22 edge overall.
If Purdue can get a similar defensive performance, along with those contributions from the bench and handle the McNeese defense without a lot of breakdowns, the Boilers would have a good opportunity to advance. Easier said than done - as McNeese came out swinging against Clemson and knocked them off balance the entire first half. By the time the Tigers knew what hit them and how to respond, they had dug too big of a hole to recover. Purdue certainly needs to be mindful of that and also be poised with how to deal with it. There will be opportunities if Purdue can handle some of the initial pressure without panic or impatience.
From Matt Painter - "Well, they switch all the time......but they went to their 2-2-1 or their 1-2-2 zone press back to a 2-3 zone, which matched up into a man at the end of the possession. I think that's what was a little bit different then what they've shown. But it's not just what they do, but how hard they play.....and closing out passing lanes. They keep pursuing the basketball. McNeese gives a lot of effort; they play very hard. They don't give up on plays, they get a lot of deflections, a lot of steals.
We have to do a good job of taking care of the basketball and then understand how to go about it.....when you drive the basketball, you have to drive to space. If you're going to drive where bodies are, they're going to take the ball from you.
Have that discipline, and stay with it throughout the course of the game....because there's going to be mistakes made, just like in every game.....make sure we keep talking and stay on the same page.
Having depth is going to help you. That's what I tell guys coming off the bench. There will be times you're not going to get the same volume of shots every game.....but you can always defend, you can always rebound."
Every game in this tournament ends one team's season. Can Purdue play with purpose, play with poise, and get the overall team effort it needs to keep things rolling? A trip to Indianapolis awaits the winner.
We shall see, coming up in a little over an hour or so.
Boiler up, my friends.
Projected Starting Line-ups:
McNeese - Joe Charles, Christian Shumate, DJ Richards Jr., Javohn Garcia, and Quadir Copeland
Purdue - Trey Kaufman-Renn, Caleb Furst, CJ Cox, Fletcher Loyer, and Braden Smith
_________________________________
McNeese is coming off an impressive 69-67 win over the #5-seed Clemson on Thursday, holding the Tigers to 13 points in the first half and then hanging on the last stages of the game as Clemson made a push to the end. The Cowboys have 28 wins on the season and their first NCAA tournament win, coached by Will Wade, who is headed to North Carolina State to coach next season. On Thursday, the Cowboys showed off a defense that has been their strongest attribute. They held Clemson to just 37 percent shooting from the floor and 9-of-30 from beyond the arc. They also outrebounded Clemson by 7 and committed two fewer turnovers in the game. Offensively, they shot 43.5 percent from the floor overall. Surprisingly, the Cowboys struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 4-of-19 from 3-point land. They did, however, dominate the paint, outscoring Clemson 44-24 in points in the paint. Similarly to Purdue, they struggled from the FT line, just 11-of-22.
McNeese has good balanced scoring on offense, led by guards Javohn Garcia and Sincere Parker (off the bench) with 12.6 points and 12.1 points per game, respectively. Forward Christian Shumate chips in 10.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per contest. Quadir Copeland is another playmaker, who averages 9.2 points and leads the team with 4.5 assists per game. Joe Charles leads the Cowboys with 7 rebounds per game.
McNeese is 58th overall in the KenPom ratings, 63rd in offensive efficiency and 60th in defensive efficiency. The Cowboys play at a slower pace than average, similar to Purdue, rated 278th overall in adjusted tempo. Currently, Purdue is rated 15th overall in KenPom, 6th offensively and 58th defensively. The Boilers' adjusted tempo is currently rated 303rd overall.
Purdue did what it needed to get past High Point on Thursday. McNeese poses some similar challenges with the way they can drive into the paint and play off from there. They are also a better defensive team than High Point. The Boilers will need to improve in some key areas offensively today - they shot 45 percent against High Point and also hit just 5-of-15 from beyond the arc. More troubling, Purdue connected on just 14-of-22 at the free-throw line (although they did make the last six). They did control the paint, outscoring the Panthers 38-22, and the defense was generally solid, especially on the offensive glass. Purdue had a 38-22 edge overall.
If Purdue can get a similar defensive performance, along with those contributions from the bench and handle the McNeese defense without a lot of breakdowns, the Boilers would have a good opportunity to advance. Easier said than done - as McNeese came out swinging against Clemson and knocked them off balance the entire first half. By the time the Tigers knew what hit them and how to respond, they had dug too big of a hole to recover. Purdue certainly needs to be mindful of that and also be poised with how to deal with it. There will be opportunities if Purdue can handle some of the initial pressure without panic or impatience.
From Matt Painter - "Well, they switch all the time......but they went to their 2-2-1 or their 1-2-2 zone press back to a 2-3 zone, which matched up into a man at the end of the possession. I think that's what was a little bit different then what they've shown. But it's not just what they do, but how hard they play.....and closing out passing lanes. They keep pursuing the basketball. McNeese gives a lot of effort; they play very hard. They don't give up on plays, they get a lot of deflections, a lot of steals.
We have to do a good job of taking care of the basketball and then understand how to go about it.....when you drive the basketball, you have to drive to space. If you're going to drive where bodies are, they're going to take the ball from you.
Have that discipline, and stay with it throughout the course of the game....because there's going to be mistakes made, just like in every game.....make sure we keep talking and stay on the same page.
Having depth is going to help you. That's what I tell guys coming off the bench. There will be times you're not going to get the same volume of shots every game.....but you can always defend, you can always rebound."
Every game in this tournament ends one team's season. Can Purdue play with purpose, play with poise, and get the overall team effort it needs to keep things rolling? A trip to Indianapolis awaits the winner.
We shall see, coming up in a little over an hour or so.
Boiler up, my friends.
I was aware of how poor Clemson was the first half, but never got to see but a few minutes after they were way behind and have no idea if a zone press or just aggressive man in the half caused turnovers. They average 9 steals, and 10.8 turnovers and 3.4 blocks suggesting as we know an athletic team and since the "steals" were pretty even through the team I doubt those are coming off their zone press, but maybe aggressive man in the passing zones and possible scrapes and digs. I assume they come out very aggressive and Purdue is tuned up early to back cut off the wings or off a screen on the wings to attempt to loosen up the D. I would take a clear out for Braden early, but we can expect the high ball screen with Trey I'm guessing and McNeese will show their hand early. If they zone...Fletch may find his scoring back, but I expect Cam and Myles to get minutes to match athleticism more than in games of the past. Can Berg spell Trey when needed? Can Purdue put good pressure on the ball and see how shaky they are as well?Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This afternoon, it's the #12-seed McNeese Cowboys (28-6) taking on the #4-seed Purdue Boilermakers (23-11) in the first game of the day for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, a MIDWEST Region 2nd round game from Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence. Tip is set for approximately 12:10 pm (Eastern time) with television coverage on CBS. Winner of this game advances to the MIDWEST Region Semi-Final games in Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis next Friday evening.
Projected Starting Line-ups:
McNeese - Joe Charles, Christian Shumate, DJ Richards Jr., Javohn Garcia, and Quadir Copeland
Purdue - Trey Kaufman-Renn, Caleb Furst, CJ Cox, Fletcher Loyer, and Braden Smith
_________________________________
McNeese is coming off an impressive 69-67 win over the #5-seed Clemson on Thursday, holding the Tigers to 13 points in the first half and then hanging on the last stages of the game as Clemson made a push to the end. The Cowboys have 28 wins on the season and their first NCAA tournament win, coached by Will Wade, who is headed to North Carolina State to coach next season. On Thursday, the Cowboys showed off a defense that has been their strongest attribute. They held Clemson to just 37 percent shooting from the floor and 9-of-30 from beyond the arc. They also outrebounded Clemson by 7 and committed two fewer turnovers in the game. Offensively, they shot 43.5 percent from the floor overall. Surprisingly, the Cowboys struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 4-of-19 from 3-point land. They did, however, dominate the paint, outscoring Clemson 44-24 in points in the paint. Similarly to Purdue, they struggled from the FT line, just 11-of-22.
McNeese has good balanced scoring on offense, led by guards Javohn Garcia and Sincere Parker (off the bench) with 12.6 points and 12.1 points per game, respectively. Forward Christian Shumate chips in 10.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per contest. Quadir Copeland is another playmaker, who averages 9.2 points and leads the team with 4.5 assists per game. Joe Charles leads the Cowboys with 7 rebounds per game.
McNeese is 58th overall in the KenPom ratings, 63rd in offensive efficiency and 60th in defensive efficiency. The Cowboys play at a slower pace than average, similar to Purdue, rated 278th overall in adjusted tempo. Currently, Purdue is rated 15th overall in KenPom, 6th offensively and 58th defensively. The Boilers' adjusted tempo is currently rated 303rd overall.
Purdue did what it needed to get past High Point on Thursday. McNeese poses some similar challenges with the way they can drive into the paint and play off from there. They are also a better defensive team than High Point. The Boilers will need to improve in some key areas offensively today - they shot 45 percent against High Point and also hit just 5-of-15 from beyond the arc. More troubling, Purdue connected on just 14-of-22 at the free-throw line (although they did make the last six). They did control the paint, outscoring the Panthers 38-22, and the defense was generally solid, especially on the offensive glass. Purdue had a 38-22 edge overall.
If Purdue can get a similar defensive performance, along with those contributions from the bench and handle the McNeese defense without a lot of breakdowns, the Boilers would have a good opportunity to advance. Easier said than done - as McNeese came out swinging against Clemson and knocked them off balance the entire first half. By the time the Tigers knew what hit them and how to respond, they had dug too big of a hole to recover. Purdue certainly needs to be mindful of that and also be poised with how to deal with it. There will be opportunities if Purdue can handle some of the initial pressure without panic or impatience.
From Matt Painter - "Well, they switch all the time......but they went to their 2-2-1 or their 1-2-2 zone press back to a 2-3 zone, which matched up into a man at the end of the possession. I think that's what was a little bit different then what they've shown. But it's not just what they do, but how hard they play.....and closing out passing lanes. They keep pursuing the basketball. McNeese gives a lot of effort; they play very hard. They don't give up on plays, they get a lot of deflections, a lot of steals.
We have to do a good job of taking care of the basketball and then understand how to go about it.....when you drive the basketball, you have to drive to space. If you're going to drive where bodies are, they're going to take the ball from you.
Have that discipline, and stay with it throughout the course of the game....because there's going to be mistakes made, just like in every game.....make sure we keep talking and stay on the same page.
Having depth is going to help you. That's what I tell guys coming off the bench. There will be times you're not going to get the same volume of shots every game.....but you can always defend, you can always rebound."
Every game in this tournament ends one team's season. Can Purdue play with purpose, play with poise, and get the overall team effort it needs to keep things rolling? A trip to Indianapolis awaits the winner.
We shall see, coming up in a little over an hour or so.
Boiler up, my friends.
Purdue going for their 6th Sweet Sixteen in the last 8 tourneys.
McNeese looking for their second ever NCAA tourney win.
I think McNeese showed why they were a popular pick for an upset. Will Wade is heck of a coach. NC State got a good one.
I could see this one going either way. Obviously Purdue seen what McNeese State can do. They won't be caught off guard by it. McNeese State will be riding high coming off a huge win. Hopefully it's a fun game(hopefully not a brick fest like the PU/HPU started out as).
McNeese looking for their second ever NCAA tourney win.
I think McNeese showed why they were a popular pick for an upset. Will Wade is heck of a coach. NC State got a good one.
I could see this one going either way. Obviously Purdue seen what McNeese State can do. They won't be caught off guard by it. McNeese State will be riding high coming off a huge win. Hopefully it's a fun game(hopefully not a brick fest like the PU/HPU started out as).
Clemson got and bricked a lot of wide open threes. Those shots will be there.
Need the players that have been turtling the last couple of months to come back out and play. We’re the far better team. Play with joy and without fear .
Well, they pretty much said we are going down in the pregame coverage, so guess I can go ahead and get on with my day then.
That's what we needed to start. TKR dunk and Loyer three!
Goddarn it, Boilers - three chances leads to the triple. 
Well, we have score more points than Clemson did in the first half within four minutes. Good sign.
Great passing early. TKR is going to eat all day with the way they're playing him.
