INDIANAPOLIS — Kelvin Sampson and Houston are tuning out nostalgia and naysayers with a purpose of tunnel imaginative and prescient when the top-seeded Cougars take the court docket towards Purdue at Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday evening in a semifinal matchup within the Midwest Area.
A late-night recreation Friday (10:07 p.m. ET scheduled tip) and the final of the eight regional semifinals, Houston (32-4) is not enjoying the disrespect card regardless of a regional bracket that funneled the Cougars right into a digital residence recreation for Purdue.
“No,” Sampson stated Thursday when requested if the geography of the Candy 16 matchup bothered him. “I did not hear what you stated.”
Sampson, the onetime coach at Indiana, stated it “does not imply something to me” to be again within the Hoosier State. The sidebars and subplots aren’t the a part of the programming he is centered on this weekend. It should imply one thing to prime scorer L.J. Cryer, who received a nationwide title on the identical court docket as a freshman at Baylor in 2021.
Gamers weren’t numb to the notion Purdue (24-11) acquired a tangible benefit with the placement of the sport. They’ve received 15 straight video games (10 highway, 5 impartial) away from their homecourt in Houston and have a 15-game successful streak total.
“I feel our toughness and grit actually travels on the highway with us,” Houston’s Milos Uzan stated. “We’re within the Candy 16 out right here in Indiana, not too removed from Purdue. We’ll see what it is like.”
The Boilermakers reached the nationwide championship recreation final season by means of Indy, 60 miles away from the Purdue campus, however is 1-2 in video games performed within the state capital this season. With six losses in 9 video games coming into the 2025 match, the Boilermakers scored a No. 4 seed after which received first- and second-round video games by double figures.
Matt Painter credit management and dedication for Purdue rising to fulfill the second. The Boilermakers are the one workforce left within the match with a beginning 5 that every one began their school profession in this system.
“It is simply type of the way in which by way of the way you recruit and the way you go about issues,” Painter stated. “In all probability the truth that we have been in a position to preserve guys typically type of blows your thoughts as a result of it is arduous, proper, in case you have 13 guys on scholarship, to maintain everyone blissful.”
Painter is one win away from his twelfth 25-win season at Purdue and a victory would ship the Boilermakers to the Elite Eight to face the winner of Friday’s early recreation: No. 2 seed Tennessee and No. 3 seed Kentucky. Purdue beat Tennessee within the Elite Eight final March.
“It is a kind of issues the place you recognize each recreation is hard. Like, we had been sitting right here final yr, we needed to play Gonzaga on this recreation,” Painter stated. “After which we ended up enjoying Tennessee. Now with the ability to play Houston, who had simply now this yr simply performed Gonzaga in a really shut recreation. So everyone’s nice. No one messed round that ended up within the Candy 16. They needed to earn their approach right here. For those who take a look at Houston, you would argue that they are the most effective workforce within the nation.”
Houston has probably the most wins in school basketball the previous three seasons with a report of 97-13. Purdue is third (87-22), behind UConn (92-22).
The mutual admiration runs from coaches by to gamers. Purdue’s Braden Smith stated the Houston protection, which held groups to 58 factors per recreation up to now this season, is elite.
“I feel it begins with their bigs. I feel their ball stress is de facto good,” stated Smith. “I feel they will corral the ball on ball screens. They trigger havoc.”
The Cougars edged Gonzaga 81-76 within the second spherical behind Cryer’s 30 factors, which tied a profession excessive. Purdue superior with wins over Excessive Level and McNeese.
The Boilermakers are relying on their prime playmaker, Smith, to regular the ship towards the Cougars’ relentless stress. Painter stated the assessments to get so far all primed Purdue for Friday evening.
Smith is 2 assists from turning into the second participant in NCAA historical past to have at the very least 500 factors, 300 assists and 150 rebounds in a season. The one participant to ever examine these packing containers in a season was Ja Morant (2018-19 for Murray State).
“Auburn’s so good. Texas A&M is so good. Shaka Sensible (Marquette) and what they do. Chris Beard (Ole Miss) and the way they function,” Painter stated, working by the difficult schedule to this point. “That is troublesome to go towards. He is had these experiences. He is been within the Last 4. He is received two Large Ten championships. He is had numerous completely different experiences.
“However with all that being stated, Houston’s protection may very well be the most effective out of all these individuals I’ve talked about.”
The Boilermakers are 0-8 when going through a No. 1 seed within the NCAA Match. Most not too long ago Purdue misplaced to UConn in 2024, one in all their 4 losses to prime seeds who grew to become nationwide champions.
–Jeff Reynolds, Discipline Stage Media
