Miami's path to the Sweet 16 runs straight through one of most efficient teams left in the bracket. The No. 7 seed Hurricanes face No. 2 seed Purdue on Sunday at Enterprise Center in St. Louis after Miami beat Missouri 80-66 and Purdue rolled Queens 104-71 in the first round. Miami enters 26-8. Purdue enters 28-8 and unbeaten on neutral floors at 8-0.
LET’S GO GET ‘EM ‼️ pic.twitter.com/7tEky04hwG
— Canes Men’s Basketball (@CanesHoops) March 21, 2026
No.7 Miami takes on No. 2 Purdue in Round of 32
Miami entered the tournament shooting 50.1% from the field, which led the ACC and ranked 12th nationally, and that offensive efficiency showed up again Friday when the Hurricanes shot 43% overall, 46% from 3-point range and outrebounded Missouri 46-30.
Purdue is No. 1 nationally in offensive efficiency, No. 9 in the NCAA NET and No. 8 in KenPom. They backed it up in the opener by shooting 63% from the floor and 58% from 3 in the win over Queens.
Purdue's offense is extremely efficient
Braden Smith comes into the game averaging 14.3 points, 9.0 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting 82.1% at the foul line and 37.7% from deep. He just broke the Division I career assists record Friday night. Fletcher Loyer adds 13.8 points and shoots 42.3% from 3-point range. C.J. Cox is at 37.4% from beyond the arc, and Jack Benter gives Purdue another 41.4% 3-point shooter off the bench.
Miami's offense can keep things competitive
Malik Reneau is averaging 19.0 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 54.5% from the floor. Tre Donaldson is at 16.5 points and 5.8 assists. Shelton Henderson gives Miami 13.7 points per game, Tru Washington adds 12.0, and Ernest Udeh Jr. is averaging 9.3 rebounds while shooting 73.1% from the field.
The rebounding battle could be the difference maker
Against Missouri, the Hurricanes grabbed 46 rebounds, including 16 offensive boards, with Udeh pulling down 10 and Donaldson adding eight. Purdue was dominant on the boards Friday too, beating Queens 41-19. But Miami at least has the size to punch back. If the Hurricanes can keep the rebounding battle close, or even win it the way they did against Missouri, they can make this close.
Purdue has the edge regarding free throws
Purdue is putting up 81.7 points per game, 19.9 assists and just 8.9 turnovers per game. Miami entered the tournament with 81.9 points per game, but also with only 68.5% team free-throw shooting. Purdue's team free-throw mark sits at 74.3%. Smith is at 82.1%, Loyer at 86.2%, Cox at 83.3% and Gicarri Harris at 85.3%. Miami's best closing options are Reneau at 78.4% and Donaldson at 76.6%, but Udeh is at 51.2% and Henderson sits at 57.6%.
Purdue's experience could benefit them against Miami
Purdue brings a level of tournament comfort that Miami, under a first-year head coach, has not built yet. The Boilermakers have won six straight second-round NCAA tournament games and are chasing their seventh Sweet 16 in the last nine tournaments. Their senior class is sitting on 115 career wins, one shy of the school record. Miami has already had a successful first season under Jai Lucas, but this is still his first trip through the Big Dance as a head coach.
Miami definitely has a chance
The Hurricanes can score enough to stay in the game, and Friday showed that they can handle a hostile setting. Miami has to make this a physical game, win enough second-chance possessions, keep Reneau out of foul trouble and avoid letting Purdue go on runs. If Miami can get physical on the glass and in the paint, the Canes have a shot to drag this deep into the second half.