The Purdue Boilermakers look poised to punch their tickets back to their home state for the second spot in the Final Four.
Matt Painter’s team has been dominant through the first 20 minutes vs. Arizona and it has college hoops fans already stamping them as a semifinal contender.
It’s been a total team effort from the Boilermakers — led by senior guard Braden Smith. With Purdue racking up four steals, two blocks and outrebounding the Wildcats 8-4 on the offensive glass — while also hitting on seven of their first 14 three-point attempts.
And now they find themselves up a touchdown on the No. 1 seed with one frame left to play.
Fans react to Boilermakers’ surprising first half lead
“Yep, Purdue’s going to the Final Four! Sorry Arizona, but you had your shot!” a fan exclaimed. “Now we must endure Purdue insufferability!!”
“They doubted us. Everyone not in our camp said we didn’t stand a chance. They’re too big; too physical. Arizona is full of NBA players while Purdue has none. 20 minutes to prove them all wrong. This is OUR TIME!” another said.
“Purdue is the first team in the tourney to have a lead over Arizona,” a user pointed out.
“That was one impressive half of basketball from Purdue,” another person shared. “Braden Smith was in full control. He’s hunting shots. Cluff was terrific, plus they’re winning the battle on the boards. And they’re getting good minutes from the bench. … Most points Arizona’s trailed at half all season (7).”
“First half thoughts: Purdue played like they wanted it more than Arizona! Plain and simple!”
The Boilermakers go into the half up 7 over Arizona 👀 pic.twitter.com/ghG66wKzIk
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 29, 2026
Braden Smith sets another record in Elite 8
Saturday night’s action may not be over just yet, but that hasn’t stopped Braden Smith from adding another impressive milestone to his storied college hoops career.
With his 15 minutes played in the first half, Purdue’s 6-foot ironman set the NCAA record for most minutes logged in a four-year career with 5,046 (and counting).
He also passed school legend Carsen Edwards on the Boilermakers all-time scoring list to move further up the program’s top 10.
⏱️ Most minutes played for a 4-year player in NCAA history.
H / T @Stathead & @collegebb_ref. pic.twitter.com/x5FgG8uGHP
— Purdue Men’s Basketball (@BoilerBall) March 29, 2026
We’ll see if he and the rest of his squad can hang on with a super-talented AZ squad looking to make a run coming out of the break.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Mar 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Basketball section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.