Purdue is heading to the Sweet 16 again.
The No. 4 Boilermakers jumped out to a big lead over No. 12 McNeese in the first half on the way to a 76-62 win. It wasn’t nearly as pretty in the second half, but Purdue built itself so much of a cushion in the first 20 minutes that its struggles in the final 20 minutes didn’t matter.
Purdue led 38-20 at the break as McNeese struggled on both ends of the floor. The Cowboys shot just 31% from the field, got out-rebounded by 10 and Purdue players consistently got great looks behind the arc and by the basket.