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ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MARCH 20: Head coach Jai Lucas of the Miami Hurricanes celebrates with his team after beating the Missouri Tigers during the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at Enterprise Center on March 20, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) | NCAA Photos via Getty Images
Welcome back to March Madness Gameday, Miami Hurricanes hoops fans!
After a tougher-than-it-should-have-been 80-66 win over 10-seed Mizzou in the first round, the competition ramps up greatly as Miami faces the 2-seed Purdue Boilermakers in the Round of 32 this afternoon. Purdue beat Queen’s College 104-71 in the first round.
This is clearly the toughest test of the tournament, and one of the toughest opponents of the year for Miami. The Canes played Florida earlier in the year, and the Gators earned a 1-seed in the tournament, so this challenge is comparable to that earlier one.
Here are 3 keys to victory for the Canes today against the Boilermakers:
- Make shots – I know this sounds simple, but it’s a fact. You have to hit shots to win games, and Miami has struggled to do so at times this season. Specifically, Miami is one of the worst 3pt shooting and Free Throw shooting teams in the Country, and they’re going to have to find a hot streak, or at least a few timely makes in big moments, to find their way to victory vs Purdue.
- Be physical and smart on defense – This might be the #1 thing for many people, but Miami’s defense will be put to the test today. Purdue has the most efficient offense in the country according to KenPom rankings (industry standard for College Hoops advanced stats), so they present a tough opponent for Miami’s defense. If the advanced stats don’t matter to you, maybe the fact that Purdue is on a 5-game win streak, beat a trio of NCAA teams to win the Big 10 tournament (Nebraska, UCLA, and Michigan), and just dropped 104 points in a game 2 days ago should properly frame the challenge for Miami’s defense.
- Superstar performances – Upsets happen when stars play like stars. For Miami, that means Malik Reneau and Tre Donaldson are going to need to have the best games of their season, if not careers. Both transferred to Miami from major programs, and have the experience and ability to have a major impact on this game. If someone else wanted to step into the moment and take a star turn — looking at you, Shelton Henderson and Dante Allen — that would be great too. But, simply put, multiple Canes players are going to have to rise to the occasion to pull a pretty big upset over Purdue.
If you’re looking for a player to know on Purdue, look no further than point guard Braden Smith. He’s the NCAA’s all-time career leader in assists, plays 35 minutes a night, and is masterful at directing the Purdue offense that is the most efficient in the country. His matchup with Miami PG Tre Donaldson will be key to the story of this game.
Comment and discuss with your internet friends as we watch the Miami Hurricanes 2nd round game in the 2026 NCAA Basketball tournament.
Go Canes
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