Purdue Advances to Sweet 16

3/23/2019 By Tyler Englander   

Photo Courtesy of Tyler Englander

It was the Carsen Edwards show Saturday night in Hartford, Conn. The Purdue point guard scored 42 points and made nine three pointers. Purdue beat Villanova 87- 61 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The 26-point loss is the largest by Villanova in NCAA Tournament history.

Purdue head coach Matt Painter said he thought the Boilermakers played their best game of the season. Meanwhile, Carsen Edwards deferred accepting praise for his individual performance. He said, “I was just focused on the win.”

It was an emotional loss for Villanova, as it means the exceptional careers of seniors Eric Paschall and Phil Booth have come to an end. Both players won two national championships with the Wildcats. They were in tears during their post-game press conferences.

Purdue advances to its third consecutive Sweet 16. It will play Tennessee in the South Regional semifinal in Louisville, Ky.