One half Purdue is raining 3s, the next its dominating the paint.
It’s a tough task to handle, and it proved to be too much Gonzaga. Purdue defeated the Bulldogs 80-68 and is moving on to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2019. It stands one win away from its first Final Four since 1980.
The Braden Smith-Zach Edey duo starred in the Sweet 16 matchup. Smith etched his name into March Madness history recording 15 assists, joining a handful of players who have hit that mark. He added 14 points and eight rebounds, too.
Edey did his usual thing inside, drawing multiple defenders and forcing fouls which limited an already short Gonzaga rotation. He finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds on 10-of-15 shooting from the field.
MORE: Watch March Madness games live with Sling
As for Gonzaga, Graham Ike paced the Bulldogs with 18 points and 10 rebounds, but he picked up his fifth foul late in the second half. Nolan Hickman followed with 16 points.
Anton Watson, who also fouled out, and Ryan Nembhard each scored 14.
The Boilermakers will move on to their sixth Elite Eight appearance in program history and will play the winner of No. 2 Tennessee/No. 3 Creighton on Sunday, March 31.
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Gonzaga vs. Purdue score
| 1 | 2 | F | |
| Gonzaga | 36 | 32 | 68 |
| Purdue | 40 | 40 | 80 |
Gonzaga vs. Purdue results, highlights from 2024 March Madness
(All times Eastern).
9:38 p.m.: Purdue is moving on to the Elite Eight for the sixth time in program history, defeating Gonzaga 80-68.
9:28 p.m.: Purdue is on the verge of its first Elite Eight appearance since 2019. The Boilermakers lead 76-59 with 3:25 remaining.
9:24 p.m.: Ike fouls out of the game after picking up two fouls on Edey on back-to-back possessions. He finishes with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
9:14 p.m.: Edey slams home a dunk to mark Purdue’s 18th point in the paint in the second half. It’s an 18-4 scoring difference inside, in favor of the Boilermakers. A Camden Heide 3-pointer puts them up 67–53 with 8:52 to go.
Boilermakers opening up a big lead 👀#MarchMadness @BoilerBall pic.twitter.com/0Nd4D6bmD0
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 30, 2024
9:09 p.m.: The Bulldogs can’t seem to stop Purdue from scoring. The Boilermakers lead 61-53 with Edey heading to the line following the timeout. Edey is up to 15 points, Jones and Smith each have 12 points and Loyer has 10.
9:07 p.m.: Smith picks up his 10th point of the night and has a double double with 12 assists.
9:06 p.m.: Watson picks up his fourth foul with 12:32 remaining.
8:55 p.m.: Fletcher Loyer hits a 3-pointer after knocking down a jumper the possession prior. That’s 8-of-14 from deep for the Boilermakers as they take a 51-42 lead with 16:24 to go.
“It’s raining threes for Purdue!”
😤 @boilerball pic.twitter.com/LsVrqYuVes
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 30, 2024
8:53 p.m.: The Boilermakers are making an effort to attack the rim through Kaufman-Renn to start the second half. Kaufman-Renn had the first six points of the second half. Purdue relied on its 3-point shooting in the first half.
First half: Purdue 40, Gonzaga 36
8:26 p.m.: Edey slams in a bucket and is fouled on the way up by Gregg, who picks up his third foul. Purdue leads 40-36 after the free throw falls.
Zach Edey and-one 😤#MarchMadness @BoilerBall pic.twitter.com/lBmP9MQu0o
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 30, 2024
8:21 p.m.: Purdue and Gonzaga are tied 33-33 with 3:09 remaining in the half. Gonzaga ball after the media timeout.
8:19 p.m.: Something to keep an eye on is Gonzaga foul trouble. Watson picked up his second foul. The Bulldogs run a seven-man rotation and their eighth man did not travel with the team due to illness, the broadcast said.
8:11 p.m.: Anton Watson’s 3-pointer grants Gonzaga the lead again at 29-28. The Bulldogs are shooting 3-of-5 from deep, while the Boilermakers are 6-of-11.
8:05 p.m.: Lance Jones and Braden Smith hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give Purdue the 28-24 lead with 8:12 remaining in the half. Smith is up to eight points and five assists.
Back-to-back triples for the Boilermakers 🚂#MarchMadness @BoilerBall pic.twitter.com/Q4nsYeDuws
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 30, 2024
7:56 p.m.: Nembhard knocks down an and-1 jumper and drains the free throw to put Gonzaga up 20-15 with 12 minutes to go in the half. He’s up to eight points and three assists.
7:54 p.m.: The Bulldogs are attacking Edey on both ends of the floor. He’s doubled when he catches in the post on offense, and the Bulldogs aren’t afraid of the attacking the rim.
7:48 p.m.: Graham Ike and Ryan Nembhard knock down back-to-back 3-pointers as the Bulldogs go into the media timeout on a 6-0 run, leading 12-7.
Graham Ike with a rare 3 👀#MarchMadness @ZagMBB pic.twitter.com/ZloTKxNLDw
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 29, 2024
7:47 p.m.: Ben Gregg picks up his second foul with just under 17 minutes to play in the first half. He’s a key piece to the Gonzaga front court, especially against Edey.
7:43 p.m.: Zach Edey scores the first bucket of the game on a right-handed hook from the paint.
7:40 p.m.: Here are the starting fives for both sides.
Purdue:
- Braden Smith
- Lance Jones
- Fletcher Loyer
- Trey Kaufman-Renn
- Zach Edey
Gonzaga:
- Ryan Nembhard
- Nolan Hickman
- Anton Watson
- Graham Ike
- Ben Gregg
Gonzaga vs. Purdue start time
- Date: Friday, March 29
- Time: 7:39 p.m. ET
Purdue and Gonzaga are slated to begin their Sweet 16 matchup at 7:39 p.m. ET from Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan on Friday, March 29.
How to watch Gonzaga vs. Purdue
- TV channel: TBS/truTV
- Stream: Sling
Fans can tune into No. 1 Purdue vs. No. 5 Gonzaga on TBS or truTV at 7:39 p.m. ET on Friday, March 29. For cable cutters, you can stream the game on Sling.
NCAA Tournament schedule 2024
Below is a list of Friday’s Sweet 16 games:
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Livestream |
| No. 11 NC State 67, No. 2 Marquette 58 | 7:09 p.m. | CBS/Paramount+ |
| No. 1 Purdue 80, No. 5 Gonzaga 68 | 7:39 p.m. | TBS/truTV/Sling |
| No. 1 Houston vs. No. 4 Duke | 9:39 p.m. | CBS/Paramount+ |
| No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Creighton | 10:09 p.m. | TBS/truTV/Sling |
