GAMEDAY GUIDE
Date: Friday, March 20, 2026
Time: 6:35 PM CT/7:35 PM ET
Location: Enterprise Center (St. Louis, Mo.)
 
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: truTV (Spero Dedes, Jim Spanarkel, Jon Rothstein)
Radio: Sirius XM Satellite Radio (Nate Gatter, Jordan Cornete, Drew Casey)
Live Stats: https://www.ncaa.com/march-madness-live/bracket
Tickets: https://www.ncaa.com/marchmadnesstickets
Queens Notes
Purdue Notes
 
#15 QUEENS (21-13 OVERALL, 13-5 ASUN)
THE MATCHUP
Friday night marks the first meeting between Queens and Purdue, and the Royals second-ever meeting with a Big Ten Foe. Queens challenged Nebraska in the Battle in the Vault in 2022, but fell short 75-65.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Queens took down top-seeded Central Arkansas in a thrilling overtime clash in the ASUN Tournament Championship. Despite leading by 12 with 4:21 remaining in regulation, the ASUN Player of the Year Camren Hunter put the Bears on his back, netting the final 20 points for the Bears to send the game to overtime. In overtime, Queens jumped out on a 7-0 run to regain the lead, and cashed in seven of their last eight free throw attempts to hold onto a 98-93 win.

MARCH MADNESS DEBUT
Following a three-year NCAA postseason moratorium due to reclassification, the Royals are dancing for the first time as a Division 1 program. Queens became the fourth school in NCAA history, joining North Dakota State, UC San Diego, and Northern Kentucky, to make the NCAA Tournament in their first season eligible.
 
BRIGHT LIGHTS
Queens has prepared for the bright lights of March with a battle-tested non-conference schedule that included Villanova, Virginia, Wake Forest, Arkansas, and Auburn. Four of the Royals non-conference opponents this season have made it to the big dance.
 
SCORING VARIETY
Queens shoots 47-percent of their attempts from behind the arc, and rank 67^th in the country in 3-point field goal percentage, according to KenPom. However, the Royals can also score down low, ranking 15^th in the nation in 2-point field goal percentage, and 16^th in average 2-point field goal attempt distance at 4.6 feet.

EVERYBODY EATS
Queens has seen five different Royals reach double figures in the same game 16 times this season. The Royals are 1-of-3 teams in the entire country with six guys averaging double figures (Miami (OH) and Texas A&M).

NCAA TOP 50 SHOOTERS
Sharpshooter Chris Ashby is tied for 41^st all-time in NCAA history for three-pointers made. The Houston, Texas native holds the record for most three-pointers made at Queens with 390. Ashby earned a spot on the ASUN All-Tournament Team after leading Queens to its first title with 34 points on 10 made threes.
 
DOUBLE THE MANN
Senior Nasir Mann leads Queens this season with 13.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. The athletic guard brings tournament experience from his time at McNeese State and was named the ASUN Tournament MVP after averaging 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game.
                                                 
STREET DOGS
A new face behind the Royals bench, Buddy, has become a staple in the Royals locker room. A new tradition started this season, head coach Grant Leonard awards Buddy, a hollow replica of a dog, to the "Street Dog of the Game," or the person who makes an energetic impact in the game. Buddy sits by that player's locker until the next game and has even made appearances in the postgame press conferences.
 
#2 PURDUE (27-8 OVERALL, 13-7 BIG TEN)
BIG TEN CHAMPIONS
Purdue enters Friday night 27-8 overall and coming off a Big Ten Championship, as the Boilermakers took down Michigan. Purdue enters the tournament on a four-game winning streak.

SUSTAINED SUCCESS
Purdue is one of six schools in the country to have posted at least 24 wins in each of the last five seasons since 2021-22. The other programs include Houston, Duke, Arizona, Gonzaga, and Saint Mary's.

THE GUY
Coming off a season in which he was named the Big Ten Player of the Year and First Team All-America, senior Braden Smith paces the Boilermakers. Smith is two assists away from breaking Bobby Hurley's all-time NCAA record set back in 1993. This year, the Westfield, Indiana native is averaging a team-high 14.0 points, 9.1 assists, and 1.8 steals per game.

ELITE OFFENSE
The Boilermakers offense is one of the best in the nation as Purdue ranks 55^th in the nation in scoring. A key to that success has been taking care of the ball, as the Boilermakers rank first in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio.

TWENTY-ONE SEASONS AT THE HELM
Matt Painter is in his 21^st season as Head Coach for the Boilermakers. The two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year leads the Boilermakers to their 11^th straight NCAA Tournament – the fourth-longest active streak in the country.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow Queens Men's Basketball on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok for news and updates throughout the season. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on social media to stay up to date on all the Royals sports in action.