The Lunatic had a lot of nervousness. The Boilers were down 2 at halftime. So, the superstitious fan that I am, I found my Purdue hoodie and put it on over my lucky T-shirt in a sad attempt to send more Purdue vibes to my Boilers.

So, I got even more nervous when CJ Cox drove to the basket and came down with a knee injury. I am really hoping that he is OK. In the first half, it was Cox’s getting hot with 8 points to stop Miami’s run and close the gap from 7 to a 2 point Hurricanes lead at half.

But Fletcher Loyer stayed hot – scoring 24 points in the game, and Trey Kaufman-Renn displayed his toughness with 19 points all in the paint and 9 rebounds. And eventually, the Boilers extended the lead to a comfortable range. Everyone hit their free throws down the stretch, and the Boilers left St. Louis with a 79-69 victory.

So Purdue becomes the 5th Big 10 team to make it to the Sweet 16 – they will be heading out West to San Jose, CA to face Texas. Boiler Up!!!!!

Thank you to my Boilers – the Lunatic can now happily enjoy the remaining 7 games of Sunday.