Miami and Purdue Took Very Different Paths to March Madness

One of Sunday’s most intriguing matchups is between the 7-seed Miami Hurricanes and the 2-Seed Purdue Boilermakers.

Both teams won 26+ games during the season and delivered impressive wins in the Round of 64, but they head into Sunday having taken two very different paths. 

On one side is Purdue, which entered the season as the nation's top-ranked team. The team started 17-1, but things came apart late as they lost seven of their final 13 games. Fortunately, the Boilermakers got hot at the right time, winning the Big Ten Tournament by beating a great Michigan team 80-72. 

Miami entered the 2025-26 season looking to improve after winning just seven games the year before. New coach Jai Lucas hit the transfer portal hard, building a new team with players hungry to prove themselves. The makeover led the Canes to finish the regular season with 24 wins and helped them beat a good Missouri team in the Round of 64.

While we can’t wait to see who advances, there is another reason why we will be locked in on Sunday.

Purdue Built Team With Eye on Future

The Boilermakers’ top three scorers are seniors who have played together for their entire college careers. Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Fletcher Loyer have capitalized on their experience, leading each to succeed in different aspects of the game. 

Smith is the point guard averaging the second-most assists in the country (9.0 APG), Kaufman-Renn averaged the fourth-most rebounds in the Big Ten (8.5 RPG), and Loyer ranks in the top twenty in the nation in three-point efficiency (42.3%). 

This form of roster building is now considered to be “old school,” with many programs choosing to focus on the transfer portal. While this has prevented Purdue from finding another superstar, it has also led them to play like a national championship contender. 

Purdue used to use a portal to add another senior in center Oscar Cluff, who has fit in well with the trio of veteran Boilermakers.

Miami Says Adios to its 2023-25 Roster

When Jai Lucas took the head coaching job at Miami, he had little interest in maintaining the seven-win squad from last season. That included saying goodbye to fifth-year senior and fan-favorite Nijel Pack, as well as every other player to step foot on the court during the tumultuous campaign.

Two of the biggest finds were seniors from the Big Ten, with Malik Reneau (Indiana) and Tre Donaldson (Michigan). The former led the team in scoring (19.0), while the latter was second and led the team in assists. 

Lucas also bolstered the defense by luring Tru Washington out of New Mexico (1.8 steals per game) and Ernest Udeh Jr. away from TCU (1.4 blocks per game). 

Lucas didn’t only focus on finding transfers, as he also added top-25 national prospect Shelton Henderson. The freshman has made an immediate impact, averaging the third-most points  (13.7) and rebounds (4.9).

This is the “new school” approach to recruiting and roster building, which allowed Lucas and Miami to return to winning after last year’s brutal campaign.

A Miami Would Could Further Emphasize the Portal

A victory by Purdue would help show the effectiveness of long-term roster building, but not by much. This was a team expected to compete for a title, which is why they entered as a decently-sized favorite at the majority of March Madness betting sites.

However, if Miami wins, it will be a different story.

This team didn’t just add a few key pieces in the offseason; they remade their entire roster. While recruiting, Henderson helped; Lucas essentially built this team with players from other schools. If that kind of squad can knock off a blueblood and advance to the 2026 Sweet 16, it would prove that the old-school form of roster-building may no longer be viable.

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