MATT PAINTER

The Sweet 16 at the East region features one game between UCLA and North Carolina and another between Purdue and underdog Saint Peter’s.

Purdue held on to defeat Texas on Sunday night to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019

Last season’s NCAA Tournament ultimately unfolded in familiar fashion.

Chucky Hepburn tried to keep a straight face as the freshman insisted he knew his game-winning 3-pointer was accurate as soon as he took the shot. Hepburn banked in a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left to give No. 10 Wisconsin a 70-67 victory over No. 8 Purdue on Tuesday night that clinched the Badgers a share of the Big Ten regular-season title. “I knew we were about to be Big Ten champs after I released it,” Hepburn said before breaking out a grin.

Tyson Walker made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 3 seconds left, lifting Michigan State to a 68-65 win over No. 4 Purdue.

Rob Phinisee scored a season-high 17 points in the first half and then made the decisive 3-pointer with 16.5 seconds left to send Indiana past No. 4 Purdue 68-65.

Purdue is No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for the first time.

Jaden Ivey scored 19 points, Trevion Williams had 13 points and 18 rebounds, and No. 2 Purdue held off a late Iowa rally to win 77-70 in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

Purdue's biggest men came up large in a huge early season game. Zach Edey scored 21 points and No. 6 Purdue overcame an 11-point second-half deficit to beat No. 5 Villanova 80-74 on Sunday and win the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. The team's other post, 6-10 Trevion Williams, added nine points and four boards for the Boilermakers (5-0), who dominated underneath, outscoring the Wildcats 38-18 in the paint and outrebounding them 38-26.

Sasha Stefanovic made 5 of 6 3-pointers and finished with 23 points to lead No. 7 Purdue past Bellarmine 96-67.

– Michigan coach Juwan Howard put the emphasis on defense from the first time his entire team practiced this season. On a night Isaiah Livers matched his season high with 22 points and Eli Brooks added 11, the seventh-ranked Wolverines used a staunch defense to pull away from Purdue 70-53. Purdue: While the Boilermakers had been the Big Ten's hottest team, they sputtered without Stefanovic. POLL IMPLICATIONSWith wins over Maryland and at Purdue this week, the Wolverines won't go anywhere but up in the Top 25. Purdue: Williams has 12 straight double-doubles.

Ohio State forward Kyle Young (25) shoots over Purdue forward Trevion Williams (50) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. The junior forward had 16 points, nine rebounds and a career-high eight assists to lead Purdue past No. '”Hunter played well, too, scoring a season-high 15 points as Purdue (5-2, 1-0) won for the fourth time in five games. After his 30-point, 11-rebound game Saturday against Indiana State, Williams was impressive again Wednesday. Ohio State and Purdue finally got to square off — 279 days after their previous matchup was canceled.

FILE - In this March 12, 2020, file photo, the seating area at Bankers Life Fieldhouse is viewed in Indianapolis after the Big Ten Conference announced that remainder of the men's NCAA college basketball games tournament was canceled. Indianapolis city leaders want the college basketball world to know it is open for business. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)INDIANAPOLIS – With the coronavirus pandemic already forcing changes for college basketball, a bubble may be brewing in Indianapolis. Indiana Sports Corp. released a 16-page proposal Friday that calls for turning the city convention center's exhibition halls and meeting rooms into basketball courts and locker rooms. ___For more AP college basketball coverage: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and http://twitter.com/AP_Top25

“Probably the worst beating I’ve taken as a coach,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. But Purdue bottled up Michigan State at every turn and eventually the Spartans buckled. Michigan State never recovered despite trimming the deficit to 37-20 at halftime and 39-27 early in the second half. The real danger is it could become a guide for how other opponents can beat Michigan State. Purdue: The Boilermakers' usually strong defense might have been at its best against the Spartans.

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – Purdue coach Matt Painter packed his lineup with more scoring punch Wednesday night. 5 Virginia with a 69-40 rout in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Purdue: The Boilermakers appear to be hitting their stride just in time for the start of conference play. ... Virginia had won seven straight road games dating to last season and their previous five in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Purdue: The Boilermakers had lost five straight at Mackey Arena against top-five teams from other conferences.