DETROIT, Mich. – As the 2-seed Purdue Boilermakers unloaded from their 300-mile, five-hour long bus ride to The Motor City, the sentiment was one of thankfulness.
“It was long,” laughed senior P.J. Thompson. “Not a big fan of the bus, but we’re here, so pretty excited now.”
The Gold and Black will face 15-seed Cal State Fullerton Friday afternoon, with a tip-off set for 12:40 p.m. The Titans won the Big West Tournament to earn their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2008.
“We got the chance to know Cal State Fullerton a lot better now with a lot of film, lot of prep work,” continued Thompson.
The Titans boast three players who average double digits in scoring per game. Junior guards Kyle Allman, Jr. and Khalil Ahmad put up nearly 35 points a game combined.
“Our coaches got us prepared like (CSF was) in the Big Ten this year,” added Thompson. “We feel like we know them extremely well. It’s only been a few days, and we still have a couple more days to prepare.”
The Boilers will be one of the first teams to take the Little Caesars Arena court Thursday for practice and will be the in the first of four games tipping off Friday afternoon in Detroit.