March madness is a liar. It tells you that the big guys always win eventually, and the little guys are just there for the montage. But if you actually watched High Point vs Purdue in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, you know that "eventually" felt like a lifetime for the Boilermakers.
Purdue won. 75-63. That’s the box score.
But box scores are boring. They don't tell you about the collective gasp in the Amica Mutual Pavilion when Juslin Bodo Bodo slammed home a dunk to cut the lead to three with less than eight minutes left. They don't mention the "Huss Bus" fans—200 students who drove up from North Carolina—screaming loud enough to rattle the rims in Providence. Honestly, for about thirty minutes of game time, High Point didn't look like a 13-seed. They looked like the better team.
Why High Point vs Purdue Was Closer Than You Think
Everyone expected Purdue to sleepwalk through this one. They were the 4-seed, ranked No. 22 in the nation, and coming off a national championship appearance the year before. High Point? They were making their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
Kezza Giffa started the game by splashing a corner three. The vibe shifted immediately.
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High Point’s coach, Alan Huss, had his guys playing with a sort of fearless desperation. They weren't just happy to be there; they were hunting. Trae Benham and D'Maurian Williams kept hitting shots that felt like they should have been contested, but they weren't. The Panthers actually led for chunks of the first half, trading eight lead changes with the Big Ten giants.
Purdue's size ended up being the silent killer. It wasn't flashy. It was just exhausting. The Boilermakers snatched 19 offensive rebounds. Think about that. Nearly twenty times, High Point played perfect defense, forced a miss, and then had to watch a 6-foot-9 Trey Kaufman-Renn or a 7-foot-2 Will Berg (who had a massive tip-in at the halftime buzzer) just grab the ball and put it back in.
The Braden Smith Factor
You can't talk about this matchup without mentioning Braden Smith. By this point in 2025, Smith wasn't just a point guard; he was a walking record book. He finished the game with 20 points and 6 assists, officially passing his own school record for single-season assists (293).
He’s one of those players who feels like he’s playing in slow motion while everyone else is sprinting. When High Point cut the lead to 59-56, Smith didn't panic. He just orchestrated a 7-0 run that essentially put the game on ice.
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The Stats That Actually Mattered
People love to talk about shooting percentages, but this game was won in the mud.
- Rebounding: Purdue 45, High Point 24. You simply cannot win a basketball game when you are outrebounded by 21. It’s math.
- Second Chance Points: Purdue turned those 19 offensive boards into 20 points. That’s the difference in the game right there.
- Experience: High Point had a veteran roster—nine juniors and seniors—but they hadn't seen a defense as disciplined as Matt Painter’s.
Kaufman-Renn was a nightmare for the Panthers. He dropped 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting. High Point’s Juslin Bodo Bodo did his best, even recording two blocks and six rebounds, but trying to move Kaufman-Renn in the paint is like trying to move a brick wall that also happens to have a soft fadeaway jumper.
A Historic Run for the Panthers
Despite the loss, what High Point did in 2025 changed the program forever. They entered the tournament on a 14-game winning streak. They had 29 wins on the season.
Coach Huss basically built a mid-major powerhouse overnight. D’Maurian Williams led the team with 12 points in the loss, and while they were "faded" from the bracket, they earned the respect of basically every neutral fan in the country.
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Looking Toward the 2025-26 Season
If you're following these teams now, the landscape has shifted. Purdue is still a titan, currently ranked No. 5 in the country as of early 2026, though they recently had a scare in a 69-64 win over USC where Braden Smith had to gut through a minor knee tweak to save the day.
High Point, meanwhile, hasn't gone away. They were picked to win the Big South again this season. With guys like Rob Martin and Terry Anderson leading the way, the "Huss Bus" is still rolling. They aren't a "Cinderella" story anymore; they’re just a good basketball program.
The biggest takeaway from the High Point vs Purdue clash wasn't that the favorite won. It was that the gap between the "high-majors" and the elite "mid-majors" is getting smaller every year.
Actionable Insights for Following These Teams:
- Watch the Glass: If you’re betting on or analyzing Purdue, look at the offensive rebound margin. If they aren't winning that by double digits, they are vulnerable.
- High Point's Guard Play: Keep an eye on Rob Martin’s assist-to-turnover ratio. He’s the engine that makes their high-scoring offense (which averaged 82.2 PPG last season) go.
- Scheduling Matters: High Point's strength of schedule is rising. Follow their out-of-conference games against Tier-1 opponents to see if they’re ready for another Round of 64 upset bid.