Jon Rothstein seems to spend every waking moment thinking about college basketball. The CBS analyst frequently posts this on social media: “Some people have hobbies. I watch college basketball.” Also, “We sleep in May.”
He is particularly intrigued by Purdue basketball in this year’s March Madness.
“It’s my sentimental choice” to win the national championship, he posted this week.
Rothstein recalled a recent conversation with an unnamed conference commissioner who was skeptical of his choice.
“I said, ‘I love great movies. I love great stories.’ The great movies, the great books, the great stories that I obviously have an affinity for, they are not straight lines. There’s twists, there’s turns, there’s changes in the plot. And that is what is happening with this Purdue team, this Purdue program and this Purdue senior class — Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn.”
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Over four seasons, that group has combined for 5,191 points, 1,691 rebounds and 1,596. With his next assist, Smith ties Bobby Hurley’s career Division I assists record of 1,076.
And that’s not the half of it.
“Think about how unique it is that that troika has been together for four years, and think about the life lesson that those three players — and Matt Painter beside them — have experienced together,” Rothstein said.
In the 2022-23 season, Purdue won the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles, but — as a No. 1 seed — lost to No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round.
“You learn about bouncing back from adversity,” he said of Purdue’s 2023-24 season, when it reached the national championship game, where it lost to Connecticut.
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In ’24-25, after the loss of two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey, the Boilermakers reached the Sweet 16, where it narrowly lost to eventual national runner-up Houston.
The Boilers came into this season considered the national championship favorite, but they struggled late in the regular season before winning four games in four days to win the Big Ten Tournament and lift themselves into a No. 2 seed in the West Regional. Purdue opens against Queens on Friday night, March 20, at 7:35 p.m. ET on TruTV.
“Purdue had a disappointing regular season, by what the standard was,” Rothstein said. “That changed a little bit in the Big Ten Tournament. So excited to cover this team.”
When does Purdue basketball play in March Madness? Where does Purdue basketball play in March Madness? Purdue vs. Queens start time in NCAA Tournament 2026
The Purdue-Queens game is at 7:35 p.m. ET Friday, March 20, 2026, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
Where to watch Purdue basketball in March Madness: What channel is Purdue basketball on vs. Queens on Friday, March 20?
The game is on TruTV.
Watch Purdue’s NCAA Tournament opener on Sling
How much are Purdue basketball tickets in March Madness? How much are Purdue vs. Queens NCAA Tournament tickets?
Check Purdue ticket availability on StubHub
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why Purdue basketball is this national analyst’s ‘sentimental choice’
Reporting by Scott Horner, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
