LeBron Leads Lakers to NBA Championship: Western Front Reaches Peak!

Nov 22, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Long Island University Sharks guard A. J. Neal, Jr.

(10) drives to the basket as Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) defends during the second half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images Finally, it is NCAA Tournament time. From the moment last season ended we have been waiting to make another run in the best event in all of sports, and now it is here.

Purdue started the season on the short list of teams that had a real shot at winning the whole damn thing and after a frustrating regular season it looks like it has a real chance thanks to an impressive Big Ten Tournament Championship. Purdue also earned itself a No. 2 seed in the West Regional, which was impressive when just 72 hours ago it looked like it would be a 4 seed.

With that in mind, let’s look at the rest of the region: 16 Seed: Long Island Sharks – It is incredibly unlikely that Purdue will face Long Island, as they would have to go on the greatest run in tournament history, but the Sharks won the NEC by three games and it is safe to say we have a… history with NEC teams in the tournament. They played Illinois and lost by 40, but were competitive against high major teams. They lost to Mississippi State by 4, Georgia by 15, and Notre Dame by 22.