Matt Painter Provides Update on Purdue's Fletcher Loyer Ahead of NCAA Tournament
Purdue coach Matt Painter provided a positive update on junior guard Fletcher Loyer on Sunday, as the Boilermakers prepare for the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Painter said that Purdue expects Loyer to play in Thursday's first-round March Madness game against High Point after suffering an elbow injury in Friday's quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament. The junior guard sustained the injury while attempting to save the basketball while falling out of bounds.
Loyer landed on his elbow awkwardly and exited the game briefly. He then returned to the contest two minutes later. There was not much of an update on the situation following Friday's game.
While meeting with reporters Sunday, Painter was asked about Loyer's status. The guard is still resting the elbow, but it sounds like he'll be ready to go when the Boilermakers hit the floor in Providence, R.I. on Thursday.
"I don't think he'll practice. We'll see. But he'll definitely play," Painter said. "He just needs to rest it right now. He's been getting treatment, saw the doctor. It's really kind of a sprain with his elbow. It looked worse because it swelled up right away — I thought that was the bone when he walked off. That's what scared me right away, and the way he held it. It kind of hung down.
"But we expect him to play ... We're going to get him rest and try to get him ready once we get there on Wednesday."
Loyer is averaging 13.8 points per game this season and is shooting 46.4% from three-point range. He's started every game for Purdue during his three seasons with the Boilermakers.
Purdue received the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. High Point is the No. 13 seed. The two teams are scheduled to play at 12:40 ET on Thursday, March 20 and the game will air on truTV.
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