Purdue Guard Ethan Morton Previews NCAA Tournament

Ahead of Purdue's trip to Columbus, Ohio, for the NCAA Tournament, junior guard Ethan Morton spoke about the team's focus and preparation. The Boilermakers will play the winner of a matchup between Texas Southern and Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — As No. 1 seed Purdue basketball prepares for its first-round matchup in the NCAA Tournament, much of the team's focus is pointed inward. 

The Boilermakers will address the aspects of the game they've struggled with recently — namely late-game mistakes — while continuing to reinforce what's brought them to a 29-5 overall record and a current five-game win streak in March. 

Purdue is scheduled to face off against the winner of a play-in matchup between Texas Southern and Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday at 6:50 p.m. ET in Columbus Ohio. 

"For us, it's just one game at a time," junior guard Ethan Morton said. "I know it's cliche, but in my two years here, we've lost to a double-digit seed. Not to say we overlooked them, because I think we did pay them a lot of respect.

"Wrong time, wrong place for us I guess, more so or less. Because we were ready to go last year. It's just being locked in and ready to roll no matter who we're playing, but definitely a lot of good teams in our region." 

The Boilermakers won't know their opponent until the Tigers and Knights take the court on Wednesday night. However, the situation mimics the team's navigation through the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament to some degree. 

Purdue played three opponents in as many days and prepared with no physical practice for games against Ohio State and Penn State in the final two rounds. 

"It is a weird situation that we're in," Morton said. "I guess it is a little bit like the Big Ten how we didn't really know until Wednesday night, so it's sort of a similar prep to our Rutgers prep this week. You have one day." 

The Boilermakers opened their postseason run with a hard-fought 70-65 win over the Scarlet Knights before dominating the Buckeyes the following day 80-66. 

Against the Nittany Lions, they went ahead by 17 points in the second half and survived a furious comeback attempt in the final six minutes, winning 67-65 in the end. Despite not yet knowing its next matchup, Morton said the team is used to the uncertainty at this point in the season. 

"We have some experience in that regard," he said. "We'll just buy into what the coaches are saying and what they put in front of us with their scout. At the end of the day, just go out and be ourselves and play." 

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• Purdue Earns No. 1 Seed in NCAA Tournament: Purdue enters the NCAA Tournament after winning the Big Ten Conference regular-season and tournament titles. The Boilermakers earned a No. 1 seed in the East Region with a 29-5 overall record and will play the winner of Texas Southern and Fairleigh Dickinson. CLICK HERE
• Purdue Captures Big Ten Tournament Win Over Penn State: Purdue won the 2023 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament championship game by surviving a late push from Penn State on Sunday at the United Center. Junior center Zach Edey led the way with 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting and came down with 13 rebounds. CLICK HERE
• Purdue, Penn State Big Ten Tournament Photo Gallery: Purdue defeated Penn State 67-65 in the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament title game on Sunday at the United Center in Chicago. Check out some of the best photos from the game and the team's postgame celebration. CLICK HERE
• Micah Shrewsberry Speaks on Purdue's NCAA Tourney Chances: "They're going to will themselves through some games when they don't shoot it well because of how they defend, because of how they rebound," Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry said of Purdue. CLICK HERE

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