The No. 4-seed Purdue basketball is gearing up for the 2025 March Madness, but the Boilermakers could be a key player down when they play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this coming Thursday.
Purdue junior starting guard Fletcher Loyer’s availability for at least the first round of this year’s edition of March Madness is in question after he suffered an elbow injury during last Thursday’s 86-68 loss to the Michigan Wolverines in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament. While he was able to return to action after briefly exiting the contest, there remains concern about his outlook for the first round of the Big Dance.
On Sunday, Purdue basketball head coach Matt Painter offered some positive updates on Loyer.
Fletcher Loyer injury update before Purdue basketball-High Point matchup
Painter said that he doesn’t think Loyer will practice with the team this Monday but shared assurance that the player will be out there when the Boilermakers face the No. 13 seed High Point Panthers, who made it to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Big South Tournament title game.
“He’ll definitely play,” Painter said of Loyer’s status for the meeting with the upset-seeking High Point squad (h/t Casey Bartley of Boiler Upload). “He just needs to rest it right now. He’s been getting treatment. He saw the doctor. It’s kind of a sprain with his elbow. It looked worse than it – it swelled up right away. I thought that was a bone. That’s what scared me, right away. And the way he held it or didn’t, right?”
Loyer is one of Purdue’s most important — and durable — players since he started playing for the Big Ten program in the 2022-23 campaign.
So far this season, Loyer is third on the team with 13.8 points per game. He’s an effective and dangerous floor-stretcher for Purdue basketball, as he is converting on a high 46.4 percent shooting from behind the arc on 4.6 3-point attempts per contest. Loyer is a big reason why Purdue has a lethal offense that ranks 10th in the nation with a 38.5 3-point shooting percentage and a 56.3 effective field goal percentage, 10th and 16th, respectively, according to KenPom.
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