THE NCAA Men’s Division I has seen a huge boilover to close out the weekend, with the Northwestern Wildcats coming from the clouds to take down the number-one seeded Purdue Boilermakers.

The home crowd erupted when the Wildcats secured a significant win as they continue their quest for a second NCAA Tournament appearance. Welsh-Ryan Arena was rocking as the best side in the nation was stunned by a grinding effort from the hosts in the second half of play, with Northwestern claiming a 64-58 win.

The winning side was led by a tremendous performance from Boo Buie, who clawed his way into the contest with a game-high 26 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Shooting 9/20 from the field, the guard kept shooting until the shots fell, and gave his side a massive spark during the match-winning run.

Chase Audige had a similar journey, overcoming some shooting struggles (5/12 from the field) to nail some big buckets when they mattered most on his way to 15 points.

As is typically the case, big man Zach Edey was at the forefront for the Boilermakers, finishing the match with 24 points (7/10 FG, 10/13 FT) and eight rebounds in another commanding performance.

Purdue started the match as expected, getting going as the offence ran through Edey and quickly sending a hush over the Northwestern crowd. At the main change, the visitors led by seven points and although the home side was still in the match, the Boilermakers were on track to victory.

However, the biggest moment of the game came when Buie crashed the offensive glass to chase down a big board, which set up a triple from Audige. When the latter threw down a fast-break dunk on the next play it was evident momentum had shifted in a big way.

Audige splashed home 10 points in the match-winning run, and after Edey coughed up a crucial turnover, nailed the dagger down the other end with his third three-pointer of the night. The shot sealed the unlikely result for Northwestern, and shortly after the buzzer sounded to end the match, the crowd stormed the court to celebrate.

Not many people would have given the Wildcats a chance heading into a match against the best college basketball side in the country, but they found a way to conjure a victory. Although the past few years have been a struggle for Chris Collins‘ men, but the lessons learned appear to be benefiting the team now, and a few more surprising results may be on the way.