Queens University Basketball leans on ‘Buddy’ spirit as Purdue matchup tips in St. Louis
Queens University Basketball is stepping into its NCAA men’s tournament moment Friday, March 20, 2026, in St. Louis, with a hollowed-out German Shepherd trophy named Buddy sitting at the center of its identity. The 15-seed Royals (21-13) face 2-seed Purdue (27-8) at 7: 35 p. m. ET inside the Enterprise Center. Queens head coach Grant Leonard says the team is chasing a “street dog mentality” — fighting for the plays that do not show up in the box score, even as the challenge rises immediately against the Big Ten tournament winners.
Buddy II takes the spotlight as Queens prepares for Purdue
Queens arrived at its tournament media availability Thursday afternoon in St. Louis with an unusual companion at the dais: a dog replica with a studded collar and a “B” necklace. Leonard called Buddy the team’s “spirit animal, ” describing an approach built around effort, edge, and toughness.
Buddy is not a costume mascot. It is a postgame award given to the Queens player who delivers the work that often goes uncounted — taking charges, diving on the floor for loose balls, and doing the connective tasks that fuel wins. Leonard clarified the version making the trip is Buddy II, after Buddy I was “injured” in a postgame celebration in January following a Queens win over Florida Gulf Coast.
Redshirt freshman guard Matthew Walter, a reserve, has become Buddy’s unofficial caretaker, including escorting the trophy through the airport as it travels with the team.
Matchup stakes at Enterprise Center: 2-seed Purdue vs. 15-seed Queens
The game is set for St. Louis, Missouri, at the Enterprise Center, listed at a capacity of 18, 096. Purdue and Queens both enter after winning their conference tournaments, and Friday’s matchup sends the winner on to the second round.
Queens earned its NCAA tournament spot after an overtime win over Central Arkansas in the American Sun Conference championship game. In the regular season, the private school located in Charlotte, North Carolina, finished third in the American Sun Conference.
On the other side, Purdue arrives at 27-8 as the Big Ten tournament winners, with a roster that still includes key players from the 2024 squad that lost in the national championship game. The immediate question for Friday night is whether Queens can turn its “Buddy” identity into 40 minutes of disruption against a higher-seeded opponent.
Immediate reactions from Queens voices ahead of tip
Leonard framed Buddy as a demand, not a gimmick. “We want [the players] to embody the street dog mentality of fighting for everything you can get, ” Grant Leonard, head coach of Queens University, said Thursday in St. Louis.
Sophomore guard Yoav Berman described the trophy as a shorthand for how the Royals want to play. “Buddy, he has definitely been our identity, ” Yoav Berman, Queens sophomore guard, said. “We are going to go out and play hard every game. ”
Senior guard Nasir Mann pointed to Queens’ offensive spacing and the number of capable shooters as the team’s lever in a one-game setting. “Our ability is shoot and space the floor, ” Nasir Mann, Queens senior guard, said. “Everybody on our team can shoot the ball at a pretty good clip. I think that’s a very dangerous thing. You can get hot at any given moment, especially in March Madness. That’s when the miracles truly happen. ”
Quick context on how Buddy became the program’s identity
Leonard said the coaching staff pushed during the summer to draw out a tougher edge, and the players answered that “they were dogs. ” Queens assistant coach Adam Short, nicknamed Bulldog, pressed the question: would they be pampered, or would they earn their keep with scrappy play?
What’s next as Queens University Basketball hits the floor
All eyes shift to Friday night at 7: 35 p. m. ET, when the opening minutes will test whether Queens can impose its pace and physical mindset from the start. No matter how the game unfolds, Buddy will be near the Queens bench by the water cooler — and queens university basketball will try to turn that symbol into the kind of effort that can travel in a win-or-go-home tournament setting.
