HARTFORD — Carsen Edwards had heard all of the questions in recent days about his hobbled back, but more annoying to him were the inquiries about his shooting slump.

Purdue’s junior guard had been shooting just 31.3 percent in his previous 10 games, still scoring at a decent clip but needing a high volume of shots to get there. He missed his first shot against Villanova on Saturday night, then tried to bury all further questions with each subsequent attempt.

When his damage was finally done, Edwards had scored a career-high 42 points, and did so in efficient fashion, to help the No. 3 Boilermakers knock out the defending national champs, sixth-seeded Villanova, 87-61 in the South Region’s second round at XL Center.

Edwards nailed 12-of-21 shots from the field, including 9-of-16 from deep — the nine 3-pointers breaking a school record he already owned (eight) — as Purdue advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third straight year. It will take on the winner of No. 2 Tennessee and No. 10 Iowa on Friday in Louisville, trying to get past the round where its season has ended each of the past two years.

“If we’re being really honest, I’m very tired of [the questions] but I understand,” Edwards said. “I just have to keep working even after being able to have a game like this, I still have to stay in the gym, continue to work, and continue to prepare for the next game. I’m really tired of it, but I’m thankful to be able to have some shots fall for me today.”

After winning two of the past three national championships, the Wildcats were never truly expected to defend their title with so much turnover from last year’s roster, but got sent home in convincing fashion with the worst NCAA Tournament loss in program history. They trailed by as many as 35 points, with the Boilermakers using a 16-0 run to start the second half to remove any doubt after leading 43-24 at the intermission.

Edwards had flirted with going pro last year, after helping the Boilermakers get to the second weekend of the tournament before falling to Texas Tech, but decided to come back for more.

In recent games, Edwards had needed 23 shots to score 26 points, 17 to score 11, 31 to score 22 and 24 to score nine. But his teammates knew early on Saturday that this night was going to be different.

“You could just see it on his face after the first one,” said sophomore center Matt Haarms, who had a strong night himself with 18 points and nine rebounds, leading Purdue’s dominant advantage inside with a 42-24 edge in rebounds. “When he pulls up and makes it, you know the other team’s in for a long, long night.”

Villanova seniors Phil Booth and Eric Paschall, the two returning starters from last year’s team that won it all, combined for 34 points but it was not nearly enough.

“This game is a humbling game, you could be on either side of it” Wildcats coach Jay Wright said. “When it happens to you, you give them their credit, and you learn from it.”