History Makers: Purdue’s Historic Run to the NCAA Title Game

HISTORY MAKERS

PURDUE’S HISTORIC RUN TO THE NCAA TITLE GAME

Copyright © 2024 by IndyStar and Journal & Courier

All Rights Reserved • ISBN: 978-1-63846-107-4

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the copyright owner or the publisher.

Published by Pediment Publishing, a division of The Pediment Group, Inc. • www.pediment.com Printed in Canada.

This book is an unofficial account of the Purdue Boilermakers’ basketball season and is not endorsed by Purdue University or the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

FRONT COVER: Purdue Boilermakers celebrate defeating the Tennessee Volunteers to make the Final Four, March 31, 2024.

GRACE HOLLARS / INDYSTAR

Credits Photography

Frank Fisse, IndyStar

Nikos Frazier, Journal & Courier

Grace Hollars, IndyStar

Alex Martin, Journal & Courier

Noe Padilla, Journal & Courier

John Terhune, Journal & Courier

Joe Timmerman, IndyStar

Gregg Doyel, IndyStar

Dana Hunsinger

Benbow, IndyStar

Sam King, Journal & Courier

Kyle Neddenriep, IndyStar

LEFT: A view of the court at halftime in the semifinals of the men’s Final Four of the 2024 NCAA Tournament between the Purdue Boilermakers and North Carolina State Wolfpack at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on April 6, 2024.

JOE RONDONE / USA TODAY SPORTS

Foreword

BY COACH GENE KEADY AS TOLD TO SAM KING

It is not easy getting to the NCAA Final Four.

I went as Eddie Sutton’s assistant at Arkansas in 1978. We had the triplets — All-Americans Sidney Moncrief, Ron Brewer and Marvin Delph — and still barely did it. It is extremely hard, and I knew it going in.

When I came to Purdue, everybody talked about getting back to the Final Four. The fans wanted it, and so did our teams. That is the kind of fan base Purdue has: Intelligent, enthusiastic about basketball, and passionate about winning with the understanding that it is difficult.

Being smart about things is what Purdue is all about. I saw that as soon as I got to West Lafayette, Indiana, in 1980. I see it now with head coach Matt Painter, a former player of mine, at the helm.

Matt Painter has great integrity and coaches with a positive attitude. He is not a yell-at-you type guy. He expects you to take what he says and learn from it.

I hope he emulates some of the things I did. It looks like it.

Two things I always tried to do is recruit a big center and kids who went to class.

If you have those two things at Purdue, you have a chance.

Not getting to a Final Four for 44 years as a program is something we all suffered through as coaches, players and fans. When you see someone fall short, you ache for them. I am happy with what I did in my 25 years coaching the Boilermakers (1980–2005), but I think as a fan, you suffer those near misses and want to break through so badly.

I felt bad for this team when it lost to Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed. I knew how hard they worked. It was heartbreaking. I remember coming home after losing at a regional and feeling for everybody; your wife, your family, the fans, the players. There is a lot on your shoulders.

As a player Matt always took negatives and turned them into positives. That’s what he did as a coach in 2023–24 and it got Purdue all the way to the national championship game for the first time since 1969.

If you haven’t done it before, you don’t understand how hard it is.

I was a fan this time around and enjoyed the journey. It’s not easy to do, of course, so I was happy for Matt and his family — especially his family. The family takes a lot of abuse when things don’t go well.

Matt was easy to coach because he listened. He was on top of the game from an early age. He understood how hard it was to excel at academics at Purdue and be an elite athlete. He understood the hurdles to be successful and learned from them.

Purdue University is a family. That is what we preach here. And these 2023–24 Boilermakers exemplify that message.

OPPOSITE: Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) shakes the hand of legendary former Purdue basketball coach Gene Keady after defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini at Mackey Arena on March 5, 2023. MARC LEBRYK / USA TODAY SPORTS

If Purdue basketball shoots like it did Monday vs. Samford, nobody is beating the Boilers

BY SAM KING, LAFAYETTE JOURNAL & COURIER • PUBLISHED NOV. 7, 2023

WEST LAFAYETTE — Bucky McMillan saw the same game film we all did.

Based off that, the Samford head coach devised a defensive game plan for Purdue basketball.

There was one foil to the plan, though.

“They showed, hey, we’ve got size and we’ve got inside game, but that was a clinic in how to shoot and pass the basketball,” McMillan said after his team lost to No. 3 Purdue 98–45 in Mackey Arena Monday. “That was really, really fun to watch.”

That’s what it was supposed to look like when defenses took away Zach Edey, or at least tried to, last season.

Samford got a full on blitzkrieg.

The Boilermakers made 16 of 29 3-pointers, a Purdue record for made 3s in a season opener.

But last season, Purdue’s demise was outside shooting with a roster that

supposedly had a lot of great outside shooters.

“Sure, last year we didn’t shoot it well, but we all expected to shoot like that last year,” sophomore point guard Braden Smith said. “So this was an expectation for us, really.”

If expectation meets performance, as it did against Samford, there may not be a team that can beat Purdue.

Edey commands so much attention that even if the Boilermakers continue to shoot above 50 percent from beyond the arc, they’ll still have open looks.

A season ago, Purdue ranked 132nd in the country in 3-point attempts. It’s not a surprise that 131 teams attempted more with how dominant Edey was in the paint.

The concerning number, though, Purdue ranked 291st in 3-point percentage.

“We were the No. 1 offense vs. the top 100 in the country; we weren’t slouches,”

Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “But we had some games where we just missed open shots. …

“It messes with you a little bit, but you’ve got to believe in yourself. You’ve got to put in time and that’s the only way to have confidence.”

Confidence was protruding from Purdue from the opening tip.

It took just seven seconds for the first 3 to fall.

Fletcher Loyer’s trey from the corner was one of four made by the sophomore guard, setting the tone for a special night — Purdue unveiled new Big Ten regular season and tournament championship banners — and hopefully a special season. Seven Boilermakers made a 3 pointer against Samford. Over a span of 35 games last season, eight Boilers made a 3. Mason Gillis and Lance Jones did not make a 3 in Monday’s opener, but both will. Brian

OPPOSITE: Purdue Boilermakers forward Camden Heide (23) shoots the ball over Samford Bulldogs guard Chandler Leopard (3) during the second half at Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Ind., on Nov. 6, 2023. MARC LEBRYK / USA TODAY SPORTS

Waddell is a likely bet, too.

Purdue exited the NCAA Tournament early with perhaps the most embarrassing loss in its history.

In that game, Fairleigh Dickinson had a blueprint. Fence in Edey with two defenders behind and one in front. Dare Purdue to shoot 3s and hope the Boilers miss.

Purdue promptly went 5-for-26 from 3 in that stunning loss as a No. 1 seed.

Bucky McMillan tried to recreate that blueprint Monday night, but it’s not the blueprint anymore.

“When guys like even Cam came in and hit shots was just really impressive,” said Loyer, who led Purdue with 59 made 3s last season but on just 32 percent shooting. “When we’re hitting shots and Zach is dominant down low, it’s going to be unstoppable.”

Nov. 6, 2023

98–45 vs. Samford Record: 1–0

OPPOSITE: Purdue

RIGHT: Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) shoots a free throw during the second half. MARC LEBRYK / USA TODAY SPORTS

Boilermakers guard Lance Jones (55) drives the ball down the court between multiple Samford Bulldogs during the second half. MARC LEBRYK / USA TODAY SPORTS

‘We can win a national championship’ Purdue basketball not discouraged after loss

BY SAM KING, LAFAYETTE JOURNAL & COURIER • PUBLISHED DEC. 3, 2023

EVANSTON, Ill. — Fletcher Loyer surveyed the scene in the locker room after Purdue basketball’s 92–88 overtime loss at Northwestern Friday night. Disappointed? Yes.

Frustrated? Sure.

Discouraged? Absolutely not.

“We sit in that locker room and we look at everyone around us and we know what we have,” Loyer said. “We know we can win a national championship.

“This loss isn’t going to change our mindset. A few guys had their heads down in there. But I look at the starting five. I look at the guys that play 30, 40 minutes a game and not one of them had their head down.”

Last year, those same players would’ve reacted differently, at least according to Loyer.

Perhaps, looking for a silver lining in a

loss, this is one.

A sign of growth and maturity from the Boilermakers, who put too much stock in the highs and lows of last year’s regular season.

“I think just after last year, we’ve had a couple of these losses that we should have pulled out,” Purdue point guard Braden Smith said. “It’s the same situation. It’s a new year and we’ll learn from it and we’ll be ready for Monday.”

Purdue was the runaway favorite in the Big Ten this season after winning the league by three games last year, then backing it up with a league tournament championship.

The Boilermakers are now in last place in the Big Ten going into Monday’s home game against Iowa.

That’s not a reason to press the issue or overreact.

Nobody wanted to lose Friday night and Purdue’s players and coaches aren’t happy about it.

If the Boilermakers were a finished product by a Dec. 1 Big Ten opener, then it’s a massive fail.

“It’s a tough way to start the Big Ten, but all of our goals are still in progress,” Zach Edey said. “There’s not a single goal, not a single thing that our team wants to do that we still can’t do.”

OPPOSITE: Purdue Boilermakers guard Lance Jones (55) defends Northwestern Wildcats guard Brooks Barnhizer (13) during the second half at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill., on Dec. 1, 2023. DAVID BANKS / USA TODAY SPORTS

Zach Edey’s two worlds crossed over for an afternoon in Toronto with Purdue basketball

BY SAM KING, LAFAYETTE JOURNAL & COURIER • PUBLISHED DEC. 9, 2023

TORONTO — Zach Edey allowed himself to absorb this moment Saturday.

For an afternoon, the Purdue basketball center’s past overlapped with his present.

Section 101 of Coca-Cola Coliseum was mostly absorbed by Edey’s friends and family, many who’d known him since he was a child.

Much of the rest of the pro-Boilermaker crowd was Purdue fans who’ve accepted Edey as one of theirs.

After scoring 35 points and leading No. 4 Purdue to a 92–86 win over Alabama in his hometown, Edey stayed on the court after his teammates and opponents had left the floor.

He waved to the crowd after a showing where many of Edey’s own family members saw him play organized basketball for the first time in person.

That was perhaps only the second-largest roar of the day for the unquestioned

best player in college basketball.

With 3:42 to go, Edey set the screen just left of the top of the key, then dove to the basket as Braden Smith dribbled inside the right elbow.

The two-man game between Smith and Edey is a beautiful thing and this instance was no different.

Smith dished to the cutting Edey, who was fouled by Alabama’s Rylan Griffen while converting the basket through contact.

Hoards of fans, both from Edey’s past and present, erupted in cheers in a salute to the Purdue basketball star who has become a Canadian icon.

Toronto Raptors super fan Nav Bhatia was sitting right there in the front row as Edey scored the crucial bucket that gave Purdue a 79–76 lead on its way to an eventual 92–86 victory against the Crimson Tide.

Bhatia, wearing a Canadian national team No. 15 Edey jersey, was celebrating and in that moment, Edey looked at him and let loose, too, smacking his chest and screaming, “Let’s go.”

Edey converted the three-point play in a moment that only further solidifies that he’s the most unstoppable force in college basketball.

Maybe in a long time.

Nate Oats, the coach on the losing end despite Alabama making 19 3-pointers, certainly thinks so.

“I haven’t seen anything like him,” Oats said. “When I was at Buffalo, we played against DeAndre Ayton (of Arizona and eventual No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA draft). He was big, strong. We were able to do a better job on Ayton by a long shot than we were able to do on Zach. …

“He’s extremely physically imposing and he imposed his will on us for 35 points

OPPOSITE: Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) reacts after a basket against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second half at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto on Dec. 9, 2023. JOHN E. SOKOLOWSKI / USA TODAY SPORTS

Dec. 9, 2023

W 92–86 vs. Alabama Record: 9–1

tonight. He’s going to do that to a few teams this year.”

The 35 points stand out, sure.

But what Oats would later say was that he had to change Alabama’s entire game plan because of Edey.

To win, the Crimson Tide would have to space the floor and hit a lot of 3s. Which they did.

And it still wasn’t enough. Defend him in any manner, and Edey adjusts.

“If you come and double him, he’s a willing passer,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “If you don’t, we always tell him to score the basketball. He affects winning in a lot of ways.”

When you have a basketball talent as rare as Zach Edey, you make an effort to do something like play a game in his hometown of Toronto, which was originally supposed to be a battle of Canadians with

Alabama’s Charles Bediako, who opted for the NBA and is now with the San Antonio Spurs on a two-way contract.

Edey almost turned pro.

Many laugh at the notion, saying he’s not fit for the NBA game.

The days of a 7-foot-4 back-to-the-basket post who doesn’t ever take a shot from outside the paint are a thing of the past. Edey, realizing his NBA value and, like Bediako probably bouncing

RIGHT: Purdue Boilermakers fans react during a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Coca-Cola Coliseum. JOHN E. SOKOLOWSKI / USA TODAY SPORTS

back-and-forth between the NBA and its developmental league, decided to return to Purdue after entering the NBA draft after he was consensus National Player of the Year last season.

“He was going to get drafted in the second round. He was probably going to get a minimum contract and he was probably going to play a lot of games in the G-League,” Painter said. “That’s just a fact. He’s trying to upset the apple cart

and get people to look at him because he’s a winner. Because he does things that affect the game. And people have got to deal with him. He just kind of keeps pushing the envelope.

“People think maybe he doesn’t go into a bucket at the professional level, but if you come watch our game, you walk away impressed. You walk away impressed with how hard he plays, what a good teammate he is and just how he affects the game.”

Oats was certainly impressed. And Bhatia.

Do you know who else was impressed? Zach Edey, but not in his performance.

Rather, Edey is impressed by his influence, playing to the largely pro-Boilermaker crowd.

“I am very grateful Purdue scheduled this for me,” Edey said.

LEFT: Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) drives against Alabama Crimson Tide forward Jarin Stevenson (15) during the second half at Coca-Cola Coliseum.

JOHN E. SOKOLOWSKI / USA TODAY SPORTS

In a new age of college basketball, Matt Painter and Purdue proves old school still works.

BY SAM KING, LAFAYETTE JOURNAL & COURIER • PUBLISHED MARCH 31, 2024

DETROIT — No one was quite certain how they’d react to a moment that for the past two weeks has seemed inevitable. Purdue basketball, Final Four.

Some of the 18,577 inside Little Caesars Arena on Sunday night cheered. Some screamed. Some clapped. Many cried.

Full-grown adults with uncontrollable tears streaming down their face seeing the final seconds tick off the clock.

In 2019, this almost happened, but that game against Virginia in the Elite Eight taught Purdue fans to never assume anything.

When Tennessee’s Zakai Zeigler took the ball and heaved it in frustration, it became real.

Forty-four years is a long time. Since that last Final Four season, Purdue has had two head coaches.

Gene Keady, who recruited Matt

Painter, who eventually succeeded Keady as Purdue’s head coach in 2005, was on hand when the Boilermakers finally broke down that Elite Eight barrier that kept the Boilermakers from achieving this feat in 1994, 2000 and 2019.

“It’s such an advantage I felt we’ve had at Purdue because of him and the program and the blueprint that he had,” Painter said.

Zach Edey, Purdue’s center turned superstar, chopped some net in his trademark fashion, walking around the ladder rather than climbing it and snipping flat footed from the floor. He then paid homage to the man who paved the way for all of this, Gene Keady, by handing him a piece of the net.

“You’ve always got to pay respect to those that came first,” Edey said. “He built this. It doesn’t go over our heads. He helped set all this up. To be able to pay

him back and give him a little piece of the net, it’s the least I can do.”

Keady built Purdue’s program on hard work and strong academics, truthful almost to a fault.

Painter, retelling the recruiting pitches he received while a high school standout at Delta in Muncie, said it was Painter’s father who said he needed to go to Purdue because coach Keady was the only one who told Painter the truth.

Today, if you ask anyone who has been recruited by Painter over the past two decades, they’ll tell you a similar story about Purdue’s current coach.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him,” fifth-year senior Mason Gillis said of Painter. “A lot of other guys if it wasn’t for him. We wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t the person he is.”

In a day where Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) money and the transfer

OPPOSITE: Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter reacts in the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers during the NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional Championship at Little Caesars Arena on March 31, 2024. LON HORWEDEL / USA TODAY SPORTS