For the first time since 1968, the Purdue Boilermakers are on their way to the national championship.
In the face of a slow start for All-American Zach Edey and some outside shooting struggles, the Midwest Region’s one-seed was able to pull away late and coast to a double-digit victory.
It’s a huge step for Matt Painter and his program given all the doubts people had about his team coming into the tournament. But with the Boilermakers wire-to-wire win, there shouldn’t be too much doubt that Purdue belongs.
Edey finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and a pair of blocks in to extend the Boilermaker’s redemption tour another night.
Purdue was able to hold the Cinderella Wolfpack to just 50 points — including 21 in the second half — on 36-percent shooting.
The Boilermakers have not won a national title in the tournament era and it’s been 50 years since they won the NIT. But they’re now only 40 minutes away from a first-ever national title in this era of men’s college basketball.
Now they’ll watch along with the rest of us to see who ends up winning in UConn’s semifinal matchup with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
If the Huskies are able to advance we could get a big man battle for the ages between Edey and Connecticut center Donovan Clingan. However, Nate Oats and the Tide are going to have something to say about that once things tip-off at 8:49 PM ET.
The national championship game will be on Monday.