Purdue, North Carolina State open locker rooms: Sights, sounds and reactions from Final Four

GLENDALE, Arizona – What we saw, what we heard and what was said during Thursday’s open locker room media session at the Final Four.

CHAIR TIME

The last time we saw Fletcher Loyer, he was carrying one of the padded bench chairs to the locker room in Detroit after beating Tennessee in the Elite Eight on Sunday.

He took it back to the locker room at Little Ceasars Arena with the intent of bringing it back to West Lafayette. Loyer returned to Purdue but not the chair.

“Some guy said, ‘We’ve got to get that back out there,’ ” Loyer said.

The sophomore guard is eyeing one of the chairs with the Final Four logo that is sitting in the locker rooms of the four teams.

Loyer won’t miss out. He’ll eventually be sent one from Detroit.

“I didn’t get the chair, but I’ve talked to them and we’re going to set something up,” Loyer said. “I’m going to get one and do a post for them.”

ROLE PLAY

As Purdue prepares to face North Carolina State and center DJ Burns, Jr., who on the scout team played the role of the 6-foot-9 transfer from Winthrop?

Sophomore Sam King and redshirt freshman Will Berg.

King is a little quicker than Berg and the Swedish big man is stronger. He’s able to back defenders down in the lane to give the Boilermakers an idea of Burns’ strength.

“I honestly just think in the post, I can be a little bit more shifty than, say, Will Berg,” King said. “I can spin and handle the ball a little bit better than he does. (Burns’) slow, but he makes really quick moves, but he’s not the fastest player on the court.”

Berg said he hasn’t seen a player “that’s so strong but still able to spin. Coach (Matt) Painter kept saying, ‘he’s a violent spinner’ and it’s really true. The way he can change his body’s direction that fast while still having that extra cargo is incredible.”

King and his teammates have digested every North Carolina State NCAA tournament game this week. King has learned to appreciate what Burns has accomplished during this amazing run.

“He wheels and deals around the rim,” King said. “I like his quick moves. He has a lot in his bag. He has a lot of things he can do. If he goes one way and gets stuck he immediately has a second or third option. It was being him and doing the things that he does.”

ROLE PLAY II

Say hello to Zach Edey.

Not that Zach Edey, but North Carolina State’s version of Zach Edey. 

Meet Mohamed Diarra. He’s a 6-foot-10 junior from Montreuil, France, a suburb of Paris. Throughout the week, he wasn’t exclusively Edey. Ben Middlebrooks, a 6-10 junior from Fort Lauderdale, also stepped in and tried to resemble the 7-4 senior.

What was it like to play Edey?

“It’s cool to get every ball,” Diarra said, laughing. “I’m the tallest on the team, and I have to play that role, and I think we prepared well. They played good defense on me.”

Diarra will also have to defend Edey during Friday’s game. This might not be the best time for Diarra, who observed Ramadan and recently lost 12 pounds. Now, he’ll need to battle Edey’s 300-pound body.

Diarra is listed at 215 pounds and that number has likely dropped. Between Diarra and Middlebrooks, it’s the best N.C. State has to offer.

“Nobody can be him,” junior Kam Woods said. “That’s the best we can do right now. He might get his, but the other guys don’t let them get off.”

By playing the role of Edey, Diarra believes he might have an advantage over the Toronto native because he’s studied the two-time National Player of the Year extensively this week.  

“We know what we’re capable of and I’ve been in his role. I’ve been Zach Edey all week,” Diarra said. “Now, I know what he’s going to do. He’s going to do this, he’s going to do that. I think I’m going to be prepared.”

VIDEO GAME TIME

Members of Purdue’s scout team are sitting away from the hordes of TV cameras, tape recorders, and iPhones shoved in players’ faces.

King, Brian Waddell, Carson Barrett, Jace Rayl, and Josh Furst are playing a version of a Super Mario video game on a TV screen.

WHO’S GOT TICKETS

Since Sunday’s win, the Boilermakers have been on a whirlwind. They were greeted by a large crowd at the Purdue Airport, returned to their apartments, and started preparations for the Final Four and facing the Wolfpack.

“Just to see the fan support, obviously, I don’t have a great understanding of it but seeing the outpouring of support from people that have been waiting for this since the day they’ve become Purdue fans, it’s been super special,” senior Ethan Morton said.

They also had to deal with ticket requests. All total, each player received 12 tickets.

“We didn’t get a lot of extra tickets,” redshirt freshman Camden Heide said. “Trying to disperse the tickets between people and see who gets what was a little bit of a challenge. I got everyone what they needed.

HUMBLING EXPERIENCE

Before signing with the Boilermakers, Berg was aware of the Final Four and what it means in college basketball. But it’s still a first-time experience for the native of Sweden.

In fact, the entire NCAA tournament experience has impressed Berg.

“Seeing how we’re cuddled and spoiled so much, it’s insane,” the 7-2 Berg said. “I’m so thankful to have experienced it. When I got here my freshman year, I got a fresh pair of shoes and gear. I get to the hotel room here and it’s like a mini-projector in my room that’s a gift to me. You connect your phone and play movies and stuff. It’s incredible. And the hotel rooms are over the top. It’s humbling for me to see everything that’s happened since three years ago.”