Focused Purdue ready for Final Four moment

GLENDALE, Arizona – The overall mark was sparkling, enough to set a program record for victories.

Another Big Ten championship. No. 26 for those counting, one short of the number of Boilermakers chosen to become astronauts. Three wins over Gonzaga, Tennessee and Marquette to claim another preseason event championship in Honolulu.

Victories over Alabama and Arizona added to the impressive nonconference schedule.

Purdue burned a path through the regular season, reaching No. 1 in the polls for the second straight year, and none of it was surprising. However, the Boilermakers did so with the idea of erasing the disappointment of what happened in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

The focus never wavered. The concentration remained high. They never lost sight of the end goal.

“It was tough all year and it was a major credit to us for going and winning the Big Ten because this has been what’s on our mind,” sophomore Fletcher Loyer said of advancing through the NCAA tournament. “You have a goal so deep in your mind that you’ve got to go do that. Right now, it’s now or never for us.”

But taking the program to the Final Four for the first time in 44 years – and third overall – wasn’t the main objective. Winning the national championship is why Zach Edey returned and the rest of the roster put in a grueling offseason of work.

Another step awaits Saturday against North Carolina State in the national semifinals at State Farm Stadium (6:09 p.m. ET, TBS/TNT/truTV). If Purdue takes care of the 11^th-seeded Wolfpack, who’ve pieced together a remarkable nine-game run to reach the Final Four, it will play for the national championship Monday night.  

Credit the Boilermakers for staying on a task when there were several opportunities to deviate from the mission.

“Our coaches have kept us focused, they’ve kept us motivated,” Loyer said. “They did a great job all regular season not letting us look forward, taking it game by game and also being ready to go. The way we play, the way we move around takes a lot of the mental stuff to it. Being locked in mentally and getting our bodies right is what we’ve got to do.”

When Edey said, “there’s no satisfaction” of reaching the Sweet 16 after Purdue pummeled Utah State in the second round, the seriousness of the quest was on full display.

And it hasn’t missed a beat.

“Being in the Final Four was one of the team’s goals, but it wasn’t the final goal,” Edey said in Glendale. “I think all year we’ve been talking about winning the national championship, and now we have an opportunity to do that. I think everybody’s going to take that seriously and really lock in here.”

That was the case when the Boilermakers were knocked off their path last year for various reasons.

“I think last year, we got caught up in everything,” senior Mason Gillis said. “The totality of everything. We got caught up in all of it. This year, we’ve tried to preach, Zach has tried to preach, coach has tried to preach that it’s just basketball. At the end of the day, it’s just another basketball game. You’ve got to go out and do your job and whoever plays the hardest is most likely going to win.”

If the Boilermakers fall short – they’re a 9.5-point favorite as of Friday morning – it won’t happen because they’re not focused or lack togetherness. That has been the strength of this year’s team, and it shows up every day in practice and in games.

Maybe N.C. State hits more shots, forces more turnovers, or limits Edey, but Purdue won’t falter because it’s not together and pulling in the same direction.

“Just how united we are in accomplishing the main goal,” sophomore Trey Kaufman-Renn said. “I’ve been a part of several teams, and not all of them have had just a singular focus of winning games.

“The fact that every time we go into a game, everybody is just connected and ready to do their role and ready to help the team win which is what I think is unique with this group. I’m excited to be a part of something like that.”

If the Boilermakers have their way, the connection will take them to one more game Monday.