How Purdue celebrated its first Final Four since 1980 and moments from Elite Eight win over Tennessee

DETROIT—As the final seconds ticked off the clock, and the program’s first Final Four appearance since 1980 was locked up, Fletcher Loyer grabbed a rebound, dribbled seven times to midcourt, and tossed the basketball in the air.

Euphoria, at least for those wearing gold and black, overtook Little Ceasars Arena and 44 years in the making was off to a rousing start. Confetti fell from the ceiling. Final Four hats and t-shirts were passed out. This party wasn’t stopping anytime soon.

Purdue is moving on to Glendale, Arizona to take on upstart North Carolina State in Saturday’s national semifinals in Glendale, Arizona (6:09 p.m. TBS/TNT/truTV). Connecticut and Alabama square off in the second semifinal with the national title game Monday.

Zach Edey gave Matt Painter a bear hug, nearly squeezing the life out of Purdue’s coach, and after going through the handshake line, went directly to assistant coach Brandon Brantley.

His mentor. His workout partner. A man who would come to the gym at night or early in the morning to help improve Edey’s skills. The guy who pushed, taught, praised, and was one of several within the program who believed in Edey when he arrived on campus more than four years ago was about to get a big embrace and a chance to jump with the 7-foot-4 center.

The big man from Canada delivered again, piecing together one of the best NCAA tournament performances in history as top-seeded Purdue beat No. 2 Tennessee 72-66 to win the Midwest Regional.

For the record, Edey scored 40 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, was named the regional’s MVP and wore down the Volunteers similar to what he’s done to other teams throughout the season. There’s only so much they can do dealing with Edey and his physical presence.

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More on how the Boilermakers celebrated and the people and the moments surrounding Sunday’s significant victory:

“MAKE SURE YOU PRINT THAT”

Brantley was adamant. He’s heard the same tired narrative about Edey for too long and needs those outside the program to understand this piece of information with a dose of sarcasm.

“He’s just tall—that’s what everybody says,” Brantley said. “You go show me the other 7-4 guys who took a team to the Final Four and had 40. He’s just tall.”

This was a big moment for Brantley. He was with the Boilermakers as a player in 1994 when Duke stopped Purdue one step from the Final Four. He’s been a loyal assistant under Painter and has watched too much heartbreak unfold.

Knowing what the current team went through last season, losing to No. 16 seed FDU, is what made Sunday’s embrace special.

“I know (Edey) was happy because we lost that game last year and these guys never stopped working,” Brantley said. “For me, I came to Purdue as a player with dreams to get to this stage and never got here. I don’t know how to feel. We’re going to the Final Four.

“Wish I could’ve gone as a player but it’s a little bit sweeter because it’s the kids I work with every day, and I saw everything they had to endure after that loss. Now, I get to experience it.”

WILL HISTORY BE REPEATED?

Virginia left the breadcrumbs, and Purdue is trying to follow the same path.

It’s not the exact journey, but you get the idea.

One year after getting knocked out by a No. 16 seed in the opening round, the Cavaliers came back the next season and won the 2019 NCAA championship.

The top-seeded Boilermakers aren’t there yet but took a big step Sunday. The comparisons between Purdue and Virginia have been there for more than a year. After the Boilermakers lost to No. 16 seed FDU in last year’s first round, the two programs were linked.

Shortly after the FDU game ended, Cavaliers coach Tony Bennett texted Painter, sharing his misery and providing an uplifting message.

Throughout the season, Purdue assistant coach Terry Johnson has communicated with Virginia’s staff, not necessarily about what happened to the Cavaliers in 2018 or the Boilermakers’ loss last season in Columbus, Ohio.

“There are a lot of connections with Virginia,” Purdue assistant coach Terry Johnson said. “Our process, our approach, our values—we’re very similar in that regard. We touched base.

“The message, more or less, is to be true to who you are, stick to your values, don’t change who you are, and stay with the same approach. Don’t listen to the outside noise of what everyone is saying. You just have to do it better and know there are going to be mental hiccups in there that you can’t help guys through. Nobody can help you. You have to trust the work that you’ve done.”

PRAISE FOR KEADY

Here’s legendary coach Gene Keady on the court in the middle of the confetti. Keady never made it to a Final Four. Now, he’s enjoying it as one of his former players guides the program to college basketball’s biggest stage.

“Unbelievable,” Keady said. “What do you think? Unbelievable.”  

Edey walked over to Keady and handed him a piece of the net. The Purdue faithful erupted.  

“You’ve always got to pay respect to those that came first,” Edey said later in the postgame press conference. “He built this. It doesn’t go over our heads. He helped set this all up. To be able to pay him back and give him a little piece of net, it’s the least I can do.”

“HE BELIEVED IN ME”

Without Keady, there’s no Painter. For nearly 20 years, Painter followed Keady’s path, preaching hard work, tireless effort, and demanding excellence in all phases of the program.

Of course, Painter added skill and stayed true to his beliefs in what Purdue should be and is finally rewarded with a trip to the Final Four. The 2019 Elite Eight loss to Virginia still stings, maybe not as much today as 24 hours earlier but it’s still there.

And, Painter convinced Edey to join the Boilermakers.  

“I feel good for Paint,” Edey said. “Like I’ve always said, he’s given me so much and believed in me. That’s all I needed. He believed in me when nobody else believed in me. Every coach in the country overlooked me. Everybody overlooked me. Paint didn’t, though. Now I’m able to pay him back.”

THE KILL SHOT

Lance Jones‘ 3-pointer with 2:42 to play will be remembered as one of the biggest shots in program history. It wasn’t the final dagger, but it provided the Boilermakers with enough of a cushion to reach the finish line.

Purdue had struggled all day to hit 3-pointers. The turnovers were kept to a minimum, but the 3-pointers weren’t falling. The Boilermakers were 2 of 13 before Jones’ basket made it 66-60 and he was 0 of 3.

“I was shooting horrible the whole game,” Jones said. “I just stuck with it. My teammates have the utmost confidence in me, and (Zakai) Ziegler helped in, and Braden Smith found me, and I let it fly.”

Inside the locker room, Jones’ teammates heaped praise on his contributions, not only on Sunday but throughout the year. His focus for most of the game was to defend Dalton Knecht. No one had success as Knecht scored 37 points only to be overshadowed by Edey.

Jones was brought into the program for moments like this and he’s been the right addition at the right time.

“That’s the type of dude that he is, which is great,” senior Ethan Morton said. “He missed a couple earlier in the game and he didn’t think twice about it. He let it go. Unbelievable shot. That ended up being the kill shot for us.”

Painter preaches hitting singles to his team nearly every day. No need to swing for the fences when moving base-to-base is enough to keep the line moving. Gillis called Jones’ shot a “very solid single. A single that hits the back wall on a line.”

Given the time, score and what was at stake, it’s difficult to ignore its importance.

“He’s hit some big shots this year,” redshirt freshman Camden Heide said. “He didn’t shoot the ball even close as well as he can shoot the ball. To see that go down for him, that was a huge shot and in a huge moment.”

BREAKING THROUGH

Staying in the locker room, here’s Sasha Stefanovic, the program’s director of player personnel. He played one minute in the 2019 heartbreaking loss to Virginia, but it’s never left his mind.

He was thinking about this week as the Boilermakers prepared to face Gonzaga and Tennessee.

“We were a second away from a Final Four then and now it’s just awesome,” Stefanovic said. “I just tweeted – no fanbase, no program, no university, no city deserves it more than Purdue. All the stuff we’ve been through, all the struggles, all the not being able to get to this point since 1980, for us to break through with this group is so special.”

Heartbreak has defined this program when it comes to the NCAA tournament. Demons were exorcised Sunday, including from 1988 when the Three Amigos were stunned by Kansas State in the Sweet 16 in the Silverdome, up the road from Little Ceasars Arena.

Losing to Duke in 1994 in the Elite Eight and again in 2000 to Wisconsin in New Mexico. There’s the Virginia loss and the last three years being eliminated by North Texas, Saint Peter’s and FDU – all double-digit seeds.

“All the players, all the coaches that have come before me, that’s what makes it special,” Stefanovic said. “It’s not just for us. It’s for everybody else and for all the people that are lifelong fans that have wanted and wished for us to get to the Final Four, It’s finally here.”

DIVING ON THE FLOOR

During one sequence, Edey, Gillis and Loyer were on the floor fighting for a loose ball. That showed how much the Boilermakers wanted this.

“That goes to show we have a lot of guys that risked their bodies this year,” Heide said. “The first thing that comes to mind is Zach at Indiana. He’s the best player in the country, he’s 7-4 and he’s diving on the floor. That’s a staple of this program – playing hard and competing. We were able to do that today.”

It’s been the mentality, not only this year but throughout the program’s history.

“Those 50-50 balls, we have to get those,” Heide said. “That’s an extra possession we get and one less they get.”

TAKING IT IN

Back on the court after the players and coaches had cut down pieces of the net, Johnson is staring into the crowd. Part of his thought process is looking for his family, but there’s more on his mind.

Johnson was an assistant at Butler when the Bulldogs advanced to back-to-back Final Fours in 2010 and 2011. Back outside the locker room, Johnson shared what he was thinking.

“This is hard,” he said. “So, fortunate to go back-to-back at Butler and I didn’t take it all in. I wanted to take it all in. I was looking for my family, too. My wife and I got to enjoy it and one of my boys did enjoy it and let them know all the work that daddy does and the sacrifices that I have to make is all for this. But we’re not done yet.”

Johnson, similar to everyone inside the program and around the university, couldn’t contain his excitement for Painter to finally deliver a Final Four.

“I’m so happy coach Painter gave me the opportunity to come here,” Johnson said. “He coached two of my cousins when I first started, and I really wanted it for him. I wanted to be part of it but I’m really happy for coach Painter. He’s one of the good guys and he does it the right way.”