Purdue has its own tortured past in the NCAA Tournament … and a 44-year Final Four drought

DETROIT — Rick Barnes got in bed at roughly 3 a.m. Saturday morning, a little less than three hours after leading No. 2 Tennessee to an 82-75 win over No. 3 Creighton in the Sweet 16 at Little Caesars Arena. 

His mind let him lay there only two hours. By 5 a.m., he was awake and mentally moving on to what was next: An Elite Eight showdown with No. 1 Purdue on Sunday (2:20 p.m. Eastern Time, CBS) in the NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional final.

“Just thinking,” Barnes said during his Saturday afternoon press conference. “I think that’s probably true of most coaches this time of year.”

Sleep, and how much they got of it, was the first question Barnes had for his players when he saw them Saturday morning. There’s no time to celebrate and or enjoy a win, even if the Vols are back in the Elite Eight for only the second time in program history.

“When you’re in the midst of it,” Barnes said, “it’s hard because you’ve just got to let it go real quick and get to the next. You’re obviously concerned about every one of your players.”

Elite Eight: No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 1 Purdue, Sunday, 2:20 p.m. ET, CBS

Barnes couldn’t put his finger on the feeling. Maybe it’s relief. Maybe it’s excitement. But you’re always thinking about what’s around the next corner.  

“Your mind quickly shifts to what’s next,” Barnes said. 

Tennessee, in pursuit of its first ever Final Four berth, isn’t the only team playing its own mind game in Detroit.

Purdue, despite winning 445 games and counting under Matt Painter the last 19 seasons, hasn’t been to a Final Four in 44 years. Gene Keady won 512 in 25 seasons at Purdue but never got past a pair of Elite Eights. 

The Boilermakers have been to the Elite Eight just once under Painter, taking out the Vols in the Sweet 16 in 2019 in Louisville before losing to Virginia two days later. They went to the Sweet 16 four times under Painter between 2009 and 2018, before finally breaking through a year later.

Last year Purdue became just the second No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16, getting bounced by Fairleigh Dickinson. Two years ago, the Boilers were in the path of No. 15 Saint Peter’s on its run to the Elite Eight. 

Painter on Saturday said getting to his first Final Four “would be huge” and that this Purdue team has the same goal as every other team, to win a national championship.

“We feel like we’re halfway there,” Painter said. “We’ve worked really hard for it.”

He also acknowledged the obvious. Purdue has been on the business end of some of a couple of the most maddening March Madness upsets.

“We’ve had some disappointing losses in the NCAA Tournament,” Painter said. “You want to rectify that. You want to use that as motivation. I think we’ve done that and just keep playing good basketball.”

Vols in Elite Eight for second time in program history

Barnes is in the Elite Eight for the fourth time as a head coach and the first time since 2006. Tennessee’s only other trip, in 2010, ended with a 70-69 loss to Michigan State in St. Louis. 

Purdue is in the Elite Eight for the sixth time in program history, following trips in 1969, 1980, 1994, 2000 and 2019. 

Painter, an Indiana native, knows the program history because he grew up a Purdue fan, played at Purdue and was the team’s associate head coach before being promoted to head coach in 2005. 

He said he feels it just like everyone else. He has that same passion.

“Yeah,” Painter added, “it’s been a long time since we’ve been to a Final Four, and we’d like to be able to accomplish that. But we know Tennessee’s in the way and they have a great team, and we’re going to have to play well.”

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