At Little Caesars Arena, Matt Painter climbed the ladder and held his hand in the air before cutting the net amid black and gold screaming. However, Painter considered the chat minutes before Purdue's dramatic 72-66 Elite Eight triumph over Tennessee on Sunday secured the school's third Final Four appearance.
He had to do it at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, last year as Fairleigh Dickinson became the second 16-seed in NCAA tournament history to defeat a 1-seed. Painters' players gazed at him with tears in their eyes and wondered how it had all fallen apart and if they could fix it.
However, that upset loss haunted the Boilermakers. Instead, they faced it throughout the season, knowing they'd never convince the critics without a long NCAA tournament run.
Sunday's contest featured Edey (40 points, 16 rebounds in 39 minutes) and Tennessee star Dalton Knecht (37 points, 6-for-12 from 3-point range), the two leading candidates for every major national player of the year award. ESPN Stats & Information lists Edey and Knecht as the third pair of opponents with 35-point performances in the Elite Eight.
We learned: DJ Burns Jr. and Zach Edey represent large men. 10hESPN reported that Purdue, the best 3-point shooting team in America, shot 3-for-15 from beyond the arc and hit 21 of 33 free throw tries. Tennessee made 42% of its 3-point tries but only 39% of its field goals.
However, Edey's effort won the game for his squad. His block on Knecht's crucial basket with 34 seconds left ended Tennessee's comeback. ESPN Stats & Information says he's the first NCAA tournament player with 40 points and 15 rebounds since 1990.
"He's the best player in college basketball, one of the greats," said Purdue's 14-point scorer Fletcher Loyer. "He deserves respect for his remarkable actions. I'm extremely pleased of his efforts." Edey and Knecht stated a trip to the Final Four trumped talk of the Wooden Award and other distinctions before the game.
Still, as the game grew tight in the last minutes Sunday, like it did in the previous meeting between these two teams, a 71-67 Purdue triumph at the Maui Invitational in November, both players looked conscious that they were in a legend-making moment.
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