Matt Painter has been the Purdue Boilermakers head coach since replacing the legendary Gene Keady back in 2005-06. While Purdue has enjoyed a ton of regular season success in the Big 10, it’s been a different story in the NCAA Tournament.
In fact, Purdue fell in the first round last year despite posting a 29-6 record ahead of the tourney. This postseason failure had defined Painter’s tenure heading into the 2024 NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament.
That changed in March with Painter leading Purdue to the Sweet 16. It was then taken to a whole new level as Purdue defeated Tennessee in the Elite 8 last week to win the Midwest Region and stake its claim in the Final 4.
Led by former National Player of the Year Zach Edey and Lance Jones, the Boilermakers took on a Cinderella North Carolina State team in the Final 4 on Saturday.
Edey absolutely dominated the first half. The 7-foot-4 big man ended the game tallying 20 points and 12 rebounds in outplaying D.J. Burns as Purdue came out on top by the score of 63-50 to clinch at ticket in the National Championship Game Monday night.
Edey’s dominance was not necessarily surprising given that he entered Saturday’s game averaging 29.5 points and 14.7 rebounds in the tournament.
But the story here are these Boilermakers as a team as well as their head coach. In ending the Wolfpack’s Cinderella run, it also made some program history.
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Purdue Boilermakers punch first ticket to NCAA Tournament Final since 1969
It’s an absolutely crazy thing to think about. The last time these Boilermaker made the championship game, Richard Nixon had been in the White House for a mere months. Bill Russell was months away from leading his Boston Celtics to an NBA title against Wilt Chamberlain and the Los Angeles Lakers. Talk about icons of the basketball world.
That 1968-69 season saw Purdue post a 23-5 record while averaging a resounding 93 points per game. Led by George King, they defeated Miami (O), Marquette and North Carolina to set up a matchup against John Wooden and a UCLA Bruins team that was coming off back-to-back NCAA titles.
Purdue proved to be no match for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Bruins, losing by the score of 92-72. Abdul-Jabbar scored 37 points with 20 rebounds. Rick Mount led the Boilermakers with 28 points on 12-of-36 shooting.
That’s the history of these Boilermakers. It’s some interesting stuff to look at as they head to Monday’s national championship game against either UConn or Alabama.
But what we’ve seen from this team during the tournament could potentially erase all of the postseason failures of the past. In doing so, Zach Edey and Matt Painter would etch their name in stone as two of the biggest names in West Lafayette.