Purdue basketball coach Matt Painter is grateful his team got a win in the Final Four. Painter expressed his relief over his team's well-earned 63-50 victory over a gritty North Carolina State basketball team on Saturday.
“It was one of those grinder-type games,” Painter said, per CBS Sports. “Just getting a win without any of the particulars is worth it, right? To be able to advance.”
Painter and his Purdue basketball team still have some work to do. The Boilermakers are now in the national championship game on Monday, with only the UConn Huskies standing in the way from a national championship.
“Obviously, we put ourselves in a position to win one. You've got to give our guys credit,” Painter added. “They've been able to battle back. They've also been able to handle a lot of adversity.”
Purdue's battle over NC State
Purdue basketball is in its first national championship game under Painter, who has been at the school since 2005. Painter had also never taken the school to a Final Four until this season. The monkey is finally off the back of the Boilermakers, who lost last year as a no. 1 seed to Fairleigh Dickinson in the Round of 64.
The Boilermakers were once again led by 7-foot-4 big man Zach Edey. Edey has won all sorts of awards while he as been at Purdue, including National Player of the Year. The center finished the semi-final game with 20 points and 12 rebounds, playing all 40 minutes in a performance for the ages. Edey is a walking double-double for Purdue basketball this season.
“The reason I came back is [to play in] games like this. The reason I'm playing college basketball for four years — to finally get this game, it's big-time. We've obviously got to keep going and keep playing,” Edey said, per ESPN.
The Boilermakers and Wolfpack battled back and forth in the first half, but Purdue held a six-point lead at the break. Purdue was able to pull away in the second half of the game. The team's defense held North Carolina State to only 21 second half points, en route to victory.
Purdue basketball now faces a UConn team that has bulldozed its way through the tournament. The Huskies powered past Alabama Saturday in the other semi-final, to reach its second consecutive title game. The Huskies are the defending national champions, and would be the first team in more than 15 years to win two straight championships, with a victory on Monday. Florida did the same feat in 2006 and 2007.
“We're not done,” Purdue guard Fletcher Loyer said, per ESPN. “We didn't even play that good. I think we have a lot more to prove. We have a good day of rest. We'll take advantage of it and be ready to go Monday.”
The national championship tips off Monday at 9:20 Eastern.
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