This basketball season has been exciting but Saturday night was truly magical! This season, the Purdue men’s basketball team has had quite an impressive record winning 33 games and only having 4 losses. To top this all off, they were ranked 1st in the Big Ten Conference this season. However, the most exciting feat for this team has been how far they have made it in this March Madness season.
This year’s March Madness bracket began with a matchup against the Grambling State University Tigers. Purdue won that game 78-50 taking the Boilermakers on to the second round. In the second round, Purdue matched up against the Utah State Aggies with an end score of 106-67, Purdue taking the win. The team then moved on to the Sweet 16 round. In this round, they played against the Gonzaga Bulldogs resulting in a final score of 80-68, Purdue. This result was particularly thrilling because this meant that the Boilermakers made it to the Elite Eight. The last time Purdue made it to the Elite 8 was in 2019, but that year their run ended there.
In the Elite 8 matchup, Purdue played the Tennessee Volunteers. This game resulted in a score of 72-66 with Purdue winning and moving on to the Final Four. Boilermakers everywhere were ecstatic over this development. The last time that Purdue made it to the Final Four was in 1980. In other words, it has been 44 years since the men’s basketball team has made it this far.
The Final Four game took place just this last Saturday with a matchup between Purdue and the NC State Wolfpack. This game resulted in a score of 63-50, Purdue winning. While many students went and watched the game live in Phoenix, Arizona, many students attended the watch party in Purdue’s very own Mackey Arena. This gathering was electric and the students were beyond thrilled with how the game turned out.
After winning the game in the Final Four, Purdue is now moving on to the National Championships which will take place on Monday, April 8th. This game will be against the UConn Huskies! This is extremely exciting because the last time Purdue made it to the national championships was in 1969, or 55 years ago. To add on, the Purdue men’s basketball team has never won a NCAA championship game. Therefore, if Purdue wins the game Monday night, this will be a truly monumental accomplishment.
This has been an exceptionally exciting season for Purdue basketball fans all around! Make sure to tune in Monday night to see how this game pans out! Boiler up, hammer down, hail Purdue!