Zach Edey, Purdue taking 'jobs-not-finished' mentality into national title game
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Fletcher Loyer threw his arms into the air and smiled after hitting an early 3-pointer. Matt Painter laughed and shrugged his shoulders when Braden Smith snapped out of his cold night with a late triple.
But as the sea of black and gold rejoiced inside State Farm Stadium, celebrating Purdue's 63-50 win over NC State in the first national semifinal on Saturday night, the Boilermakers' approach in the handshake line and postgame media availability carried a very different vibe.
You would never know Purdue had just clinched a spot in the national championship game, the program's first time doing that in 55 years, but with a generational big man and a mission for redemption, this season was never about just getting there.
"We still have a game to play. No one's celebrating right now," said Zach Edey, who had 20 points and 12 rebounds Saturday night, becoming the first player in NCAA Tournament history to post at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and shoot 60% in five NCAA Tournament games. "We're going to stay locked in and get back to work. Winning is obviously a good feeling, but nobody here is satisfied. No one is kicking their feet up. Everyone knows what we've got coming in this next game.
"This is what we've been talking about all year. The reason I came back is playing games like this, the reason I'm playing college basketball for four years. To finally get this championship game on Monday, it's big-time. We obviously got to keep going and keep playing."
The Boilermakers' 13-point win over the 11th-seeded Wolfpack was far from pretty, but it showed why Matt Painter's team has gone on this journey of redemption.
"To be able to win six games in this tournament, you're going to have a game in there, a game or two, where you don't play as well offensively," Painter said. "You got to find a way to win that. So congrats to our guys for finding a way to do that. It was one of those grinder-type games where we made a few more shots, a few more 3s."
The defensive growth of this Purdue team should not be understated when examining the Boilermakers' tournament run, now just 40 minutes away from earning the Big Ten's first national championship since 2000.
Two years ago, Purdue ranked 93rd in KenPom defensive efficiency. Last season, the Boilermakers rose to 24th, and this year, they've managed to deliver even more on that end, ranking 12th in the country.
The Boilermakers committed 16 turnovers on Saturday night – their most in a game since early December – but perhaps it can be viewed as a positive that this was far from Purdue's A-game, but Matt Painter's team is still moving on to championship Monday.
That's why Lance Jones laughed when he was asked about Purdue's calm emotion in the locker room.
"We worked to get to this point, and the championship is now in view for the first time," said Jones, who admitted postgame that he never thought it would be possible to be playing in a national championship after transferring to Purdue from Southern Illinois. "I knew we had a chance to win and make a run in March Madness, and that we could win the Big Ten, but I wouldn't have dreamed of what we've got coming Monday, never to this magnitude."
In a game where Purdue was searching for a second option behind Edey, Jones stepped up for the Boilermakers, displaying why his leadership has been a key cog for this team all season. The fifth-year senior delivered 14 points in the victory, as the Boilermakers moved to 15-0 on the season when Jones reaches that threshold.
"It says a lot that we stuck with it after this program has faced different types of adversity," Jones said. "Coach Painter has stuck with it too, and I think it's paying off at the right time. We've all had a chip on our shoulder."
They'll need that chip on Monday against a UConn team that defeated Alabama in the second national semifinal, 86-72, and has now won five tournament games by an average of 26.2 points per contest.
Following Purdue's win, Loyer (11 points) admitted that he and Smith (three points, 1-of-9 FG) will need "better energy" in order to come away with a title. It wasn't the only statement Loyer said. Purdue has had one thing on its mind since experiencing a gut-punch loss to 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson last year, and a Sweet 16 defeat to Saint Peter's the year before that.
"We've done so much and worked so hard," Loyer said, "that Monday night is going to be the deciding factor on whether or not we accomplished that goal."
The Boilermakers are 40 minutes away from it.
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.
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