Photo by Adam Bouse
The Purdue Boilermakers men’s basketball team is in the March Madness Final Four for the first time since 1980. Zach Edey, their big man, has led the team to avenge their shocking first-round exit in 2023 when they lost to No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson University.
They could still lose to a double-digit seed in NC State.
But let’s focus on their achievements so far. Purdue has beaten Grambling State, Utah State, Gonzaga, and Tennessee by 18, 39, 12, and six points, respectively. They’re finally looking like the dominant team everyone expected last year.
While their on-court practice has paid off, some off-court moments could use more polish.
Purdue fails to put its sticker on the March Madness bracket the right way.
In the postgame ceremony, a player from the team is supposed to put their team name on the next arm in the bracket. “Purdue” was put on upside-down.
Hopefully, this isn’t a bad omen for the Boilermakers in the next round.
Luckily, they don’t score you based on your sticker placement. You’re graded based on the score of the game.
To that end, Purdue did everything they were supposed to do. Next up for the Boilermakers is NC State, an 11 seed that has surprised everyone in this favorite-heavy tournament.
Led by DJ Burns, NC State could be a sneaky challenge for Purdue. This matchup between Edey and Burns, both game-changing big men, promises to be intriguing.
