Purdue's Zach Edey saves Boilermakers' rep — and the Big Ten's — with monster game against Tennessee

Zach Edey needed it. Matt Painter needed it. Purdue damn sure needed it.

The Big Ten needed it, too.

A day after Illinois’ ugly 77-52 loss to sensational UConn in the Elite Eight, all that stood between the Big Ten and the continuations of a pair of ignominious streaks were 40 minutes between Purdue and Tennessee for the right to go to the Final Four. No Big Ten team had been to one of those since 2019, and — far worse — no conference team has won the national championship since Michigan State in 2000.

And for the Boilermakers, who hadn’t been to the Final Four since 1980 — never making it under Gene Keady or, until now, Painter — it was a game absolutely loaded with pressure and fraught with potential for extreme heartbreak. No program has had worse NCAA Tournament losses in recent years, especially the first-round debacle against 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson in 2023. And no player would have represented March failure quite like 7-4 superstar Edey had the Boilers fallen short against All-American Dalton Knecht and outstanding Tennessee.

Cue 40 points — three more than Knecht’s 37 — and 16 rebounds from Edey, who put his team on his back and put a size-20 foot down in unforgettable fashion in a 72-66 victory. Not tonight, college basketball gods. Take that, all who’ve rooted against the most dominant player in the country, mischaracterizing him as huge but not talented and complaining because of his endless trips to the foul line.

“It’s kind of been the story of my life,” Edey said. “People have doubted me; people have looked past me. They can’t do that anymore.”

As Painter cut down some net in Detroit, he thought some about the criticism Purdue has endured but more about the fans who never gave up on experiencing a run like this one.

“You get a lot of [crap] from people on the other side, whether it’s rivals or other people in your league or whatever, and that’s their job; they’re rivals and you go against them, that’s part of it,” he said. “But the one thing I appreciated after last year was the people that supported us from Purdue. Those are the people that are in your corner no matter what.”

A Final Four makes up for all the past disappointments and frustrations, but the Boilers — who have lived at or near the very top of the polls for two full seasons — don’t want to stop now. They’ll be heavy favorites to beat out-of-nowhere NC State in the semifinals in Glendale, Arizona, no less so than UConn will be favored to handle surprising Alabama. But defending champion UConn has taken the position of Goliath in this tournament. Purdue is too strong to be cast as David, but it would be in the extraordinarily rare role of underdog in a title-round matchup.

One can be certain Edey would relish that. What a chance it would be for him to go down with the all-time greats.

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No one can question Illinois coach Brad Underwood’s ability to recruit. Nor can they dispute his gift at motivating players and teams to buy in and compete. Underwood isn’t perfect — and whether or not he’s an elite college coach remains up for debate — but winning 29 games and the Big Ten tournament and advancing to the Elite Eight just might get him a contract extension and a raise.

But if you’re still doubting Underwood X’s-and-O’s against top competition, your instincts are sound. It was bad enough to go into the UConn game planning to have Illini players heave themselves at the rim with 7-2 shot-blocker Donovan Clingan down low to protect it. But once it became obvious — painfully obvious — that no one, not even Terrance Shannon Jr., was going to finish over Clingan, Underwood actually doubled down.

“If he blocks 100 shots, he blocks 100 shots,” Underwood told TBS during a first-half timeout. “We’re gonna keep going at him.”

That was plain old stubbornness, at best. The Illini finished 0-for-19 on shot attempts contested by Clingan. What a waste. Underwood had a very good season. As far as how it ended, he has to wear it. …

Underwood was right on the money after the loss to UConn when he lamented to reporters the fact college basketball’s transfer portal already was open and had been since the day after Selection Sunday.

“The most absurd thing in the history of sport is what we’re doing in the portal while we’re playing basketball,” he said. “This is ridiculous. I’ve got one coach scouting and two just living in the portal. I’m making recruiting calls [as] we’re preparing for an Elite Eight game. Maybe it’s my fault.”

It’s not. There’s no way around it, and that’s a shame. …

Just in case it needs saying: Yes, of course, both Purdue and UConn will win on Saturday. NC State and Alabama have reached their ceilings. Congrats to both and thanks for playing. …

Nothing beats the men’s NCAA Tournament.

Except, that is, for the women’s tournament, at least this year. The more one pays attention, the more one realizes, if they’re being honest about it, that the women’s side has more drama, bigger stars — Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, LSU’s Angel Reese, USC’s JuJu Watkins, UConn’s Paige Bueckers, all of whom are on Monday night’s Elite Eight schedule — and, best of all, more of that sweet, delicious rivalry bile. And I haven’t even mentioned superpower South Carolina and its second straight quest to go unbeaten. …

What can you do but laugh at this ridiculous quote from Baylor women’s coach Nicki Collen, who was attempting to stand up for Kim Mulkey after a much-anticipated Washington Post profile of the controversial LSU coach was published?

“I’m not afraid to say I was really, really offended by the article that came out,” Collen said.

Is that so?

“And I didn’t read any of it,” she added.

Of course she didn’t. Our times in a perfect nutshell.