Why Purdue Getting to the Final Four Would Mean so Much

There’s no nice way to say this, so I’ll just say it. For my entire lifetime Purdue has been a failure in March. They’ve been to Elite Eights, they’ve been to Sweet 16s, but honestly, people don’t care about those. People care about Final Fours and National Titles. Purdue has none in my lifetime. I was born in 1985 by the way.

Today, Purdue faces Tennessee, for the second time this season, with a trip to the Final Four on the line. I’ll be heading out to Little Caesar’s Arena here shortly to go cheer on my beloved Boilermakers from press row. I mean, I won’t actually be cheering because that’s not allowed in press row, but you get my meaning.

Today is an important day for a number of people. I want this victory for them. Sure, I want it for myself because I’m selfish and I’m a fan. I want that Final Four to hang onto, I want a chance to move on and win the National Title. I want Purdue to be respected and held in the same esteem as Connecticut, North Carolina, Duke, hell, even IU. But that won’t happen unless Purdue breaks through their glass ceiling and gets to the Final Four and then wins the damn thing.

Once you’ve been a fan of a team as long as I have you start to form a parasocial bond with both the program and the players and staff. You feel like you know them even if you haven’t met them. In my job here at Hammer and Rails I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to meet and interact with this team and they still wouldn’t know me from Adam. Which is fine. But yet, I find myself wanting this victory today for them. For all the hard work they’ve put in. For all the hours spent on the basketball court and in study tables and on the road to Rutgers or Hawaii or Toronto. I want this for them because they’ve put in the work.

But it’s not just this current team I want it for. It’s for those who are no longer on the team, and for those who are no longer with us. As a young boy who grew up with his dad watching the game on Channel 4 and listening to Larry Clisby instead of the television announcers I wish the Cliz was here to see this. I wish that tomorrow I could stick an Airpod into my ear as I sit on press row and hear Rob Blackmon and Larry Clisby say Bullseye as Braden Smith drains a three to push Purdue over the top.

Who can forget guys like Glenn Robinson, Cuonzo Martin, Matt Waddell, Justin Jennings, Porter Roberts, Herb Dove, hell, even Matt TenDam? All of these guys made an impact on Purdue and were it not for a freak injury here or a bad bounce there maybe they would’ve been part of the team that broke the steak.

I want this game for The Three Amigos who got so close to the Final Four but couldn’t take that final step. I want it for the 2000 Elite Eight team who lost to Wisconsin. I remember seeing Brian Cardinal play his heart out in that game and fall just short. Watching Cardinal embrace his head coach at the end of the game it was obvious he felt both sorry that he didn’t get to play in a Final Four, but also sorry that he’d failed to get it done for Coach. Seeing Mike Robinson, Jaraan Cornell, Carson Cunningham, and Greg McQuay fall in that Elite Eight has remained an enduring memory to me. And what about Kenny Lowe and Willie Dean? I want this for them too. Two of my favorite less heralded players.

Then of course, who could forget the loss to Virginia in 2019. The game in which it appeared that Purdue had it locked up. The game in which head coach Matt Painter did the smart thing and fouled up three but Virginia somehow got the rebound off the missed free throw, made the shot to send it to overtime, and came away with the victory. Who could forget Carsen Edward playing 44 of the 45 minutes and dropping in 42 points? What about the effort of Ryan Cline? Walk-on Grady Eifert? Matt Haarms, Nojel Eastern, Trevion Williams, Eric Hunter Jr., and Aaron Wheeler? That team deserved a Final Four but it simply didn’t happen.

I want this Final Four for my dad. Sure, that’s selfish, but it’s true. I think like most men of a certain age we aren’t great at talking about our feelings. We aren’t good at truly going deep about how things are in life or in the world around us. But sports? Yeah, we can handle sports. My dad and I have watched Purdue sports together for as long as I can remember. He’s my connection to Purdue, he’s my north star of fandom you might say. He’s seen Purdue go to just one Final Four and it was right after he became a father for the first time and I can’t imagine he was able to fully enjoy it. Now, with his four sons texting him during games, I want it for him. I want him to be able to go to Phoenix and bask in the beauty of a Purdue Final Four run.

There’s one person though that has been notably absent from this discussion and who I want this Final Four for most of all. Gene Keady. I want this for Gene, yes I call him Gene, no he never choked me for it. Coach Keady spent the vast majority of his adult life roving the sidelines of Purdue games throwing his sport coat, winning Big Ten titles, and helping to create good men. Winning was important sure, but walking away from Purdue as a good man was maybe more important to Coach Keady. With Coach around the program, and currently 87 years old, I want this for him. To see his protege, a man he recruited and coached alongside, get to the Final Four would be a thrill and something we all believe that Coach Keady deserves.

There are so many other players that come to mind that helped create the current foundation of Purdue basketball that I want this Final Four for. Who could forget Carl Landry and David Teague as forming the foundation of Matt Painter’s first tournament team? What about Marcus Green becoming Matt Painter’s first player to stay four years? And how about the Baby Boilers, Robbie Hummel, E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson. They were the recruiting class that really turned things around for Purdue. Then there’s the additional guys who helped make Purdue a team; Keaton Grant and Chris Kramer. What about Rapheal Davis and Lewis Jackson? And for Biggie Swanigan who unfortunately isn’t here to see this. Who isn’t here to see the flowers of the garden that he helped plant.

Purdue has had so many memorable players since the last time they made the Final Four that this is for all of them. I could go on all day and name player after player that meant something to me, and I would love it if you’ve give me some of your favorites in the comments, but it’s time to focus on the task at hand. Today, I know the eyes of Boiler Nation will be upon Detroit and I can’t wait to see what happens. Let’s get this Final Four not just for ourselves, not just for our fans, but for all those that came before us.