Edey continues to collect National Player of the Year Awards like Infinity Stones.

Purdue tips off against Vermont for a spot in the Fab 4 momentarily. B1G+ for those who want to watch.

I'm still groggy from the late night arrival back home and an extensive, exhaustive weekend, but let's go ahead and start a thread for questions about Purdue's opponent on Saturday, NC State.

The Purdue team isn't satisfied with the Final Four, and we're not gonna stop there either. I'll be flying out Thursday to Phoenix and we'll continue to have full coverage of everything going on for the Final Four and National Championship.

Want to give a hearty thanks to everyone that's jumped on and stuck around and taken this ride with us. This has been one hell of a rewarding season personally and professionally. Impossible to not have wanted this for Matt Painter, this team, and this community.

So I'll spend a little time recording today, but we'll be back at full swing this evening and tomorrow with some football, Final Four talk, some stories from the weekend I didn't get to, and looking forward.

Casey

well, not talking anyway.

Would be fun to watch. DJ reminds me of Tre, of which Edey split time with fir two years.

Loyer was given a TON of crap from a lot of folks on here. For a stretch he was struggling... Without his 14 points... 2nd leading scorer and timely 3's we are crying for a different reason currently... Also... The absolute stones on Jones to hit that late 3 after the game he was having... Total and complete redemption...

Won’t watch a minute tonight but sure hope the women move on with a win, sure hope Iowa knocks off LSU, have my doubts. Kudos to the men that finally got that damn monkey off their backs, fun stuff!

Praise God for the gift of his Son Jesus. A gift ready for anyone who wants to admit their sin, repent and turn to Him as Lord and Savior.

The great thing about the gift is living forever with believers where we can look over future Boiler teams battle for as long as this world lasts and talk with family, new friends and Jesus for eternity. (Could you imagine watching today with John Wooden & the rest of the Boiler faithful today😎)

Enjoy the game and your family today. Happy Easter Boilers!!

What these ladies are doing this year in college ball just might save the WNBA... Clark is next level...

Understand that the season data includes the tourney data. First data is tourney and second is all year

D.J. Horne averaging 19 in tourney and 16.5 for season. Shooting 2s 7.4 (51%) vs 7.1 (46%)and 3s 6.6 (36%)vs 6.5 (40%). Fts 5 vs 2.8 -both 84% rebounds 5.25 vs 3.4. Seems as though he is just playing his game, but maybe getting inside a bit more for rebounds and FTs. FTs mainly taking his average from 16.5 to 19

Burns taking 11.4 2s versus 10.5, but making 7.8 versus 5.7 shooting 3.4 versus 2.4 FTs and making 2.4 instead of 1.7. Rebounds are 4.8 versus 4.1 with D boards 3.6 vs2.8 and o boards 1.2 to 1.3 and his assists have doubled. 4.8 versus 2.8 with turnovers at 2.4 versus 1.9. His average of 18.6 to 13 and so he is getting roughly 4 pts at the 2 and 1 pt at the FT line more

Moresell shooting 6.2 2s vs 6.3 and making 2.6 to 3.1. He is taking 3 3s vs 3.4 and making 1 vs.9. FTs 2.4 versus 2.5 and making 1.8 vs 2.5. He doesn’t go after the boards and only gets 1 asst a game, but does get 2 steals vs 1.1 with his scoring dropping from 11.4 to 10 pts

Taylor a Perry Meridian (indy) product who looks to stay on the perimeter and an ideal person for Fletch when not switched. Not sure if his minutes have been cut but only taking 1.4 versus 4.1 and hitting .6 instead of 1.9 2 pt shots. He is shooting 2.4 3s instead of 4.3 and hitting .8 instead of 1.6. In his last 5 games he didn’t shoot any for 3 games and took 6 in each of the remaining game. He is getting to the FT line 1 time vs 3.5 and making .4 instead of 2.7. Why such a change in getting to the line? Minutes? He is getting 1.4 boards where he got 3.6 before. Other data is slightly down as well. Avg 4 pts where he was 11.2

Diarra. This is your board man that has also increased his scoring. His boards are on D and any baseline shooting say from Mason should pull him out and lowering his defensive rebounds. He is shooting 4.8 2s instead of 3.2 and making 3.2 instead of 1.8. He is also shooting 2.2 3balls instead of 1.7 and making .6 instead of .5. He is getting to the line 3 times instead of 1.9 and making 2.4 instead of 1.2. He is averaging 10.4 D boards instead of 7.8 and 1.8 in the tourney and season. Maybe picking up a foul going after those boards as he is now at 3 and it was 1.6, but almost doubling his blocks from 1.8 to 1. Now scoring 10.5 vs 6.4

Middlebrook another board man and increased shots blocked in the tourney. No 3 ball attempts. Now shooting 4 instead of 3.3 and making 2 instead of 1.7. FTs more now 4 times was 3.3 and hitting 3 instead of 1.7. Getting 1.2 blocks instead of .6 and grabbing 2.8 D boards instead of2.3 and 2.4 O boards instead of 2. Called on 2.8 fouls per game. Scoring 7 instead of 5.8

O’Connell shooting 3.4 2s instead of 2.6 and making .8 versus 1.3. He has picked up his 3 ball attempts and now shooting 3.4 (41%) vs 2 and hitting 1.4 vs .7. shooting poorer at the line in 2.4 att versus 1.2 and making 1.4 vs .7. He grabs 4.8 boards instead of 3.5 with 4.4 versus 2.8 now scoring 7.2 instead of 5.8.

Looks like the bigs have increased scoring in the tourney by 10.3 pts. Two players average 3 blocks between them as well 15.2 boards. If Mason is on…one can’t lay in the lane and will then go smaller to match Mason. Course if Trey can draw a couple of early fouls on their bigs, that will help a lot not jjust immediately , but through the game as they defend Zach. I have no idea if they play zone, but you hope that Purdue boards well unless they are long boards that they get due to some potential shooting background issues. I seem to recall Purdue averaging 18 assists to 12 for NCS and so we have more one on one play with NCS.

2025 three-star OL Takhyian Whitset views Purdue as emerging favorite in recruitment after Friday visit.

“I feel like Purdue, they're probably the top one right now”

If people actually watched Purdue games they would realize teams don't drive the ball to the basket. They take jump shots and floaters. Of course there is going to be a huge difference in fouls when they aren't putting themselves in position to get fouled. I think it was Jeff Goodman who pointed this out last night. So many fans are just not smart.

I think Bama beats UConn and is in the final game, making PU's task a bit easier. UConn's over-ripe and ready to be plucked.

Nearly half their teams in the conference (5 of 12) are playing in the sweet sixteen, and frankly I would not be surprised to see 3 of them in the Final Four.

heard playing in a dome throws off depth perception / makes shooters uncomfortable.

Does that favor us or NC state? (Or non factor?)

If you haven’t seen it…

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Lets send congrats to the entire team...coaches, student managers, all players who go at it in practice and seldom see the floor. This group IS A TEAM accepting their roles, doing away with their individuality, for the good of the group which is what produces winners.

CONGRATS TO EVERYONE WHO MADE THIS FINAL FOUR HAPPEN.

Well, we saw two teams lay it all out inside the lines. Purdue was definitely fatigued. Kneight took a lot of shots to get his points. He was awarded 2 or 3 three balls due to loose balls that Purdue thought they had that ended up to him for open looks and then may 2 baskets towards the end, before Zach decided to challenge one. The D was interesting to me. First we start out with Braden on Kneight and Lance on the pg. I fully get this. This went for a bit and then we saw Cam and then Myles I thought did a good job trying to take away Kneight from getting the ball and then Lance had him...several bodies on him trying quickness and size and he showed me my very limited guess from seeing just a bit that he has a lean to the 3 ball.

Purdue is trying to get bodies on him, but then another adjustment and this time Braden and Lance mostly, but a couple of time Fletcher are in auto switch on those screens as Purdue continues to go over the top until the handoff on the switch to not let him get a good look on the perimeter fearful of the 3 ball that was already hurting PUrdue by him and ONE other player (Jones?) and 2 or 3 of Kneights 3 balls were just due to losing him due to long, bad bounces or rebounds that never went in Purdue hands. I thought that small nuance was big in him not getting as good of looks behind the 3 ball.

Happy for the kids, their families and the coaches...and all the Purdue fans. I'll say this now and maybe said in one time before. Dustin told me before Braden played at Purdue he wanted to take them to the Final Four. This ring all these kids will have forever. Two more and have to think the next game will be easier than Tennessee.

When you think of all the teams since 1980 that were good enough and quite capable experiencing some bad luck and injuries since that time...that is why so many are so happy for the break through. 1987 Split with IU each winning at home by 11 points. Purdue got quite a different route and then a 30 ft bank shot puts the nail in the coffin Then you had the Big Dog hurting his back wrestling after disposing of Kansas the game before and playing his worst game with the bad back against Duke in 94? 1999-2000 splitting with Wisconsin and then losing to them in the elite 8. Then you had the Baby Boilers with Robbie blowing out his knee in everyone's expected final four. Then again just a few years we have Haas being pulled down and breaking his arm that led to a new rule that who knows how that team would end up and then once the class was gone Purdue had Virginia on the ropes with 5 seconds to go before a whole series of unlikely events cost Purdue a trip to the Final Four where Virginia won the whole thing...and there has been a lot of unusual circumstances that played in Purdue not getting to the final four several times. Six teams or roughly every few years since 1980 Purdue had a shot...

1 Cassius Winston 291 in 2018-19
2 Braden Smith 278 in 2023-24
3 Mateen Cleaves 274 in 1998-99

He's got a shot to break the record, especially if Purdue can get by NC State.

New head coach at Oklahoma State.

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I anticipate this to be a better game than expected. the DJ's are very capable players. I expect Diarra to be posted against Edey to avoid Burns fouls. However, when Burns is posted against Edey the big man could be a difficult play for Edey as he will be hard to move. On offense Burns is quick, has a nice spin move, Edey could be challenged. Does TKR post him? And the point guard Horne is very quick and disruptive, if he can knock Smith off his game it may cause more turnovers than usual. - How do you the match-ups? Where will we be challenged?