Is Purdue still in March Madness? Looking at Matt Painter's chances of clinching 2024 NCAA tournament title

The Purdue Boilermakers have been on a roll this season, staking wins and cruising through to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed. In the first round, the Boilermakers destroyed No. 16 Grambling, 78-50.

Later, in the second-round tip-off against Utah State, Purdue won 106-67 and advanced to the Sweet 16 round.

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Is Purdue still in March Madness?

Yes. The Boilermakers will take on Gonzaga on Friday for a spot in the Elite Eight. Purdue is on a revenge run this season after a first-round loss to No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson last year.

Zach Edey has taken charge of Purdue's post-season run with 30 points and 21 rebounds in the first round followed by 23 points and 14 rebounds in the second. The center is the leading scorer, averaging 24.5 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. After testing the NBA waters last year, Edey returned for his senior season.

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In a press meet after the win over Utah State, Edey said:

"I didn't come back to make the Sweet 16. I came back to make a run and deep run. Nobody's satisfied with where we are now. Everybody wants to keep pushing." (via USA TODAY)

Commenting on their wins so far, Edey said:

"It kind of proves the country what I've already believed. We got a lot of guys that can go and a lot of guys that can sustain a high level of play."

Has Purdue ever won the NCAA tournament?

In their 128-year program history, the Purdue Boilermakers have never won an NCAA championship. The closest they came was in 1969 when Purdue, under coach George King and led by All-American Rick Mount, lost the title game 92-72 to the UCLA Bruins.

The Boilermakers' last Final Four appearance was in 1980 and their last Elite Eight game was in 2019, which came after a 19-year gap.

In the lead-up to March Madness, coach Matt Painter sat for an interview with 1070 The Fan radio show after Purdue's exit from the Big Ten Tournament:

"The most important thing is the NCAA Tournament. We really talked about that before we even went to the [Big Ten] Tournament — like, no matter what happens, we're going forward and we're gonna get excited about playing in the NCAA Tournament and have big-time energy." (via Sports Illustrated)

The Boilermakers' clash on Friday is going to be a tough one as the Mark Few-led Gonzaga have also been on a roll, especially in the past two months.

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