The last time Purdue was in the Elite Eight, in 2000, they lost to Dick Bennett’s Wisconsin Badgers.
Nearly 20 years later, the Boilermakers lost to Bennett’s son, Tony.
For the first time since 1984, Virginia is going to the Final Four. The Cavaliers punched their ticket with an 80-75 overtime win over Purdue. In Louisville, Kentucky, it was a heavyweight fight that would’ve made Muhammad Ali proud.
With the loss, Purdue’s Final Four drought continues. The Boilermakers haven’t been since 1980.
It’s the first Final Four trip for Tony Bennett. He and his father Dick make the second father-son duo to take teams to the Final Four, joining John Thompson and John Thompson III, who both took Georgetown there.
WE'RE HEADING TO OT! 😱 |
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB)
"We can do anything we put our minds to."
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB)
Hear from Tony Bennett & Kyle Guy after get the OT win! 🔥 |
Edwards record night
While he didn’t cut down the nets at the end of the night, it was still a memorable one for Carsen Edwards. The 6-foot-1 junior dropped swished 10 three-pointers en route to scoring 42 points.
No other Boilermaker scored more than seven points. Edwards also grabbed a pair of rebounds.
Edwards now holds the tournament record for most made 3-pointers. He scored 10 points in the final five minutes of regulation.
Carsen Edwards is in Danny Manning/Kemba Walker territory if Purdue wins this game
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken)
CARSEN EDWARDS IS FEELING IT
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport)
Purdue's Carsen Edwards has been named the Most Outstanding Player of the South Regional, becoming the first player to win MOP honors despite not being a member of the winning team since Steph Curry of Davidson in 2008.
— David Worlock (@DavidWorlock)
Virginia controlled the boards
One of the reasons Virginia was able to stay in the game was because of how well they cleaned the offensive glass. The Cavaliers grabbed 17 offensive boards, and won the overall rebounding battle 39-31. The Cavaliers scored 18 points off second chances.
Virginia also notched four blocks and six steals and forced Purdue into 10 turnovers.
Guy, Jerome step-up
The top performers for Virginia were Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome.
Guy had 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Jerome tallied 24 points, seven assists and four rebounds. In overtime, the duo combined for four of Virginia’s eight points. To start the second half, Guy connected on a trio of three-pointers, which gave them a seven-point lead.
Kihei Clark put the game on ice by swishing a pair of free throws just before the overtime buzzer. Clark also dished the assist to Mamadi Diakite for his jumper with one second remaining that pushed the game into OT.
“We made bad history last year. We’re making great history this year.” — Kyle Guy
— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS)
(That’s gonna be perfect for the documentary.)
Final Four.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello)
Mitchell Northam is a graduate of Salisbury University. His work has been featured at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Orlando Sentinel, SB Nation, FanSided, USA Today and the Delmarva Daily Times. He grew up on Maryland's Eastern Shore and is now based in Durham, N.C.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.
