Rants, ravings, and somewhat sensical opinions following the wild, wacky, and wide-wide world of Purdue sports.
I sat in the front lawn of a condo in Zionsville, IN, on Monday afternoon. 4 generations of my bloodline stared at the sky, filled with tenderloins from the friendliest of taverns, witnessing one of nature’s miracles in real time.
“A solar eclipse, the cosmic ballet goes on.”
-Leonard Nimoy
(via the Simpsons S4E2, Marge vs. The Monorail)
As the sun in central Indiana was blocked out, I had an opportunity to reflect on what a momentous day April 8th was. Staring into a dim crown surrounding the moon’s outline, I felt the coolness of the shadow cast across my home state. Dogs howled in the distance, neighbors a few houses down gasped in awe. I sat there thinking to myself, what a blessed life I have.
Beyond my imposing stature and often crass nature, I have a bit of a sentimental side which will flare up. And much like the sun’s rays on April 8th, I was glowing. I know how to enjoy a moment when it is happening, and there is no place that I would rather be, that Monday afternoon.
You see, I turned down an opportunity to cover the basketball games that weekend in Phoenix. It was a confluence of issues that held me back, in all honesty. Really though, the main draw was being able to hold my wife’s hand during the eclipse. To watch a final four basketball game with my son. To see my granny, my father, my sister and niece from across the country. All of us wearing our Purdue gear, just gazing up towards the heavens. What a time to be alive.
There is something addictive, exciting, to witnessing history in person. I sat courtside when Purdue won in the Elite 8, a cathartic event. It was one of the best days of my life, a high that I will probably chase for the rest of my time. There is a sliver of my soul that wishes that I could’ve been in Phoenix, but my soul, and my heart, needed to be back home again, in Indiana.
My cup overflowed on Monday. My heart, ever grateful, ever true. And speaking of my heart, I simply made a business decision.
My wife is a healthcare professional, and she knows CPR. Knowing the gravity of the situation, it probably would be important to watch these games alongside of her…
The Games:
#1 Purdue 63, #11 North Carolina State 50:
Prior to the game, the big story was how would Zach Edey be able to handle America’s Sweetheart, DJ Burns, and his large stature. Who would win the battle of the bigs? 2x NPOY Zach Edey, or Mr. Burns?
Zach Edey went for 20pts and 12 rebounds, DJ Burns went for 8 points and 1 rebound. That discrepancy is essentially how the totality of the game went. Purdue simply overshadowed NCST, leading by as much as 20 with less than 3 minutes to go.
Lance Jones scored 14 points, and Fletcher Loyer added 11. Purdue’s formula for success was there, Zach and two other players formed a BIG-3, and cruised to the national championship game.
#1 UConn 75, #1 Purdue 60:
History was going to happen one way or the other. Either UConn was going to repeat as National Champions, or Purdue was going to win their first modern NCAA championship in Men’s Basketball. The biggest Purdue MBB game since 1969 brought it all to this, the two best teams in the country, squaring off in the last game of the year.
Remember when I said Purdue needed the BIG-3 to win? Well…
Zach Edey was incredibly dominant scoring 37pts and hauling in 10 rebounds. Braden Smith scored 12 points, and dished out 8 assists. Everyone else on the Purdue roster, were stifled by the excellent Husky perimeter defense.
Meanwhile, UConn had 4 double digit scorers, and shortly into the second half, it became clear that Zach Edey’s herculean effort was not going to be enough to bring Purdue over the hump. UConn did what Purdue does (only better) by slowly, methodically plant consistent gut punch plays until the Boilermakers didn’t have a striker’s chance.
The UConn Huskies are an incredible team. Much respect to their players and their program. Their coach, Dan Hurley, might be a bit much with his sideline demeanor, but dammit, he wins. Good on him. Congratulations to the UConn Huskies, proving that they were absolutely the best team in the nation in 2024.
Break It Down:
I am so incredibly proud of this Purdue Basketball team. From the head coach and assistants, the starters and subs, the managers, the support staff, and the fans. Everyone who made this team go, thank you for the memories, and the most fun 6+ months of basketball that I can remember.
Matt Painter has done everything right. He has gone out of his way to be honest, forthright, never compromising his ethics for competitive advantage. He is absolutely someone who deserves the big one, but he’s going to have to wait a little bit longer.
Purdue was a great team this year. They won more games than most of the Big Ten played. They reached heights that Purdue basketball hasn’t reached since the 1960s, and broke the glass ceiling that the Boilermakers couldn’t break since 1980. Purdue has gotten a lot of flack for some past performances in the NCAA tournament, but not his year. They showed what we know they are capable of, deep runs in the Big Dance, and giving themselves the chance to win a national championship.
Over the past 7 years, Purdue has:
- Became the first Big Ten Team to ever be ranked #1 in three consecutive seasons.
- Played in 5 Sweet 16s
- Played in 2 Elite 8s
- 1 Final Four
- 1 National Runner Up
- Have won 4 Big 10 Championships
- Won 1 Big Ten Tournament
There is a ton to be proud of, Purdue. Be proud of what our boys have accomplished. With the recruiting classes coming in, and Purdue returning some great contributors, the Boilermakers are just scratching the surface of their future potential.
One More Thing:
An interesting dynamic on social media pops up fairly regularly after Purdue loses. Monday was no different. A certain school down south has piped up following Monday’s loss. Funny, they have been pretty quiet for the greater part of the last few weeks…
Pay them no attention. They are not arguing from a position of power, they are trolling from a position of weakness. Do not let anyone discount what the Boilermakers have accomplished this year. Purdue is the second best team in the nation. That is incredible.
It is funny, since the game went final, I have gotten plenty of gracious texts. Mostly from fellow Purdue fans, but many from rival Big Ten fans. I’ve gotten messages from Indiana fans, Illinois fans, Iowa fans, Alabama fans… On the whole they understand how difficult it is to do what Purdue did this year, and how heartbreaking of a way for the season to end.
Not all of the messages have been pleasant. I’ve got the following text messages in the waning moments (or just after the final horn). These are more casual fans, who either don’t understand the sport or are trying to actively hurt:
- BANNERZZ LOL
- You still lost. You failed.
- (Various laughing emojis)
- Purdue is known for failure. So this is on par.
- Hahaha Purdue Sucks.
- Fire Painter
- 5>0
There were plenty of others. I am not even a trash talker, but I wear my Purdue fandom on my sleeve. I guess that makes me a pretty easy target.
Do not throw pearls to those of you who can’t appreciate what happened this season. Roll your eyes at them. Ignore them. Tell them off. I don’t care. Do not let casual people belittle or shrink the accomplishments of the 2023-2024 season. Their ignorance is their problem.
I don’t care if it is a family member, a coworker, your boss, some troll online, some celebrity pundit, a Supreme Court Justice, a 4 Star General, President Biden… however you wish to respond, go for it. Or don’t. I’m not your father. The bottom line is, there are people who are deliberately trying to discount this season, who are deliberately attempting to pick at your wounds, deliberately trying to make it hurt more. Screw em, but laugh at them at the same time.
Every program in the nation, with the exception of UConn, would trade places with Purdue in a heartbeat! Love it!
A Look Ahead:
Purdue looks to rebuild after losing some key pieces. 2 time NPOY Zach Edey will move on to the NBA. As of the writing of this article, both Ethan Morton and Mason Gillis have both entered their name into the transfer portal. There could be more to follow, I do not wish to speculate.
Purdue is bringing in one of the best recruiting classes in the nation next year. Unfortunately, however, the Boilermakers are oversigned by one scholarship for next year. I am absolutely not in the know of any wheelings/dealings behind the scenes in the program. All I know for sure is as of this writing, Purdue needs one more open scholarship.
It could be theorized that Purdue should expect one of the following to happen:
- A third transfer from the program.
- A current player to retire/forfeit their scholarship.
- A current signee to play in prep-school next season.
- A restructuring of a scholarship to an NIL fueled reimbursement package.
We will see how that fleshes out. Many early prognostications for the 2024-25 season show Purdue still being highly ranked (some as high as top 10) to start the season. There are a lot of things that can happen going forward. We will see!
Thank You:
This is the final Water Cooler Chat of the 2023-24 Purdue sports calendar. I want to thank Indiana Sports Coverage for allowing me a platform to post my ramblings week in and week out. The friendships that I have gained through ISC and these columns will stick with me for a lifetime.
I want to extend my greatest thanks to the Purdue Athletic Department. They have graciously worked with ISC over the past few years, granting us opportunities to cover the games, take pictures, and generally give the Boilermaker fans access to their favorite events. Purdue Athletics continues to be the best in the business, and on the cutting edge in the NCAA. Thank you for another great year of working together, and looking forward to many more in the future.
I want to thank my family and friends who allow me to be a maniac from August through April. Especially my wife and dog, who have had to bear the brunt of my “excitement” on random weekdays in January. I know that I have worn thin on them more than once.
Finally, I want to send a very heartfelt thank you to all of the readers who digeest these silly columns of mine. For everyone who interacts with us on social media. For everyone who recognizes my ugly mug out there in the wild and wants to talk Purdue sports. I have genuinely loved meeting every one of my readers, hopefully many more next year. I do this because I love Purdue and I get a kick out of bringing my skewed viewpoint to you folks, however far off base I am. Thank you all!
I am excited for everything that is coming in the future! See you in August!
Ever grateful. Ever True. Boiler Up. Hammer Down. God Bless.
For more content like this follow @ISC_Purdue on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. For a deeper look into the mad mind of Ben Kolodzinski, follow him at @BRKolo on Twitter. WARNING: Viewer’s discretion is advised…
