Matt Painter Reflects on Favorite Moment From Purdue's Final Four Run

Purdue enjoyed several great moments during the 2023-24 college basketball season. Which was the most memorable for coach Matt Painter? He says beating Tennessee and earning a trip to the Final Four stands out above the rest.

Purdue coach Matt Painter holds up the 2024 NCAA men's tournament Midwest Regional trophy after / Grace Hollars / USA TODAY NETWORK

Purdue's 2023-24 basketball season came with plenty of memorable moments. But for coach Matt Painter, the Elite Eight win over Tennessee to reach the Final Four for the first time since 1980 stands out among the rest.

This week, Painter joined Big Ten Network's Andy Katz to recap Purdue's basketball season. The Boilermakers finished with a 34-5 record, won the Big Ten regular season championship and earned their first trip to a national championship game since 1969.

Katz asked Painter about his favorite moment from the season. He longtime coach of the Boilermakers didn't hestitate to answer the question.

"I would say the Tennessee win. I thought Zach (Edey's) will was big time, obviously going to him a lot," Painter said. "It was probably the most physical game I've ever been a part of in college basketball. Obviously, (Tennessee) was well coached."

Edey finished the Elite Eight game with 40 points and 16 rebounds. He also came up with a big block on Tennessee's Dalton Knecht late in the game, helping seal a 72-66 win in Detroit to reach the Final Four.

Painter said something that stood out to him was the emotion he saw in the crowd after Purdue clinched a spot in the Final Four. After a 44-year drought, there were a lot of watery eyes inside the building.

"Obviously, the emotion, right? To be able to go to a Final Four, to see grown men wearing their Purdue colors, crying in the stands — heck everybody was crying," Painter said.

"It was a long haul, man. From losing to Fairleigh Dickinson in the tournament (last year) and for us to be able to sit in it and not run from it, and then able to achieve that. It was just a great honor, not just for our players and coaches, but for our fans and our entire institution."

Purdue's run didn't end after a Final Four berth. The Boilers then defeated North Carolina State to reach the national championship. But Painter's team didn't have quite the firepower, falling 75-60 to UConn, which claimed back-to-back titles.

Although Purdue didn't win the national title, Painter was extremely proud of everything his team accomplished last year.

"Just proud of our guys. We worked really hard and put ourselves in a great position," he said. "Came up one game short, but we still had a great run and just happy for our whole team but really happy for our seniors."

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