Boilermakers Country

WATCH: Purdue Students Go Crazy in West Lafayette After Advancing to National Championship

Students at Purdue filled the streets in West Lafayette following the Boilermakers' 63-50 win over North Carolina State in the national championship. For the first time since 1969, Purdue will compete for a national title.

Dustin Schutte

People celebrate the Purdue Boilermakers NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four win, Saturday,
People celebrate the Purdue Boilermakers NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four win, Saturday, / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA

Purdue students are partying like it's 1969. On Saturday night, the Boilermakers advanced to the national championship after defeating North Carolina State 63-50 in the Final Four. It's the program's first trp to the title game since the days of Rick Mount.

There was certainly a party out in Phoenix, as Purdue gets the chance to win its first ever NCAA Tournament. But back in West Lafayette, the streets were rocking, as well.

Students flooded the streets in and around the Purdue University campus to celebrate the victory. A handful of videos surfaced on X late Saturday night.

Purdue's basketball team has come close to reaching the Final Four a handful of times, but has fallen short of that goal. The most recent disappointment came in 2019, when the Boilermakers lost an overtime game to Virginia in the Elite Eight.

Last year, the Boilermakers became the second No. 1 seed in history to lose to a No. 16 seed, falling to Fairliegh Dickinson in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. So, yeah, students in West Lafayette were partying pretty hard after Saturday night's big win to advance to the championship game.

Purdue is now just one win away from bringing a national championship home. If the Boilermakers win on Saturday night, can you imagine the party that awaits in West Lafayette?

It won't be an easy task. Purdue will play UConn in Monday night's championship game. It's a battle of two college basketball heavyweights, and should make for an incredibly entertaining conclusion to the season.

Related stories on Purdue basketball

  • UCONN OPENS AS FAVORITE: Monday's championship game between UConn and Purdue should be an excellent way to conclude the college basketball season. The Huskies enter the matchup as the favorite to win it all. CLICK HERE
  • TOM BREW COLUMN: Purdue point guards past and present — P.J. Thompson and Braden Smith — are practically attached at the hip. So when Smith is having rough night, Thompson, who's in charge of his player development, is always right there with the right things to say. CLICK HERE
  • WHAT MATT PAINTER, PURDUE PLAYERS SAID: Everything that coach Matt Painter and players Zach Edey, Lance Jones and Fletcher Loyer said folloiwng Purdue's 63-50 win over North Carolina State on Monday. CLICK HERE
  • PURDUE FANS GO CRAZY: Purdue fans attending the watch party at Mackey Arena on Saturday night went crazy as the final buzzer sounded. For the first time since 1969, the Boilermakers are playin in the national championship. CLICK HERE
  • EDEY MEETS SHAQ: After Purdue defeated North Carolina State in the Final Four, NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal waited to meet Boilermakers big man Zach Edey. CLICK HERE
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Dustin Schutte

DUSTIN SCHUTTE