It was only a year ago that Purdue became the second 1-seed in NCAA history to fall in the First Round to a 16-seed. Now, the Boilermakers will play for the title after a wire-to-wire win over NC State in the Final Four on Saturday.
Purdue was +650 to win the championship entering the weekend, and it will face either UConn (+400) or Alabama (+3500) for the right to cut down the nets Monday.
The Boilermakers easily handled the competition in their march to the championship game, covering the spread as favorites in each contest. They beat Grambling State 78-50 as 27-point favorites, Utah State 106-67 as 9.5-point favorites, Gonzaga 80-68 as 4.5-point favorites and Tennessee 72-66 as 3.5-point favorites on their way to the Final Four.
Purdue made it five straight covers Saturday, ending the Cinderella story of the tournament by beating NC State 63-50 as a 9.5-point favorite.
Perhaps that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering their tournament success under head coach Matt Painter. The Boilermakers are now 23-13 against the spread in the NCAA Tournament since Painter took over in 2005 after beating NC State. Painter has turned a 23.4% return on investment over that span, making him the fourth-most profitable coach of all 353 who’ve led teams in the Big Dance.
The big question now is if Purdue can continue that success in the most important game in school history. It is playing for the title for the first time since 1969 and is looking to become the first team from the Big Ten to win it all since Michigan State in 2000.
It’s been quite the turnaround considering the embarrassing nature in which the Boilermakers flamed out last March. However, for what it’s worth, the only other 1-seed to fall to a 16-seed in NCAA history won it all the following year as Virginia cut down the nets five years ago.
