Purdue had just unexpectedly fallen in the Big Ten Tournament last week and Braden Smith sat alongside star Zach Edey and coach Matt Painter to meet with reporters.
It took three questions to conjure up the specter of March Madness: the Boilermakers' improbable loss as a No. 1 seed to 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson in last year's NCAA Tournament.
“I don't think we're really worried about what happened last year,” Smith said matter-of-factly.
NO. 1 PURDUE, NO. 2 HOUSTON FALTER IN MASSIVE COLLEGE BASKETBALL DISRUPTION
Yes, Purdue has looked like a title contender all season and owns another first-place finish as the NCAA begins this week. However, a bad night at the worst possible time looms for a program that has had multiple stumbles in March Madness.
Only one other program knows that ignominy: Virginia, which fell to UMBC in the first 16-on-1 upset in 2018. However, those Cavaliers regrouped to win the national championship the following season, offering a roadmap for the potential path of The Boilermakers. to redemption and proof that it can be done.
“'They weren't the first to do it, so it's not the worst thing in the world, it's the second worst thing in the world,” said former Virginia star Ty Jerome, now with the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. “Going through it together and recovering together… it will definitely make you stronger. I hope you talked about it.
Virginia head coach Tony Bennett, center, celebrates with guard Ty Jerome, left, after the championship game against Texas Tech in the NCAA college basketball Final Four tournament on April 8, 2019 , in Minneapolis. Virginia fell to UMBC in the first 16-on-1 upset in 2018. The Boilermakers now find themselves in the same position as the Cavaliers entering the 2019 tournament. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
“That's the best way to move forward: accept it, talk about it and let it drive you.”
Like Virginia five years ago, Purdue has heard constant questions, references and ridicule. In preseason. Between victories and defeats. They will increase in intensity this week; That's what happens when you're on the wrong side of a 150-2 all-time balance of No. 1 seeds against No. 16 seeds.
“Every stadium we went to, we heard chants of 'FDU! FDU!' the whole game,” reserve forward Camden Heide said, “so we've been hearing it since we lost.”
But the time has come, the opportunity to end it all. The Boilermakers (29-4) lead the Midwest region, led by a reigning national player of the year, the 7-foot-4 Edey, who was named a unanimous Associated Press first-team All-American for the second consecutive season on Tuesday . .
However, Friday's first-round matchup against another No. 16 seed in Grambling State also feels like returning to the scene of a crime for a program facing long-standing pressure to reach its first Final Four since 1980. Illustrates why the Boilermakers' challenge differs from that. from the tournament's first overall seed and reigning national champion Connecticut, or from top regional favorites Houston and North Carolina with recent trips to the Final Four.
“We've embraced it for 12 months,” Painter said, adding: “A lot of times, that's the best medicine: being able to sit through that adversity. But you can't fix something if you don't own it. And I think from the standpoint of the personal, we own it and our players own it.
The parallels with Virginia are strong. Both opened the next few seasons highly ranked and won major early-season tournaments (Purdue with the Maui Invitational, Virginia with the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas).
Each won their conference regular-season race (Virginia tied UNC in the Atlantic Coast Conference) before losing in the semifinal in the league tournament. They entered the NCAA tournament with 1 berth and a total of 29 wins.
They also carried the burden of recent postseason losses beyond the most incomprehensible surprises. And there was something deeper: the chill that occurs when a Final Four dream collapses in the opening game, considered a formality for title contenders. Virginia coach Tony Bennett recalled hearing that Purdue was in trouble last March.
“I turned on the channel and someone said, 'Uh-oh, it could happen again,'” Bennett told the AP. “And I remember saying, 'Please, no. I hope that doesn't happen to them.'”
When he did, Bennett texted Painter.
“Matt is one of the best coaches we have in the college game, he is a man of character,” Bennett said. “And not many can say except me: I've felt that pain… So I just wanted to say, 'If you ever want to talk, I'm here. I think about you a lot and hopefully your story is the same as ours.' '”.
For Bennett, that story began with trying to rebuild his players' trust. He told them that everyone (family, friends, critics) would watch his response and that they had the opportunity to weave their own incredible comeback story.
Still, UMBC's wound was slow to heal.
Eventual Final Four Most Outstanding Player Kyle Guy spoke openly about battling anxiety and shared that the team heard death threats. Jerome described “shock and trauma” upon returning to the team hotel, and that sitting with the shame was “like hitting rock bottom.”
“I couldn't tell you two weeks, I couldn't tell you two years because, to be honest, we all dealt with it in different ways until we won the next year,” Jerome told the AP.
“I know, it definitely motivated me, but it was on my mind all summer,” he added. “It was hard to relax. It was hard to enjoy other areas of life. And the next season, you hear it everywhere you go. And even though we were dominant all season, you're almost faced with the thought of: How much does the regular make? Does it matter? season? Do you want to get back on the court and get revenge for last year?
DeAndre Hunter, who missed the UMBC game with an injury and is now with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, remembers talking to Jerome immediately afterward about coming back to win the title.
“It just comes from within,” Hunter said. “Everyone's going to be depressed. Everyone's going to be thinking about that game you lost. That's how it was for us. That's all people talked about all year. It didn't matter how we did throughout the year.”
Virginia finally got her storybook ending, but not without white-knuckle vibes. The Cavaliers again played tight against 16th-seeded Gardner-Webb and trailed by 14 in the first half, sparking their own uh-oh moment that both Jerome and Hunter referenced when talking about 2019.
Virginia came out of halftime on a 14-2 run to take control, earning the routine victory that wasn't 12 months ago.
“I think once we got over that hurdle… we felt like we weren't going to lose,” Hunter said.
There was the regional final against, coincidentally, Purdue. The Cavaliers survived Carsen Edwards torching their vaunted defense for 42 points and needing Kihei Clark's tag to Mamadi Diakite to force overtime before advancing.
In the Final Four, Virginia edged Auburn 63-62 when Guy made three free throws with 0.6 seconds left after being fouled on a 3-pointer. The Cavaliers completed the run using Hunter's corner 3 with 12.9 seconds left to force overtime before beating Texas Tech for the title.
That night in Minneapolis, they cut down the nets and danced among confetti falling from the rafters in what seemed both festive and cathartic. They alternated between big smiles and mesmerized glances at the video boards as the highlight montage of “One Shining Moment,” which is a tradition at finals tournaments, began to play.
Bennett savored the scene from the back, leaning against a railing at the edge of the stage while holding a cut net.
Jerome said he viewed Bennett as the perfect coach to lead the Cavaliers through adversity and achieve what CBS announcer Jim Nantz proclaimed as a “historic title turnaround.” He sees similarities with Painter.
As for advice, Hunter suggested the Boilermakers remember “all the naysayers” with the goal of proving them wrong. Jerome said they should “double down on what they believe and what got them there, and be in the moment as much as possible.”
“It's a one-game elimination and you guys are the better team,” Jerome said. “You can't play hard.”
He then offered an endorsement.
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“Purdue is my champion this year, in my category,” he said even before the field was set.
Now it's up to the Boilermakers to follow the Cavaliers' path through that desert.
“Yeah, we're trying to prove ourselves from last year because we shouldn't have lost to FDU,” forward Mason Gillis said. “But we know we can't change that. The only thing we can do is go out and play the best we can every game from now on.”
