Final Four or Bust: A look at Purdue's last four Elite Eight trips

Purdue is looking to go someplace it hasn't gone since 1980: The Final Four. Beat No. 1 seed Virginia--8:49 p.m. ET tip-off on Saturday in Louisville, Ky.--in the Elite Eight, and the No. 3-seed Boilermakers will punch their ticket to the Final Four in the Minneapolis on April 6-8. It would be Purdue's third Final Four, as the Boilers played for the national title in 1969.

This is Purdue's first Elite Eight since 2000, when the No. 6 Boilermakers--coached by Gene Keady--were upset by No. 8 Wisconsin--coached by Dick Bennett. Ironically, Purdue will play a Virginia team tomorrow coached by Bennett's son, Tony. Dick Bennett and Keady both will attend the game tomorrow in Louisville.

George King had a go-go squad of Boilermakers that played fast and scored often on the way to the program’s first Big Ten title since 1940 with a 13-1 league mark. The leader? Rick Mount, a junior from Lebanon, Ind., who averaged 33.3 points and never met a shot he didn't like--much like Carsen Edwards.

Mount was firing away vs. Marquette in the Elite Eight in Madison, Wis. “The Rocket” tallied a team-high 26 points on 11-of-32 shooting in a 75-73 OT victory after Purdue had opened the NCAA tourney with a win vs. Miami (Ohio). Billy Keller (17) and Larry Weatherford (13) also were in double-figures for the Boilermakers in an era when teams weren’t seeded in the NCAA tournament, which had just 25 teams in 1969. George Thompson was the star for Marquette, scoring a game-high 28 points for coach Al McGuire.

The victory advanced the Boilermakers to their first Final Four, which in 1969 took place in Louisville, Ky., where the Boilers are playing now in the Elite Eight. Purdue keep on rolling once it arrived in Derby City for the Final Four, knocking off Dean Smith and North Carolina, 92-65, in one of the most impressive NCAA wins in Purdue annals.

But the Boilermakers couldn't get past former Purdue All-American guard and UCLA coach John Wooden in the title game, as the Bruins cruised to a 92-72 triumph to earn their fifth national title. The Boilermakers had no answer for towering Bruin big man Lew Alcindor, who scored 37 points with 20 rebounds for 29-1 UCLA. It was the Bruins’ third championship in a row in what would be a seven-season run of titles for the "Wizard of Westwood." Purdue hasn't been back to the national title game since.

Purdue sealed its second Final Four trip playing in iconic Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., as the No. 6 Boilermakers knocked off No. 4 Duke, 68-60, on the Kentucky Wildcats homecourt. Lee Rose’s squad beat No. 2 seed Indiana, 76-69, in the Sweet 16 to reach the Elite Eight, adding an extra dose of sweetness to the Boilermakers' NCAA run in 1980.

Purdue was led by senior Joe Barry Carroll’s 26 points vs. the Blue Devils. The 7-1 center from Denver hit 10-of-16 shots and also grabbed a team-high six rebounds. Carroll was one of three Boilermakers in double-figures, as Keith Edmonson had 12 points and Drake Morris tallied 10. Purdue trailed at the half, 30-28, before rallying with 40 second-half points. Purdue advanced to the Final Four, which was held in Market Square Arena in Indianapolis.

The Boilers’ season ended in the national semifinals with a 67-62 defeat to No. 8 UCLA, which was led by Kiki Vandeweghe and coached by Larry Brown. Purdue beat Iowa in the consolation game, 75-58, one of the final third-place games ever played. It also was the Hawkeyes’ last Final Four.

Interesting to note: This was the last Blue Devils team not coached by Mike Krzyzewski, as Bill Foster was in his sixth and final season as head coach in Durham. He would go on to coach Northwestern from 1986-93. Purdue finish 23-10 overall and 11-7 in the Big Ten, with Rose leaving for the South Florida job after just two seasons in West Lafayette. His replacement? Little-known Gene Keady of Western Kentucky. Carroll was the No. 1 pick in the 1980 draft.

Expectations were huge for the Boilermakers when the 1994 NCAA backet was announced. Gene Keady’s club was a No. 1 seed paced by national player of the year Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson, who led the program to the Big Ten title--the first of what would be a three-run run. Would this be the year Keady finally reached the Final Four after experiencing so much March heartache?

The Boilermakers rolled in the opening two rounds in Lexington, Ky., knocking off No. 16 UCF, 98-67, and No. 9 Alabama, 83-73. The set up a Sweet 16 date with No. 4 Kansas in Knoxville, Tenn. Purdue wouldn’t be denied, as Robinson had one of the greatest games in NCAA annals, scoring 44 points in an 83-78 triumph. Cuonzo Martin added 29 vs. a Jayhawk squad coached by Roy Williams. Beat No. 2 Duke in the Elite Eight, and it was off to the Final Four in Charlotte, N.C.

But the Boilers fell to the Blue Devils and Mike Krzyzewski, 69-60. Robinson had only 13 points on 6-of-22 shooting. Word is, the junior hurt his back wrestling in a hotel room with teammates after the KU win. Matt Waddell tried to pick up the slack, scoring a game-high 16 points. But it wasn’t enough. Duke star Grant Hill had just 11 points in his much-anticipated clash with Robinson. But Jeff Capel and Antonio Lang each tallied 19, while Cherokee Parks added 15. After the season, Robinson was off to the NBA a year early, where he was the No. 1 pick after leading the nation in scoring with a 30.3 average. And Purdue—29-5 overall, 14-4 Big Ten— was left wondering: What it? What if the Big Dog had not hurt his back?

This Elite Eight run is even more improbable than the current one. The Boilermakers finished 12-4 in the Big Ten and earned a No. 6 seed in the Big Dance. Expectations were modest for Purdue when the NCAA tourney began in Tucson, Ariz., vs. Dayton.

And things almost ended there, as the Boilers nipped the Flyers, 62-61. An impressive--and surprising--66-62 win vs. No. 3 Oklahoma followed. Suddenly, anything looked possible as upsets opened the bracket for the Boilermakers, who were on to the Sweet 16 for a third season in succession.

Up next was No. 10 Gonzaga, which was led by first-year coach Mark Few—still the Zags’ coach today. And Purdue rolled to a 75-66 triumph in Albuquerque, N.M., vs. Gonzaga. The only thing between the Boilermakers and the Final Four was No. 8 Wisconsin, which split with the Boilers during the season. Purdue was a two-point favorite. Finally, it looked like Gene Keady was going to reach college basketball’s promised land.

Nope.

The Boilers succumbed to the Dick Bennett and the methodical Badgers, 64-60. Jon Bryant led Wisconsin with 18 points, while Andy Kowske had 14. Wisconsin was one of the most pedestrian Final Four teams ever, finishing 8-8 in the Big Ten and 22-14 overall. Four Boilermakers were in double-figures, led by Carson Cunningham and Brian Cardinal (13 points apiece). But Purdue (24-10 overall) shot just 39 percent from the field and 30 percent from long range. This loss really stung, as the Final Four was being held in Indianapolis where Michigan State cut down the nets--the last time the Big Ten has won a national title. Purdue hasn't been back to the Elite Eight ... until now.

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