Last night, as I was sitting in the arena on my way to the national championship game after Purdue defeated North Carolina State, I ran into Casey Bartley of Boiler Upload. Casey and I originally bonded while writing here for Hammer and Rails. He jokingly asked if I had written anything sad about this moment. I hesitated and said I would write something like that in the middle of the night, just like I did after Purdue made the Elite 8. After that, I couldn't think of anything. Maybe this was different. I expected to win yesterday. I expected to win, but I thought NC State was losing. It didn't necessarily feel that way against Tennessee. That scared me. That Tennessee team had one of the best players in the country in Dalton Knecht. North Carolina State didn't have anyone at that level.
But now, as I sit all day thinking about tomorrow's national championship game, that feeling is flooding back. I'm an optimist by nature. I've always been like that. Part of me knew this day would come someday. We knew it was going to happen eventually, given the way Purdue is playing, the way Matt Painter has built this program, and the close games Purdue has had recently. In fact, Travis Miller, the former chief of staff here, and I made a bet in our lifetimes that Purdue would make the Final Four after Purdue lost to his FDU. Sometimes it's my job to convert non-believers. I say all this to point out that I'm not surprised that Purdue made the national championship game.
I've always believed in you, but now that you're here? I feel different. It's real. My nerves start to go crazy. I begin to remember my father, who never came to Phoenix and instead stayed at home in Lafayette watching over me. I wish he was here. I start thinking about my wife and her 3-year-old son who live in Maryland. My son isn't really interested in sports yet, but he says, “Boiler up!” For us. I wish they were here. I think of Larry Clisby, the voice of Purdue basketball. I wish he was here. I think of All-American Caleb Swanigan, the man who chose Purdue over Michigan State and made Purdue a destination for stars like himself. I wish he was here. I think of Ron Rhodes, one of the best guys I've ever known, and a guy from whom I learned a lot about life and fandom. He decided not to come to Phoenix and instead return to Indiana to watch the game. I wish he was here. I think of his three older brothers who couldn't keep things organized. I wish they were here. I think back to my best friend in the world, Matt Lake, and the conversations we've had over the years about Purdue sports and men's basketball in particular. I wish he was here. I want to watch this match with everyone I just named. There are many things in life that get in the way. Instead of watching with them, I would have to be content to text and live in the moment together, but it would be great if we could all do it together.
Hopefully we'll be on the court tomorrow celebrating Purdue's win two hours after tipoff. I hope you're watching the black and old gold confetti fall from the arena. We hope to see Zach Eady, Lance Jones, and head coach Matt Painter raise the National Championship trophy in the sky. they deserve this. There was a lot of accumulation to get to this point. It was heartbreaking for everyone. It's a huge loss on and off the court. Lance Jones lost his father before this season started and remembers that his father never got to see him play in a Purdue uniform or play in the NCAA Tournament. Probably. Tomorrow is his. Zach Eadie's parents have worked hard to see him, who lived in Canada, cross the border and compete in the United States. Tomorrow is for them. Matt Painter always talks about how being a coach can sometimes make you miserable and can affect those around you. All the sacrifices led to this match. This is for all those who have experienced ups and downs in the life of Coach His Painter.
There's always a chance Purdue loses tomorrow. In fact, if you pay attention to the oddsmakers, and I do, Purdue will be the underdog tomorrow. Purdue is expected to lose the game. If the worst happened tomorrow and Purdue ended up playing UW tomorrow, this Purdue team would have no reason to hang its head. It's been an amazing journey and Purdue has made us all proud. But if you watched this team game after game in the NCAA Tournament, you'd know they didn't come to Phoenix to lose. They've been business as usual after every win. They understand that the Final Four is never the goal. The goal was to win the national championship. This team is well prepared.
Purdue fans took over the Phoenix area. As I walked around Fan Fest at the convention center today, the Purdue fans in attendance dwarfed the rest of the field. Purdue will need them tomorrow to prepare for the most important game of the year. This game against UConn is the one everyone has wanted to see all year. The two best teams playing in the National Championship Game. It rarely happens due to the chaos of March, but it will happen tomorrow. It's all thanks to this site that I'm able to be there. It's solely your fault. Qualifying for the Final Four might be the highlight of my life covering Purdue sports. I don't know if I would go anywhere else from here. So I'm going to enjoy tomorrow, and I hope you do the same. I'd like to thank everyone at Hammer and Rails. You've given us an incredible network and an incredible network of fans and posters that have made all of this possible. So you, yes you reading this, I'm glad you're here with me. Enjoy this game and support your team. Win or lose, Purdue will be back here again. When that happens, I hope to be back here with you all again soon. And I hope that everyone who missed this time will be there with me.
Boiler up!!! Win the shitty game.