Purdue Hungry For Redemption After Back-To-Back Early NCAA Tournament Exits


Purdue has lost overtime games in the first round of the previous two NCAA Tournaments, experiences the Boilermakers are trying to use as positives against Vermont and its 21-game winning streak.


MILWAUKEE — Suffering heartbreak in the NCAA Tournament is something that sticks with players throughout a lifetime. For Purdue, it’s happened twice in consecutive years.

Dwelling on those tough defeats won’t help the fourth-seeded Boilermakers on Thursday in Milwaukee when they take on No. 13 seed Vermont, which enters the Tournament as the hottest team in the country.

“I think what we’ve gone through in the past can definitely help us,” junior guard P.J. Thompson said. We’ve been here two years in a row, you kind of know what the Tournament is like. The crowd can start going against you if you’re the higher seed.”

That was the case last year, when the fifth-seeded Boilermakers lost to No. 12 seed Little Rock 85-83 in double overtime. Purdue held a 13-point lead with 3:33 remaining in regulation before Little Rock forced OT when it sank a prayer from near half-court. It never led again and lost in double-overtime.

Purdue Boilermakers big men Caleb Swanigan (50) and Isaac Haas (44) practice for their first-round game of the NCAA Tournament at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

“It’s something we’ve had in the back of our minds – until now,” said Big Ten Player of the Year Caleb Swanigan, who is tied for the national lead with 26 double-doubles.

The previous year, the No. 9 seed Boilermakers led eighth-seeded Cincinnati by seven with 48 seconds left in regulation. The Bearcats hit a layup as time expired before beating Purdue 66-65 in overtime.

Washington and Dakota Mathias experienced both defeats, while Swanigan is only a sophomore. Mathias believes those losses can end up being a positive as the Boilermakers prepare for Thursday.

“Any loss is going to motivate you, but especially when you end you season like that, it hurts a little more,” Mathias said.

Avoiding another loss to a double-digit seed won’t be easy. Vermont hasn’t lost since Dec. 21, when it suffered a 12-point defeat at Butler, which also is in Milwaukee this week as a No. 4 seed in the South Region.

Purdue crushed the Catamounts 107-79 at home last season as Swanigan went for 14 points and 13 rebounds, but coach Matt Painter doesn’t believe that victory means anything in terms of this matchup, especially with the stakes much higher.

Vermont also didn’t have standout freshman Anthony Lamb, a 6-foot-6 forward who is averaging team highs of 12.6 points and 5.4 rebounds. Guard Trae Bell-Haynes played in the previous matchup and finished with 17 points and seven assists, and he’ll attack the rim as often as possible.

Swanigan and 7-footer Isaac Haas will be responsible for cutting off those drives and help Purdue use its distinct height as an advantage. But the Catamounts haven’t faltered recently despite being smaller than most teams, and if they hang around too long, Purdue could be in trouble.

And that’s something Painter and his Boilermakers will try to avoid this time around after two straight years of bowing out of the NCAA Tournament far earlier than they expected.

“We’ve got to be one possession better than the past two years,” Painter said. “You work so hard to get to this spot, and it’s disappointing when you put yourself in position to win and you don’t.

“The only thing you can do is fight like hell to get back here. We’ve done that.”

MORE: Minnesota Turnaround Leads To NCAA Tournament – And Back To Being An Underdog