Purdue almost chokes, but Carsen Edwards bails out Boilers to reach Elite 8

The Purdue Boilermakers nearly crumbled against second-seeded Tennessee, but their heart, and Ryan Cline and Carson Edwards, led the way.

For most of the game, it seemed as if the Purdue Boilermakers would make easy work of the second-seeded Tennessee Volunteers. Then, they went cold, and Tennessee was on the threshold of penning an embarrassing and epic collapse on Purdue who blew an 18-point second-half lead.

After Tennessee took a late lead, Purdue battled back behind Ryan Cline who had 27 points and drained seven 3’s, and Carson Edwards who had 25, including the game-tying free throws in the final seconds to force overtime, and eventually the Boilers first Elite 8 appearance since 2000. Purdue won 99-94 in what may be the best game of the NCAA Tournament thus far.

Cline became a flamethrower from deep, hitting timely three-pointers to keep the desperate Vols from extending their lead. Then, Edwards took over, getting fouled on a three-point attempt that tied the game and then making timely shots on overtime to finally send the Vols back to Knoxville and keeping the Boilermakers dancing in Louisville.

Speaking of Edwards, this kid may be one of the best players in college basketball that few have talked about. The 6-1 junior from Atascocita, Texas has had a career year, averaging 23.6 points per outing. He’s stepped up his performance in the Tournament, averaging over 30 points per contest, a run we haven’t seen since Stephen Curry went on that epic scoring exhibition with Davidson 11 years ago.

If it wasn’t for Zion Williamson soaking up the press, we’d more-likely-than-not, will be talking about Edward’s dominating run through the Tournament. His play, though is part of the revitalization of Purdue basketball.

To think, just seven years prior, this team was a mess. Now, they’re heading to the Elite 8 with a chance to get to the Final Four on the strength of an elite offense. They may have survived a near-collapse, but they’re still dancing, and that should strike fear in their future opponents.