What is the farthest Purdue has gone in the NCAA Tournament?

There is not a single player who is more dominant right now in College Basketball than Zach Edey. Sure, his game might not translate at an elite level to the NBA, but Edey has been an unstoppable force throughout his career with the Purdue Boilermakers. What's even scarier for the opposition is he might be at his absolute best right now.

The 7-4 senior set a career-high this season scoring 24.6 points per game in 31.4 minutes. He did so while shooting 62.4 percent from the field, a respectable enough 71.4 percent from the free-throw line, and while grabbing over 12 rebounds per game. Not only has his dominance carried over to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, but Edey has stepped his game up leading Purdue to three dominant wins.

Despite suffering the worst loss in March Madness history, the Boilermakers were given a No. 1 seed for a second consecutive season. This time, though, they showed why. Their three dominant wins over No. 16 Grambling State, No. 8 Utah State, and No. 5 Gonzaga have set the stage for them to face off against No. 2 Tennessee in the Elite Eight.

What is the farthest Purdue has gone in the NCAA Tournament?

This will be Purdue's sixth appearance in the Elite Eight. The last time they were there was back in 2019, when the Boilermakers lost a close game to No. 1 Virginia. They happen to have defeated No. 2 Tennessee to advance to the Elite Eight, which is fitting as these two teams meet once again.

Of their six appearances in the Elite Eight, Purdue has only won twice to advance to the Final Four. The last time they won an Elite Eight matchup was back in 1980, but they'd lose to UCLA in the Final Four.

To find the furthest that the Boilermakers have gone, you'd have to flashback all the way to 1969. A blowout victory against UNC allowed the Boilermakers to punch their ticket to the National Championship Game, but they lost that game to UCLA. Purdue was as close as they possibly could've been to winning a National Championship, but just couldn't seal the deal. They hope that this season is different.