Purdue faces underdog N.C. State in March Madness matchup

It’s been 44 years since the Boilermakers were within two wins of a national championship.

Despite 35 appearances at the Big Dance and hailing from the huge hoops state of Indiana, where Indiana University has two national titles and Butler has been to the Final Four twice, the brass ring has been just a hair too high for Purdue.

Possibly until now. The team has been fueled by the NCAA men’s season-leading scorer, 7-foot, 4-inch Zach Edey, a monument under the basket.

This year, the Boilermakers have odds second only to UConn in the fight for men’s college basketball supremacy and are roughly 9-point favorites against North Carolina State on Saturday in Arizona. A win would be big, even in Indiana.

Sports journalist Mike Lopresti notes in a piece published by the NCAA that Purdue’s last Final Four appearance was eight presidents ago, a time when ESPN was new, a gallon of gas was $1, and a Big Mac was 28 cents.