How many men's Final Fours has Purdue made? Boilermakers March Madness history explained
The No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, the Purdue Boilermakers have enjoyed a relatively smooth ride to the Final Four in this year's NCAA Tournament.
They posted a convincing win over No. 16 seed Grambling in the opening round, then blew out No. 8 Utah State, upended No. 5 Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 and edged No. 2 Tennessee in the regional final.
Led by 7-foot-4 All-American Zach Edey, the Boilermakers have been at or near the top of the USA TODAY coaches poll all season long, including eight weeks at No. 1.
Here's a look at Purdue's history in the NCAA Tournament:
Where is Purdue located?
Purdue University, founded in 1869, is located in West Lafayette, Indiana.
FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA basketball bracket, scores, schedules, teams and more.
How many times has Purdue played in men's NCAA Tournament?
Purdue has participated in 35 NCAA Tournaments, with an overall record entering this year's Final Four of 48-34.
Has Purdue ever won NCAA title in men's basketball?
No. The closest Purdue has come to winning a national championship was in 1969, when star guard Rick Mount led the Boilermakers to a 23-5 overall record and a Big Ten title. They defeated Miami (Ohio) and Marquette in the NCAA Tournament regionals to advance to the Final Four in Louisville, Kentucky.
Purdue routed North Carolina 92-65 in the semifinals, but ran into John Wooden's UCLA buzzsaw in the championship game, losing 92-72. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 37 points and pulled down 20 rebounds to lead the Bruins to their third of seven consecutive NCAA titles.
Purdue's history in NCAA Tournament
Last season, Purdue became just the second team in men's NCAA Tournament history to be seeded No. 1 and lose to a No. 16 seed, falling to Fairleigh-Dickinson, 63-58.
Coach Matt Painter has been incredibly successful since taking over for Gene Keady in 2005, making 15 NCAA Tournament appearances in 19 seasons. But over that span, the Boilermakers have been bounced in the first round four times, losing as a No. 9 (Cincinnati in 2009), a No. 5 (Arkansas-Little Rock in 2010), a No. 4 (North Texas in 2021) and a No. 1.
Purdue also failed to advance out of the opening weekend in 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2012.
In addition, Purdue was a No. 1 seed three times under Keady (1988, 1994, 1996). Each time, the Boilermakers fell short of the Final Four.
How many men's Final Four appearances has Purdue made?
This is the Boilermakers' third trip to the men's Final Four.
They last reached the Final Four in 1980, when center Joe Barry Carroll led the No. 6-seeded Boilermakers to wins over LaSalle, St. John's, Indiana and Duke before suffering a 67-22 loss to UCLA in the national semifinals. Purdue did defeat Big Ten rival Iowa, 75-68, in the third-place game.
Purdue made the Final Four for the first time in school history in 1969.
Purdue all-time scoring leaders
- Zach Edey (2020-2024) 2,459 points
- Rick Mount (1967-1970) 2,323
- Joe Barry Carroll (1976-1980) 2,175
- E'Twaun Moore (2007-2011) 2,136
- Dave Schellhase (1963-1966) 2,074
Purdue first-team All-Americans
- John Wooden (1930, 1931, 1932)
- Stretch Murphy (1928, 1929, 1930)
- Zach Edey (2023, 2024)
- Rick Mount (1969, 1970)
- Terry Dischinger (1961, 1962)
- Jewell Young (1937, 1938)
- Dave Charters (1910, 1911)
- Caleb Swanigan (2017)
- JaJuan Johnson (2011)
- Glenn Robinson (1994)
- Joe Barry Carroll (1980)
- Dave Schellhase (1966)
- Bob Kessler (1936)
- Norman Cottom (1934)
- George Spradling (1926)
- Ray Miller (1922)
- Donald White (1921)
- Elmer Oliphant (1914)
- Larry Teeple (1913)
Purdue all-time coaching leaders
- Gene Keady: 512-270 (.655), 25 seasons
- Matt Painter: 446-202 (.688), 19 seasons
- Piggy Lambert: 371-152 (.709), 29 seasons
- Ray Eddy: 176-164 (.518), 15 seasons
- George King: 109-64 (.630), 7 seasons
