Fired up Zach Edey going NSFW after Purdue advances to Final Four

A year after losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed, Purdue has exorcised those demons by reaching the 2024 Final Four. In the post-game interview on the television broadcast, the Boilermaker's star center, Zach Edey was understandably emotional.

"They thought they knew us, man," Edey said. "They thought they knew what we had in our hearts. I promise you, they didn't. We're [expletive] winners, it's what we do."

Whether Edey was talking specifically about Tennessee or whether he was talking about the college basketball world in general is unknown. Given his emotional reaction, one might think the latter is true given how many people around the nation have discounted the Boilermakers since last season's shocking loss to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson to open the tournament.

All season, it has seemed like Purdue has been on a revenge tour. They managed to go 28-3 in the regular season to claim the Big Ten regular-season title.

However, after falling to Wisconsin in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament, people again started to doubt Purdue's postseason chops. The Boilermakers have put an end to those doubts in the Big Dance, though.

They won their first three games of the NCAA Tournament by 26.3 points per game before dispatching No. 2 seed Tennessee 72-66 in the Elite 8 to reach the school's first Final Four in 40 years. Along the way, they not only validated their status as a college basketball powerhouse but they also validated their head coach, Matt Painter, whose career had been marred by repeated postseason disappointments before Sunday's win.

The 7-foot-4 Edey has also seen his share of criticism. Detractors say he is officiated differently than the other players on the court and that he is only effective because of his height advantage.

Whatever the reason may be, he's been dominant during March Madness. He's averaging 30 points and 16.2 rebounds per game through four contests.

Along the way, he and his teammates are proving that they are no longer just college basketball pretenders but that they are a force to be reckoned with. Now, Edey and Purdue will have the chance to prove they are the ultimate winners and it seems as if the big man is bound and determined to do just that.