INDIANAPOLIS — Purdue alum Brandon Lewis remembers what it was like to watch Purdue play in the NCAA tournament and hear fans groan, instead of cheer.
“When I was at Purdue, we lost every single year in the tournament, early on,” Lewis recalled.
That’s not the case for Boilermaker fans this year.
There’s been no shortage of cheering and Friday’s game was no exception. Purdue fans like Lewis gathered at Brothers in downtown Indianapolis to watch Purdue take on Gonzaga in the Sweet 16.
“We’ve never seen anything like it before, so we’re just ready for them to go, hopefully, all the way to the end,” said Zoe Malavenda, who sat at the same table as Lewis, along with other Purdue alumni. All of them are true believers in the Boilermakers getting the job done this year.
“I think Purdue has what it takes to really take it home,” said Cameron Brooks.
“We’re already proving ourselves more this season, so I think we got it in the bag,” added Liam Hammond.
After Friday’s game, Purdue fans say their pride in watching this year’s team advance to the next round goes far beyond what they put up on the scoreboard.
“This is a very special team. They’ve got a bunch of great guys. We just love cheering them on and we just know it’s one step at a time and we’re just crossing our fingers that they make it all the way,” said Kristin and Tannah Benware.
Purdue will play Tennessee Sunday in Detroit.