PHOENIX — The Purdue Boilermakers arrived at the team's hotel in Phoenix Tuesday evening in advance of a Final Four matchup against NC State this weekend.
The Boilermakers have advanced behind big man Zach Edey, who dropped 40 points in his last game to help eliminate Tennessee. The 7-foot, 4-inch, 300-pound Edey and his strong supporting cast will face a Wolfpack team that has a standout big man of its own, 6-foot, 9-inch D.J. Burns.
At the hotel Tuesday, Purdue coach Matt Painter said Wednesday would be a day off from practice and that the team would focus on reviewing film in the hours leading up to this weekend's game.
"From playing on Sunday, we took off Monday, we practiced today and then we'll take it, we actually take off tomorrow. I don't like going three days in a row before we play, especially at the end of the season, so we'll just watch a lot of film and kind of get ready for our, our practices on Thursday and Friday," said Painter.
Painter said game preparation this postseason was aided by having had some familiarity with the teams.
"We played Tennessee and Gonzaga our last two games and we played them in the Maui Invitational," Painter said. "We've played Tennessee in the NCAA tournament. We played Gonzaga the previous year in the PK85, so we were both familiar with each other. We've actually played NC State a couple of years ago in Brooklyn and they have a, maybe a guy, maybe two guys from that team. I think just one guy still playing from that team. Maybe I'm wrong. So just trying to get familiar with N.C. State but also, no different than any team here, keep your focus on your own team or anything like that."
Painter was asked if the team's struggles in the tournament over the last few years added extra fire for the players this year.
"Just a purpose, and it wasn't something that... when we got beat like we weren't prepared or we weren't trying, you know," Painter said. "Obviously there's another team there and you have to give respect to that other team, but yeah, there's no doubt when you say you have that adversity and you have to face that adversity. And I think that's something that we really talked about throughout the year is not getting away from that... sometimes when people say derogatory things about you, it upsets you, but when it's true, make some adjustments to that and, and we really didn't change our conviction in terms of how we played. We just had to be better and we added some pieces and guys have improved and, we were an average 3-point shooting team last year and this year we're the best team in the country."
Senior guard Lance Jones said he's still trying to take it all in.
"I still can't really wrap my head around the feelings. I feel like it's happened so fast, but I'm soaking it all in at the same time," Jones said.
Jones added he and the team had made an conscious effort to keep focus.
"I think we've done a good job of just blocking out the outside noise. I know a handful of us have deleted certain social medias so we wouldn't get distracted with that outside noise and I think we've done a good job of just staying levelheaded," he said. "We haven't got too high or too low, and I think that's what's helped us so far."
Sophomore guard Braden Smith said he was excited for the team's tournament success so far.
"We're super glad to be here and it's just something we've worked for, so it's just a part of the journey and it's an unbelievable experience," Smith said. "I think we're still caught up in the moment, or at least I am. I didn't really understand the celebration after we won the last game. I was just like, 'Hey, we got another game next week' and then a one following after that, hopefully, so I think it's just in the moment."
Sophomore guard Fletcher Loyer said he was looking forward to playing in front of the large crowd.
"Yeah, it's awesome. It's what you work for. You play to play in front of a lot of fans. A lot of Purdue people making the trip out, it's going to be a lot of fun and just excited to go out there with the guys and enjoy this moment," he said.
Loyer said the team has celebrated its recent wins and has enjoyed the reception from excited fans, but there is still work to be done.
"Yeah, it's been a lot of smiles, a lot of people congratulating us but I think everybody knows that we didn't come here to make the Final Four. We came here to win the whole thing and I think us being ready to go, everyone being enjoying this moment, but also us knowing it's a business trip," said Loyer.
Purdue's game vs NC State tips off at 6:09 p.m. ET Saturday.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)