Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer Talk Motivation to Get Purdue Back to Final Four
Purdue guards Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer aren't simply satisfied by reaching the National Championship Game. After coming so close to bringing a title back to West Lafayette, the two juniors are eager to return to college basketball's biggest stage.
Both Smith and Loyer have experienced a lot of success in their first two seasons in West Lafayette. They've each started in all 74 games the Boilermakers have played in that span, winning two Big Ten regular season championships, a Big Ten Tournament title and reaching the program's first Final Four since 1980.
They've also experienced the lowest of lows. In 2023, Purdue became just the second No. 1 seed to loss to a No. 16 seed in NCAA Tournament history, falling to Fairleigh Dickinson in the opening round that year.
That failure provided motivation for Purdue to prove the doubters wrong. Now, after playing on the biggest stage, there's new fuel for Smith and Loyer to get back to the Final Four.
"I think just getting over that last step," Smith said in a sit-down interview with NBC analyst and former Boilermaker Robbie Hummel.
"Me and Fletch and some of these other guys — (Trey Kaufman-Renn) and Caleb (Furst) — who are older and have experienced all those things, we understand what it takes to get there. We've been through it, we've seen everything, we've seen every situation possible. I think understanding that and helping these younger guys get through that can get us there, as well."
There will be no breaks for Matt Painter's team in 2024-25. Along with a grueling Big Ten schedule, Purdue will play another daunting nonconference slate. The Boilers will play at least four opponents ranked in the Associated Press preseason poll: No. 2 Alabama (Nov. 15), No. 18 Marquette (Nov. 19), No. 13 Texas A&M (Dec. 14) and No. 11 Auburn (Dec. 21).
But it's not about the opponents on the schedule. Entering the 2024-25 season, Smith, Loyer and the rest of the Boilermakers are more concerned about themselves.
"I think we know how hard we've got to work now," Loyer said. "We knew how hard we pushed ourselves in practice last summer and leading into the fall. Just how focused you have to come each and every night, because you've got the target on your back and people want to get you. Just making sure that doesn't happen, make sure we're focused on ourselves."
Purdue's basketball season officially gets underway on Nov. 4, hosting Texas A&M Corpus-Christi at Mackey Arena. The Boilers will be chasing a third consecutive Big Ten regular season title.
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