WATCH: Purdue Shares Matt Painter's Postgame Locker Room Speech After Championship
Purdue experienced some serious heartbreak on Monday night. The Boilermakers enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in program history, but came up one win short of bringing a national championship back to West Lafayette. Even though things didn't quite end the way Purdue had hoped, coach Matt Painter wanted every player to leave Phoenix with his head held high.
Following Purdue's 75-60 loss to UConn on Monday night, the program's social media team shared a video of Painter's locker room speech. And, if we're being honest, you might want to have a box of tissues near.
Painter talked about how this year's team raised the bar for the program and about how each player left everything on the floor. He was appreciative of the sacrifices made by guys like Mason Gillis, Ethan Morton and Caleb Furst.
Words don't do this video justice, so we'll let you enjoy the three-minute postgame speech from Painter on your own.
If you say anything about us this year, just say we left it all on the floor every time. pic.twitter.com/jVmqiw2xGz
— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) April 9, 2024
Purdue concluded the 2023-24 campaign with a 34-5 record. The Boilers were Big Ten regular season champions for a second consecutive season. It was also the first time the program reached the Final Four since 1980 and the first national championship appearance since 1969.
Without question, everyone inside Purdue's locker room wanted to bring a national championship trophy home. Even though it didn't quite happen, this year will be remembered for a long, long time as one of the most fun, enjoyable and exciting runs in the program's illustrious basketball history.
Related stories on Purdue basketball
- DAVIS CALLS EDEY THE GOAT: Former Purdue star and current Big Ten Network analyst Rapheal Davis says Zach Edey is the best player ever to wear a Boilermakers uniform. He says the 7-foot-4 center passed Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson for that distinction. CLICK HERE
- TOM BREW COLUMN: Once again, Zach Edey was phenomenal, scoring 37 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking two shots for the Boilermakers on Monday night. But he didn't get enough help from his supporting cast for Purdue to win a national title. CLICK HERE
- GENE KEADY GOES ALL IN FOR CHAMPIONSHIP: Legendary Purdue coach Gene Keady went all in for the national championship, having a "P" put in his hair for the Boilermakers' showdown with UConn on Monday night. CLICK HERE
- WHAT ZACH EDEY, BRADEN SMITH SAID: Zach Edey scored 37 points and Braden Smith added 12, but it wasn't enough to get a victory over UConn. Here's what the Purdue stars said following their 75-60 loss to the Huskies on Monday night. CLICK HERE
