LOUISVILLE — When the smoke finally cleared at the Yum! Center the Virginia Cavaliers were walking out of the joint with their tickets punched to go to The Final Four in Minneapolis. They knocked off the Purdue Boilermakers 80-75 in overtime. It was a Battle Royale for the ages. We literally watched the entire Virginia squad versus Carsen Edwards who led all scorers with 42 points and no other Boilermaker had double figures.
Ryan Cline jumped out of the ride and drained the first three of the night picking up where he left off from Thursday night. Then Carsen Edwards had to let everybody know that he was in the building too as he drained two 3-pointers in a row.
However, the Cavaliers weren’t afraid as they put up quick buckets with Kyle Guy knocking down the three as well. At the first timeout it was Purdue up 11-8 at the 15:34 mark.
The Boilermakers started the game 3 of 4 from behind the arc. Did I tell you that Ryan Cline got out of the ride shootin’ that thang? Well he was shootin’ that thang bruh! On Fiyyahh!!! The Boilermakers as a team were shooting 67 percent from three just 8 minutes into the game. NUTS!!
Before I could bite into my hot dog Purdue went on a 11-0 run to go up 22-11 that had the Cavaliers shaking their heads trying to figure out what was happening. Carsen Edwards was 3 of 4 from three point land with 11 of his 42 points by the 7:56 mark of the first half.
After a 5 minute drought the Cavaliers rebounded and closed the gap to make 25-19 Purdue. However, all of a sudden on a Ty Jerome three pointer Virginia closed the gap to 24-21 but Purdue kept shootin’ that thang as Carsen Edwards kept throwing them in the ocean. Ole boy couldn’t miss!!! Did I tell you that he put up 42 points?
However, as hot as Purdue was on firing that thang in the first half Virginia kept hanging around and was only down 30-26 with 2:09 left in the first half. Kyle Guy rolled his right ankle and had to sit for a minute to retape it.
At the break the Boilermakers were only up 30-29. You would think that they would be blowing Virginia out, as well as they were shooting from behind the arc. They were shooting 42 percent from behind the arc while Virginia just continued to scrap for buckets shooting only 17 percent from three.
Virginia came out of the break and went on a 9-2 run in the first 3 and half minutes to go up 38-32. Kyle Guy went 3 for 3 from behind the arc out of the break. The Cavs went up 45-37 until Carsen Edwards drilled a three only for Ty Jerome to answer as Edwards answers with two more threes. It was crazy!!!
Guy exploded in the second half for Virginia but Carsen Edwards was simply unconscious. He was shooting from Jeffersonville and beyond. The dun put the entire Boilermaker Nation on his back down the stretch as he continued to hit big shots. Ty Jerome went to the line and missed the joint. Virginia got the rebound and as time expired Mamadi Diakite hit a jumper to send it to overtime all knotted up at 70 apiece. Are you kidding me?
The Cavaliers showed some poise in the overtime going up 74-73 but Edwards continued to answer with a big bucket at the rack to lead it 75-74. Virginia’s De’Andre Hunter went right back down the floor with 26.8 seconds left and got straight to the rack to go back up 76-75.
Edwards pulls up the three and misses as Kyle Guy gets the rebound and fouled with 5.7 second left. He knocks down both free throws to make it 78-75. Carsen Edwards gets the inbound and turns it over with 2 seconds left.
Hold on a second dawg!!! Edwards was killin’ these boyz out here gettin’ whatever shot he wanted all night and he’s trying to pass the ball with less than 4 seconds to play? Who drew that foolishness up? Don’t get me started. That’s for another Hot Joint that I’ll be writing after I finish with this one.
It was free throws and foolishness from that point on as Virginia got out of the joint with the win 80-75.
Carsen Edwards led the Boilermakers with 42 points. He was the only Purdue player to finish in double figures. Kyle Guy led the Cavaliers with 25 points and Ty Jerome dropped off 24.