In 2019, the Purdue Boilermakers finally overcame one of the worst knocks on the program- a team that always peaks in February. They made their first Elite Eight in almost two decades, and were just split seconds away from their first Final Four in three decades.

It was a vast improvement over the previous season, in which they essentially peaked in January, instead of February. Boilermakers fans are waiting for the team that really peaks when it counts though, in March. While next to no one is berting the farm on a Final Four appearance, yet, this squad will likely be playing their best ball when it counts the most.

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The Final Four was always going to be in Indianapolis this season, or quasi-season, or pseudo-season, or whatever you want to call it. Made official now, but bantered about back as far as November, the entire 2021 NCAA Tournament will be right staged right in the backyard of Purdue, with some games being played on Keady Court in Mackey Arena.

It will be a very weird event to see all 67 March Madness games transpiring in just one state, for the first time in tourney history, but here we are.

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For Purdue basketball coach Matt Painter and his team, the margin for error is razor thin right now. Just outside the NCAA Tournament bubble, the Boilermakers need to, at the very least, reach the Big Ten Tournament title game to get back in the big dance mix. The season is not lost as of yet.

With the Big Ten Tournament final taking place after nearly all of the bracket has been filled out, the schedule works out to their advantage. Ditto for the location, as no Big Ten team is closer to Indianapolis than Purdue. Mackey Arena to Bankers Life Fieldhouse is 72.7 miles, an hour and 12 minute drive according to Google Maps.

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Another misstep or two and Purdue basketball will find itself going from Elite 8 to “must run the Big Ten Tournament table” in order to reach the postseason. The 2019-20 season came dangerously close to being a completely lost campaign tonight in Evanston, as the Boilermakers trailed nearly the entire night.

With 3:22 remaining, Northwestern’s win probability was at 92.8% according to the ESPN stats and information team. With a 1:24 left, NU was still sitting pretty at nearly 75% chance of winning. The Wildcats, who went the final 4:38 without scoring, played really tight and saw their 58-50 advantage end up yielding a 61-58 loss.

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