Purdue-Virginia Elite 8 Matchup Decades in the Making

Editor’s note: A previous version noted that Virginia hasn’t been to the Elite 8 since the last Purdue-Virginia matchup in 2000. They made the Elite 8 in 2016, and the post has been corrected. A special thanks to the anonymous commenter who caught it!

The last time Virginia and Purdue played a college basketball game against one another, Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome were nine years old. Point guard Kihei Clark was merely six at the time and Virginia head coach Tony Bennett, now in his tenth season with U.Va, had less than 10 games under his belt as a D-1 head coach.

The date was November 29th, 2006. Before that, they had only played one other time; ironically, it was exactly six years prior on November 29th, 2000. These two games, which they split, are the only Virginia-Purdue games since 1949-50, according to Sports-Reference.

Playing in November is fine. Programs, at that point in the season, are just seeing where they’re at. Some are good games, others are not; few leave a lasting impression.

Playing in late March and April, however, is extraordinary. The few programs given the chance can practically smell the confetti. These games last a lifetime, for fans and team members alike.

On Saturday, Virginia and Purdue will have their rubber match, though no one cares about that aspect. Instead, people care because it’s an Elite 8 game, with the winner earning a spot in the Final Four.

Neither team has been beyond the Elite 8 since they first met almost 20 years ago in the 2000-01 season. Virginia made the Elite 8 in ’16 but the Final Four has eluded them. Purdue, on the other hand, hasn’t seen the Elite 8 since the 1999-00 season. A Final Four appearance will bring a validation that’s overdue for both programs. Each is, unquestionably, considered a “basketball school” but their last trips to the Final Four came in 1980 (Purdue) and 1984 (Virginia).

For Virginia, things seem to be headed in the right direction. Their defense, as expected, has held up; in their Sweet 16 game, they held Oregon to less than 50 points. On offense, though, they haven’t been amazing, and that’s alright. I say that because they’re overdue — shots, especially from Kyle Guy, are going to start falling sooner or later. And with Carsen Edwards leading Purdue, they’ll need them to go down more than what we’ve seen recently.

As of now, the game is set for an 8:59 P.M ET tip-off on Saturday evening (TBS). It’s going to be a great game, regardless of the outcome, but I think I speak for all DMV folks when I say that Virginia deserves a Final Four seat.