Virginia has advice for Purdue as Boilermakers attempt comeback after March Madness upset

Oklahoma men's basketball coach Porter Moser talks to OutKick's Dan Dakich about focusing on the tasks at hand ahead of the NCAA Tournament.

Purdue had just fallen unexpectedly in the Big Ten Tournament last week and Braden Smith sat down alongside star Zach Edey and coach Matt Painter to meet reporters.

It took three questions to conjure a March Madness specter: the Boilermakers’ improbable loss as a No. 1 seed to 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson in last year’s NCAA Tournament.

"I don’t think we’re really worried about what happened last year," Smith said matter-of-factly.

NO. 1 PURDUE, NO. 2 HOUSTON FALTER IN MASSIVE COLLEGE BASKETBALL UPSETS

Yes, Purdue has looked like a title contender all season and owns another 1-seed as the NCAAs begin this week. Yet one bad night at the worst possible time hangs over a program that has had multiple March Madness stumbles.

Only one other program knows that ignominy: Virginia, which fell to UMBC in the first-ever 16-vs-1 upset in 2018. Yet those Cavaliers regrouped to win the national championship the following season, offering a roadmap for the Boilermakers’ potential path to redemption and proof it can be done.

"’They weren’t the first to do it, so it’s not the worst thing in the world — it’s the second-worst thing in the world," said former Virginia star Ty Jerome, now with the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. "To go through that together and bounce back together ... it’s definitely going to make them stronger. I hope they’ve talked about it.

Virginia head coach Tony Bennett, center, celebrates with guard Ty Jerome, left, after the championship game against Texas Tech in the Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament on April 8, 2019, in Minneapolis. Virginia fell to UMBC in the