For the first time in 44 years, the Purdue Boilermakers are headed to the Final Four.

I’m so happy!

Good Morning. It’s GAME DAY. My heart is racing.

A few quick thoughts before tipoff tonight:

• March Madness is also called “The Road to the Final Four” because–indeed–it is a journey.
• The harder The Road to the Final Four, the sweeter success tastes.
• Perseverance and redemption are cousins.
• Building culture that you can eventually call a Brotherhood and a Family takes time.
• In this one-and-done, transfer portal, NIL era, players have to want to be with you.
• Milestones must be celebrated. You never know when the last one will be.
• All long roads, grueling challenges, and even good things will come to an end.
• Every team–except for one–will lose its last game of the season.
• I promised my six-year-old that I would buy him a Purdue shirt, basketball, and hat if they made it to the Final Four. We’ve had fun shopping for gear online together. Currently, it takes about 5-7 business days for a t-shirt to make it from West Lafayette, Indiana, to Holly Springs, North Carolina.
• This season, I have recorded and watched every Purdue men’s basketball game and every Iowa women’s basketball game with my six-year-old. GO BIG TEN!
• Experiencing all the highs and lows of sports and competition with my six-year-old has revealed some good life lesson moments. That’s a whole book right there.
• Any experience is only as good as the people with whom you live it.
• Win or lose, I can’t wait to have this Final Four experience with my family and friends.
• And also…. LET’S GO BOILERS!

In the Final Four game tonight, Purdue plays NC State. Having lived 22 years in northwest Indiana and 22 years in central North Carolina, I have so many mixed feelings about this game.

The following is a heartfelt facebook post to my family and friends:

For my family and friends near and far that have been asking… Yes, I always hope my alma mater Purdue wins every game. Yet, for me, making it to the #FinalFour is good enough. Even if Purdue doesn’t win any more games, it’s already redemption enough from last year. It’s really hard and really special just to make the Final Four in the first place. This was a long time coming for Boilermaker Nation, and it feels so good to see a Big Ten team (and from Indiana) on the biggest stage in the sport. #BoilerUp!

And then, of all the teams, of course Purdue has to play against NC State, a local fan favorite in central NC—and beyond. Still, playing NC State is like playing the Chicago Cubs. Of course, I want my team to win… but if my team’s gonna lose, I’d be okay if they lost to NC State. They’ve had such a magical run and they’ve always been such a likable team, an underdog for whom the human spirit naturally rallies around and cheers on in all the circumstances.

Looking forward to a great game between two universities that are very similar to each other. And I hope that whoever wins this game wins it ALL. And I really, really hope that Purdue WINS.

BOILER UP!