Purdue broke through midway through the second half, defeating North Carolina State 63-50 in the Final Four on Saturday.
Top-seeded Purdue will play fellow top-seeded Connecticut State for the national title on Monday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
The Boilermakers' only appearance in the championship game was in 1969, when they lost to UCLA.
Zach Eady, Purdue's 7-4 center and two-time varsity player, had 20 points and 12 rebounds, becoming the first player in tournament history to record 20 points and 10 rebounds in six consecutive games.
“This is all we've been talking about all year,” Eadie said of reaching the title game. “It's something we've been talking about for four years. We just need to be able to play and accept that challenge. Whoever's out next game is going to be a great team. But we need to play our game. Plan and execute. ”
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Lance Jones had 14 points with four key 3-pointers and Fletcher Lawyer had 11 points for the Boilermakers, but the Boilermakers were the second No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in the first round last year. We became a team. With this, they are one win away from winning the national championship.
“It feels great,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “That's what (Zack) always talked about. He didn't come back to win a few games in the tournament. He came back to compete for a national championship, but he has to put himself in position first. Of course, we're here now. ”
DJ Horn led NC State with 20 points, and the Wolfpack's dynamic center, DJ Burns, was limited to eight points due to some foul trouble early on. NC State struggled, hitting 36.8% from the field and just 26.3% from the 3-point line.
North Carolina State (26-15) advanced to its first Final Four since 1983, when the Wolfpack upset Houston on a Lorenzo Charles dunk in the final seconds.
The Wolfpack had won nine straight games before Saturday.
On Saturday, Purdue led by as many as 12 points in the first half, but North Carolina State fought back to get within three points, and the teams entered halftime with Purdue leading 35-29.
In the first half, Edney had 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and eight rebounds. But he committed three turnovers, and the Boilermakers had eight overall, which was one of the reasons the lead narrowed.
Horn led the Wolfpack with 13 points at intermission. Barnes played just 12 minutes in the first half, also picking up two fouls. He only scored four points, but also had four assists.
North Carolina State point guard Michael O'Connell, who averages 3.2 assists per game and leads the team in assists, suffered a hamstring injury in the first half and played just nine minutes.
Purdue used its size advantage and had a 21-12 advantage in rebounds.
In the second half, Purdue led by as many as 13 points and by at least six points.