Gonzaga basketball’s Mark Few shouts out Matt Painter after Sweet Sixteen loss to Purdue

“Matt’s a class act, and one of the great coaches we have in college basketball,” Few said following the game. “He’s a great leader; he’s got a good feel. I wish him the best.”

Painter is now in the Elite Eight for the second time in his career, following his team’s win over Gonzaga basketball. The Boilermakers play Tennessee on Sunday for a trip to the Final Four. The NCAA tournament’s third weekend has been elusive for Painter; he’s never gone to the Final Four in his history as a head coach at Purdue. Painter has been at the school since 2005.

Coaches’ success

Gonzaga basketball failed to make the Elite Eight for the first time since 2022. The Bulldogs had no answer in the Sweet 16 for Purdue’s Zach Edey. The Bulldogs’ defense gave up 80 points in the game, which ended their March Madness run. The team has now reached nine consecutive Sweet 16s in the NCAA tournament, which is a truly masterful achievement for Few and for his program.

Purdue basketball has also been very successful in recent years, but not at the same level. The Boilermakers have reached the NCAA tournament nine consecutive times. The Boilermakers have also reached at least the Sweet 16 in five of those appearances, including this year, but never a Final Four. Painter has received criticism for those performances, especially last year when his team lost as a no. 1 seed in the first round to a 16 seed in Fairleigh Dickinson.

This year things may turn out differently. The Boilermakers seem to have things rolling with big man Zach Edey, and only Tennessee stands in the way of a coveted trip to the Final Four. Gonzaga basketball coach Few is cheering for that to happen.

“I think he handled all the stuff these past couple years great. They are primed and focused, they are hungry,” Few added. “I’m rooting for him.”

Gonzaga basketball has reached the Final Four twice with Few. Those trips came in 2017 and 2021. In both years, the Bulldogs made the national championship, but didn’t win the game. Painter and Few are two of the best coaches working in college basketball today who haven’t won a championship. Few has more than 700 wins in his career at Gonzaga, while Painter is closing in on 500 wins in his 20-year career.

Gonzaga basketball will have to wait until next year to try and change that. Purdue, however, can still get it done. The Boilermakers play Tennessee Sunday at 2:20 Eastern, with a chance to go to the national semi-finals.