Bad news: The head coach of the Purdue Boilermakers shed tears as four of his star players made a final decision to terminate their huge contracts.

Bad news: The head coach of the Purdue Boilermakers shed tears as four of his star players made a final decision to terminate their huge contracts.

The bad news is that four of the Purdue Boilermakers‘ top players have decided to end their enormous contracts, causing the head coach to cry.

Third-ranked Purdue, led by Zach Edey, had 29 points and 12 rebounds, and the Boilermakers overcame a 12-point deficit to defeat Michigan State 67-62 in a tough Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal on Friday.

The Boilermakers (29-3) advanced to play Wisconsin in the semifinals on Saturday despite matching their season-low score and being outrebounded (37-36) for just the second time all season. Lance Jones led the team with 10 points, three steals, and just one turnover.

Head coach Matt Painter stated, “We’re going to give ourselves a chance as long as we keep guarding and taking care of the basketball.”

In head coach Tom Izzo’s 1,000th game as a bench player, the Spartans (19-14) tied the game late but lost despite having an 18-0 advantage in fast-break points from Tyson Walker (15 points), Malik Hall (12 points), and Tre Holloman (10 points).

Edey’s guarding is ridiculous. We gave it a few different tries. We attempted doubling. We made an attempt to dig. We attempted a standard head-up,” Izzo stated. “Matt is so good at getting the ball to them in different spots.”

Down the stretch, Walker, a fifth-year guard, stepped up to spearhead the charge. With 1:41 remaining, he made a mid-range jumper to level the score, the closest the Spartans had come since a 3-2 lead, but Purdue’s Fletcher Loyer responded with a 3-pointer on the other end.

With 1:05 left, Xavier Booker had a clear view of the top of the key from 3, but the ball bounced out after rolling around the inside of the rim.

Midway through the second half, Braden Smith, the first-team All-Big Ten point guard, walked off the court due to a right calf muscle injury, giving the Boilermakers a fright. However, Purdue was ahead by five points when Smith was allowed to return, and Jones skillfully handled the ball in his place.

The Boilermakers may tie Michigan State (1999, 2000) for the most victories in both the regular season and conference tournament in back-to-back years with two more victories. That achievement served as a springboard for the Spartans’ national championship victory 24 years ago, which remains the final instance of a Big Ten team winning the championship.