Perry Meridian High School graduate ready to face Purdue in Final Four
PHOENIX (WISH) — The No. 1-seeded Purdue men’s basketball team is gearing up for its most important game of the season, when it faces No. 11-seeded NC State on Saturday in the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four.
It will be the first Final Four appearance for Purdue since 1980, while it’s NC State’s first appearance in the Final Four since 1983.
The Wolfpack enter the contest on a nine-game winning streak. It’s one of the hottest March streaks in recent memory.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” NC State junior guard Jayden Taylor said. “This is amazing. I haven’t even really felt it at all yet because it’s been so fast, fast, fast.”
The winning streak started in the ACC Tournament, which the Wolfpack ultimately won, and has continued ever since.
One of the players who is making an impact for the team over the course of the season is Taylor, an Indianapolis, Ind. native.
“This is an experience that a lot of people don’t get,” Taylor said. “So, I’m just blessed to me in this position.”
Taylor is averaging 11.2 points per game this season, which is fourth-most on the team.
He transferred to NC State this offseason after playing the previous two seasons at Butler University.
“He’s really grown,” NC State head coach Kevin Keatts said. “When he came here, he was trying to do too much. Now he’s comfortable in what he’s doing, handling the basketball, getting on in transition. I’ll tell you what, he’s another guy that has been so important to our run.”
News 8 Sports asked Taylor on Friday what he learned during his time at Perry Meridian High School that helped him at this level.
“Just to work hard,” Taylor said. “What you put in is what you get out. I’ve learned that you ought to… even through the ups and downs… you just got to be ready to be resilient and just keep going.”
He hopes his Wolfpack will be able to keep it going on Saturday when it faces the Boilermakers, a team that has a lot of familiar faces, according to Taylor.
“Obviously, growing up in Indiana, so I’m very familiar with a lot of players,” said. “I actually played AAU with Trey Kaufman-Renn and obviously, Caleb Furst, I played with him as well. Braden (Smith), Fletcher (Loyer). Obviously, those are Indiana guys, so I’m just familiar with all the guys.”
Tipoff between NC State and Purdue is set for 6:09 p.m. Saturday.