Pressure? Just decades of it.

CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein believes a loss today to Tennessee in the Elite Eight could crush Purdue basketball fans for decades.

"Purdue has to win this game. This is your life, if you are Purdue basketball. ... You have to win to exorcize the demons," Rothstein said on a Sunday pregame show.

Rothstein said Purdue coach Matt Painter − if the Boilermakers advance to the Final Four − wants to hold an event in Phoenix for former Purdue players.

Purdue, which hasn't made the Final Four since 1980, wants to become the second team to lose to a No. 16 seed one year, then go to the Final Four the next. Virginia recovered from a stunning first-round defeat in the 2018 NCAA Tournament to win the 2019 national title.

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"Matt Painter has gotten text messages from (Virginia coach) Tony Bennett this year, talking about how losing to a 16 can be a great incubator (for later success)," Rothstein said.

"For all intents and purposes, this is the game Purdue has to win," he concluded. "Anything less, and for decades to come, you will be looking at, 'Purdue left something on the table.'"

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball faces pressure to reach Final Four, says CBS analyst