As it enters the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Purdue will look to erase at least some of the pain that came with last season’s shocking loss to Fairleigh Dickinson in the tournament’s first round, just the second time in the event’s history a No. 16 seed defeated a No. 1 seed.

On Selection Sunday, the Boilermakers got no guarantee that they will win their first national championship or advance to their first Final Four since 1980, but they did get perhaps the next-best thing — a favorable draw to achieve those goals.

With the No. 1 seed in the tournament’s Midwest region, Purdue’s games until the Final Four will take place within a quick drive of the school’s West Lafayette campus — Indianapolis for the first and second rounds, Detroit for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.

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Beyond that, the teams in the Boilermakers’ region have one of college basketball’s most prominent figures feeling confident about a deep run for Purdue.

After the bracket was unveiled on Sunday, ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said the Boilermakers have “the best draw of any one seed.”

“I think when Purdue plays a team that presses them and speeds them up, they can have some turnover issues, but with Zach Edey being an immovable object…he’s the best player in the country,” Bilas said. “He’s the only player in the country you have to change your entire gameplan for. He’s the most efficient player in the country by far. He basically lives at the free throw line. I think a big factor for this Purdue team is going to be the addition this year of Lance Jones because that provides some athleticism, it gives them a three man they can put on opposing excellent athletes and he can guard them.”

Even with that optimism, Bilas added that Purdue’s draw is “not a layup for them.”

That belief stems not only from the Boilermakers’ impressive run through the 2023-24 regular season, with a 29-4 record and a Big Ten regular season championship, but the teams they’ll have to compete with in order to advance to their first Elite Eight in five years.

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Based on seeding, the team Purdue is most likely to face in the Sweet 16 is Kansas, which is dealing with injuries to its top two scorers and has gone just 9-9 since Jan. 10, including losses in four of its past five games. Beyond the Jayhawks, No. 5 seed Gonzaga is the next-most probable opponent. This season, the Bulldogs are 25-7, their most losses in a season in eight years.

There’s a blueprint for the Boilermakers to recover from the heartbreak of their stunning tournament exit from the previous season. The only other No. 1 seed to fall to a No. 16 seed, Virginia in 2018, earned a No. 1 seed the following season and went on to win the first national title in program history.

Whether Purdue is able to shed itself of that dubious historical distinction might be the biggest question still facing coach Matt Painter’s team heading into the tournament.

“Purdue has been outstanding all year long,” Bilas said. “I think the only issue with Purdue is are they going to carry the baggage from the last three years into this tournament and play tight and play not to lose? Or are they going to put that baggage down and play to win? If they play to win, they have the goods to reach the Final Four and they can win when they get there. They’re legit.”

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Jay Bilas: Purdue has 'best draw of any one seed' for 2024 NCAA Tournament