Purdue’s towering 7-ft-4 center, Zach Edey, had a confident message for Tennessee following his remarkable 40-point performance that helped his team secure a spot in the NCAA tournament’s Final Four.

In an interview with CBS Sports, the 21-year-old Edey, who also grabbed 16 rebounds during Sunday’s Elite Eight game in Detroit, discussed his mindset during the game against the Volunteers. When questioned about his approach, Edey expressed, “They believed they had us all figured out, but…”

‘They thought they knew we had it in our hearts… I promise you they did…

‘We’re f***ing winners, is what we do!,’ he added.

Edey’s impressive shooting performance, going 13-for-21 from the field and 14-for-22 from the foul line, played a pivotal role in securing Purdue’s (33-4) first Final Four appearance since 1980.

However, the Boilermakers faced a formidable challenge in Dalton Knecht’s outstanding 37-point performance, which they had to overcome to clinch victory.

In their 26 tournament appearances, the No. 2 seed Volunteers (27-9) have never advanced to the Final Four.

To secure the victory, Edey, a two-time Consensus first-team All-American, made a crucial block on Knecht’s layup attempt as the former junior college player drove to the basket with Tennessee trailing by five points and only 33 seconds remaining.

Leading up to Sunday’s game, the Vols had matched their longest NCAA Tournament run in school history, reaching the same stage as the 2010 team which lost to Michigan State by just one point in the Elite Eight.

Rick Barnes, the 69-year-old coach of Tennessee, narrowly missed out on his second appearance in the college basketball season-ending showcase, his first being with Texas in 2003 when they made it to the national semifinals.

Purdue will face either Duke or North Carolina State in the Final Four on Saturday, April 6.