It’s been a long time since Purdue and Virginia have played in Final Four. Seems even longer for the two fan bases.

On Saturday night, the Boilermakers and Cavaliers will go head to head in Louisville in the Elite Eight (8:49 p.m. ET, CBS) with the opportunity to reach college basketball’s mountaintop. A chance to finally bust down that brick wall barricading both programs from the Final Four is at stake.

Virginia hasn’t made a Final Four run in 35 years. It’s been 39 for Purdue. One team’s glory is the other’s heartbreak. One fan base’s long-awaited celebration is the other’s long-lasting anguish.

Both teams experienced serious disappointment a season ago after abbreviated trips in the NCAA Tournament. Virginia became the first No. 1 seed to fall to a No. 16 seed, suffering a devastating loss to UMBC in the first round of last year’s tournament.

Purdue, which won 30 games in 2017-18 for the first time in program history and earned a No. 2 seed, did reach the Sweet Sixteen but was no match for Texas Tech in the regional semifinal round. Both expected more out of last year’s campaign.

The chance at redemption presents itself on Saturday night.

You could argue that both teams have already avenged last year’s disappointment, reaching this point in the NCAA Tournament. Of the 68 teams that earned a spot to compete for a national championship, Virginia and Purdue are two of the remaining eight teams in the country, a special accomplishment. The Cavaliers got to this point on a stingy defense, regarded as the best in the nation. For the Boilers, hot shooting and a put-it-all-on-the-line mentality helped this team reach new heights.

Neither team can view this season as a disappointment, regardless of which one moves on. But when nearly four decades have passed since a Final Four appearance, the hunger to play on the final weekend of the college basketball season is real.

Tony Bennett and Matt Painter have never coached in a Final Four. The current players weren’t so much as thoughts the last time these two programs reached the sport’s pinnacle. And for the fans old enough to have experienced each team’s last trip, it’s nothing more than a distant memory.

Everyone will be sitting on pins and needles on Saturday night, and the enthusiasm, excitement and anxiety will be at an all-time high. The winner can breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy the feeling of having a weight lifted of their shoulders. The loser will endure another year of heartache and experience one of those “we were so close moments.”

One of the droughts comes to an end at the other’s expense and Saturday night. It’s the moment Purdue and Virginia fans have been patiently awaiting for 35-plus years. It’s also a moment both fan bases are dreading.

Saturday night is the definition of March Madness.