Boiler Banter: Purdue Right Where it Wants to be in Big Ten Title Race
A few weeks can make a big difference in college basketball. In the middle of December, Purdue had suffered back-to-back losses to Texas A&M and Auburn and was sitting at 8-4 on the season. Now, it's mid-January, the Boilermakers have ripped off six straight wins and are sitting in an excellent position to defend their Big Ten regular season title.
Wednesday night, Purdue won its sixth consecutive game, defeating Washington 69-58 in Seattle. All six of those wins have come by double figures, bumping the Boilers' record to 14-4 overall and 6-1 in league play.
More importantly, though, Purdue is now 3-1 in conference road games. And, as of right now, it has coach Matt Painter and his team exactly where it wants to be as the midway point of the Big Ten slate approaches.
When it comes to winning a Big Ten title, Painter refers to the philosophy his former coach and mentor used to apply.
"Take care of your home court, win half of your road games, and you give yourself a chance."
With wins over Minnesota, Rutgers and Washington, Purdue needs just two more road wins to secure a .500 record on the road. But the upcoming road tests only get tougher. Here's a glimpse at the six remaining away contests on the schedule:
- at No. 13 Oregon (Jan. 18)
- at Iowa (Feb. 4)
- at No. 20 Michigan (Feb. 11)
- at No. 12 Michigan State (Feb. 18)
- at Indiana (Feb. 23)
- at No. 19 Illinois (March 7)
No, it's not the easiest road schedule, but that's why winning at least three road games in January was pivotal for Purdue to remain in the hunt for a third straight conference championship. Not only does it keep the Boilers near the top of the Big Ten standings, it gives Painter's team a lot of confidence heading into a much more difficult portion of the schedule.
And, yes, this team is playing with a lot of confidence right now.
It starts with Braden Smith, who has started searching for his shot a lot more over the last six games. The junior guard is averaging 19.5 points and 10.3 assists during this winning streak. Painter's decision to insert senior forward Caleb Furst and freshman guard CJ Cox has also made a difference.
Furst has made a major impact on the defensive end, but also had a 15-point, six-rebound, four-steal performance in Purdue's win over Washington. On Sunday, Cox lit up Nebraksa for 23 points on nine-of-11 shooting.
Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer have also continued to provide dynamic scoring, averaging 17 and 15.6 points per game, respectively.
Defensively is where Purdue has made the biggest improvement. the Boilermakers' last six opponents are averaging 60.3 points per game. None of those teams have crossed the 70-point threshold.
Purdue, not known for creating turnovers, has forced the last six opponents into an average of 14.2 turnovers per game.
Since those back-to-back losses in December, Purdue has learned to win basketball games in a variety of ways. It's resulted in a third-place spot in the Big Ten standings, sitting behind Michigan State (6-0) and Michigan (5-0).
Obviously, there are no guarantees that a 5-5 road record would win the Big Ten. And, even though Mackey Arena is considered one of the best home-court advantages in college basketball, there are no assurances the Boilermakers will finish undefeated in West Lafayette.
Plus, Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois and Oregon are all pretty good. Winning a conference championship won't be an easy feat.
Through seven conference games — four on the road — Purdue finds itself in a beneficial situation. It has built a lot of confidence over the last three weeks, giving the program a real shot to "three-peat" as Big Ten champions.
Related stories on Purdue basketball
FURST CREDITS LUSK FOR RECENT SUCCESS: Caleb Furst has had a huge impact on Purdue's success in recent weeks. The senior forward credited Boilermakers assistant Paul Lusk with some extra motivation. CLICK HERE
WHAT PAINTER SAID: Purdue had to scrap and claw, but it picked up a road win over Washington on Wednesday night. Here's what coach Matt Painter said after the victory. CLICK HERE
PURDUE BEATS WASHINGTON: Purdue's veteran starters kicked it into high gear in the second half of Wednesday's game against Washington, outscoring Washington 47-28 and earning a sixth straight win. CLICK HERE
PURDUE HOTTEST TEAM IN BIG TEN: After winning five straight games by an average of 22.2 points per game, Big Ten Network analyst Trent Meacham believes Purdue is the hottest Big Ten team. CLICK HERE
