Just Stay Ready: Brandon Newman Jumpstarts Purdue Basketball in Big Ten Tournament Victory
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Brandon Newman hadn’t played meaningful minutes for Purdue basketball since entering the starting lineup for an injured Jaden Ivey back on Jan. 23 against Northwestern.
The sophomore guard, who was struggling in the latter half of the conference schedule, went 0-5 from the 3-point in the home victory, logging a total of 12 minutes on the floor. But coach Matt Painter had seen enough.
Newman’s minutes were shaved down to almost nothing, appearing in just two games for the remainder of the regular season. But all that changed Friday night during a quarterfinal matchup against Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament.
After Sasha Stefanovic picked up his second foul of the game, Newman made his way to the scorer's table and checked in for the Boilermakers with 5:37 left in the first half.
And he wouldn’t let his opportunity go to waste.
“While I was going through those tough times, there was so much uncertainty," Newman said. "I didn't know when my time was coming. I didn't know when my name was going to be called."
Newman scored 12 points in the team's 69-61 win against Penn State, sending Purdue to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament against Michigan State on Saturday. He was 4-4 from the field, hit two 3-pointers, notched a pair of rebounds and didn't turn the ball over.
He didn’t know how many times he heard someone tell him to stay ready, and it can be difficult for a player to heed those words when they're not guaranteed to even see the floor.
But he stayed ready anyway. Newman spent hours in the gym before practice, after practice, after games. Sometimes even working out in the dark, and it all led to what he poured out on the court.
"He's worked really hard," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "He's used our guys, used our coaches. He comes in every single day, he gets extra lifts, he shoots extra — and that's how you play well.
"When you're frustrated, I just told our guys, besides the best players on our team, I know how everybody feels. So for him to be able to come out and be productive, you've got to tip your hat to him. It was a great performance and we don't win that game without him."
Down seven points, Newman ignited a 13-1 run by catching a skip pass from senior center Trevion Williams, selling a shot fake and stepping into a rhythm mid-range jumper.
Penn State led by one point with just over three minutes before halftime, but that was before Newman made his first 3-pointer since Jan. 17, giving Purdue its first lead of the game. He closed the first half with another two-point jump shot. He had seven points in just six minutes of playing time.
Newman started 3-3 from the floor while also adding one rebound, helping an offensive effort that put the Boilermakers up 35-31 at the break.
But just because he began the game with a perfect mark on his shots didn't mean he would enter the second half biting off more than he could chew. Newman was efficient with the basketball, passing when he needed to without forcing an ill-advised attempt.
"Practice and a game are two totally different things, and you can definitely get out of rhythm if you're not playing every night," Newman said. "But I was just taking what the defense was giving me, playing off my teammates.
"That's really what the coaches' spiel has been to me. I'm upset that it took me this long to finally figure it out, but everything happens for a reason."
Newman found a way to be a small piece fitting into the puzzle for Purdue. He didn't get in his own way, he let the game come to him and created quality opportunities for himself and his teammates.
He checked back into the game with 15:32 left in the second half, getting to the foul line in his first few minutes and knocking down one of his two attempts. But he followed the missed free throw with his second 3-pointer of the game.
"We've seen him before, we saw it again today," Purdue guard Eric Hunter Jr. said. "But I think he's just a staple of what we're about as far as always being in the gym, staying ready no matter what. You don't know when your time is.
"I don't know how many games ago was the last time he got in, but just to have a performance like that in the postseason, you just know a guy like that will just stay ready."
Aside from his stellar shooting performance, Newman wasn't hesitant to get the ball inside to Trevion Williams or Zach Edey. He even logged an assist as Edey gave the Boilermakers a 10-point lead midway through the first half.
Newman was on the floor for Purdue as the team closed out the game with under six minutes to play. He snatched his second rebound of the night with less than 30 seconds to play, sending him to the free-throw line for the second time.
Once again, he only managed to hit one of his two foul shots. He still contributed to the team's 7-0 run to ice the game. His 21 minutes on the court were the most all season against a Big Ten Conference opponent.
And his double-digit scoring total, the first since November of 2021.
It's been a long time coming for Newman, but he delivered when the Boilermakers needed him most. And it couldn't have been at a better time.
"What you saw tonight was just all that work that I've been putting in since I've been out," Newman said.
Stories Related to Purdue Basketball
- NEWMAN FUELS PURDUE VICTORY OVER PENN STATE: Purdue was the only top seed to avoid an upset in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday, beating Penn State 69-61 to advance to a revenge match with Michigan State in the semifinals. They got a huge boost from Brandon Newman, who scored 12 points. CLICK HERE
- PHOTO GALLERY: Purdue defeats Penn State 69-61 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday, and there are 30 pictures to show for it. Take a peek inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse at the close-up action. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE VS. PENN STATE LIVE BLOG: Relive Purdue's 69-61 victory over Penn State with all the play-by-play action from our live blog. CLICK HERE
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