Everything Matt Painter Said After Purdue's 91-64 Win Over Michigan

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — No. 11 Purdue got back on the winning side on Friday night, defeating No. 21 Michigan 91-64 in front of a packed house at Mackey Arena. It was a huge win for the Boilermakers, who are now all alone in second in the Big Ten standings.

Braden Smith had another tremendous performance, finishing the game with 24 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and four steals. Fletcher Loyer scored 18, Trey Kaufman-Renn pitched in 15 and CJ Cox ended his night with 11 points and three steals.

Purdue also forced Michigan into 22 turnovers, 14 of which were steals.

It was a great performance from start to finish for Purdue. Here's everything coach Matt Painter said about the game afterward.

On Purdue's defensive pressure throughout the game ...

Painter: "I though the difference in the game was having it at 29-9 and they never really got back to where the game was fighting — down 10, down 12, whatever it might've been. But I thought our ball pressure, especially CJ (Cox), I thought he set the tone. The first eight turnovers they had in the first seven or eight minutes, I thought set the tone for the game. Obviously, they didn't have as many going forward, they ended up with 22.

"We kind of know how that feels. Our first Big Ten game (against Penn State), we had 24 turnovers. They got us from the onset and we never recovered from it. We never regrouped, never slowed ourselves down.

"It was just one of those games where things went our direction and we got in the open court, got some easy baskets. When you're putting them on the heels in transition and you have advantages — we've played bigger in the past than we do right now, but that is something that would always hurt us. Having that size out there, if you're going to turn it over and you have people at the rim, they're the furthest away from your rim. They keep turning it over and now they're behind plays. If you don't get layups and you have quick ball movement, now you're going to get open shots.

"I just thought that was the difference in the game. It set such a tone for us and it got us in a rhythm offensively, also."

On having contributions from nine guys ...

Painter: "Having depth and having balance really helps us. Obviously, Trey got in foul trouble in the first half a little bit. CJ got into a little bit of foul trouble. But all those guys were ready to play. I think we're really seeing some improvements with our guys off the bench and our overall depth."

On Braden Smith's performance ...

Painter: "As he starts a game and just getting into a rhythm is one thing in terms of shooting the ball and making decisions, but I thought he was active defensively, too. He got some steals, got into passing lanes, was just really active on both ends.

"I thought his reads tonight, he just kept things simple — took his jump shot when it was there, kept shooting, even though he missed all four of his threes, kept looking for it. That's what we need from him. He, overall, had a good, complete game."

On setting the tone early defensively with two turnovers ...

Painter: "Just to have pressure and not let things be fluid, right? They're very unique and the way Danny Wolf will play to go along with the three guards that can work you downhill. They're great at getting downhill and driving the basketball. You see in the second half, they had a five- or six-minute stretch where they just kept attacking the rim. That's what they want to do for 40 minutes.

"So, I think that got them on their heels, where they weren't the aggressor. When they're the aggressor and they're attacking, things really open up for everybody else. It was just one of those games for us where we got off to a really good start, they never really quite got into their rhythm."

On having a roster of players who buy into their role ...

Painter: "Winning is good enough. If you ever find somebody who's upset about winning, they probably shouldn't be in your locker room. Like, this guy can do more, he can do this — well, you're putting that ahead of what's most important for us.

"Everybody wants to be Braden Smith. Braden Smith earned the right to have the ball in his hands and play that way. He has the skill set and he has the game. We really get guys to understand to play to their strengths and just keep playing to your strength. Don't get away from that and just be fundamentally sound.

"It was one of our main things to start the game, that we kept harping on in practice — just keep things simple, be fundamentally sound, play through shot fakes and make easy, simple plays.

"It's part of a team, right? You hope that can help you in recruiting because you have ultimate success. Kids have to think more of, 'I want to win a Big Ten championship, I want to play in the NCAA Tournament, I want to advance in the NCAA Tournament,' instead of 'I want to play the most minutes and I want to shoot the most.' If you can find those guys that want to be in that role, there's nothing wrong with that, but if you're not quite there yet, just keep getting better, keep growing and keep helping us win. That's going to give you the best chance to be in that role."

On the improvements of the three freshmen CJ Cox, Gicarri Harris and Raleigh Burgess ...

Painter: "Well, I think Gicarri Harris is more comfortable out there, he's more comfortable shooting the basketball. I think it wore on him when he struggled shooting the ball. I could relate to it, because I started a season one time 1-for-17. Misery loves company, so I went and talked to him. 'You're alright, you're not as bad as I am.'

"You can see he's more comfortable out there."

"Raleigh, it was great for Raleigh. He had a couple of air biscuits against Oregon. To be able to knock those two threes down, that had to really feel good.

"And then CJ's just hung in there. He's impressed everyone from Day 1 with his effort and playing hard. He can make shots, he can guard the basketball and it's really that niche that we needed.

"Gicarri is coming in and guarding people, Myles (Colvin) is coming in and guarding people. Trying to balance things out and playing through Trey and Braden and really playing off those guys."

On how Braden Smith can play aggressive defense without fouling ...

Painter: "More than anything, it's be aggressive defensively when you see blood in the water. When you have an advantageous scenario to be aggressive, be aggressive. But if they don't show weakness, be solid. And I think that's being instinctual.

"When he first got here, he gambled kind of on a whim instead of gambling when it presents itself. When it doesn't present itself, you have to be solid. He's done a really good job with that.

"The way we orchestrate and anchor things, whether you post-up or you're in a ball-screen iso on the wing or your driving the baseline, when he can be out and makethat read, he ends up getting a couple of steals. Sometimes he's the guy on the ball or he's the one helping right there. If we can get him over there — we can't set that up, where they go with their guys. When he's in that role for us as a free safety, it really helps us."

On how Purdue flipped a switch from the Ohio State loss ...

Painter: "I thought it was a great sign for us, the way we struggled offensively at Washington and Oregon, but we still won the game. I thought that was a great sign for our team. Tonight was a great sign from just getting off the canvas. Doesn't feel good to lose. Nobody likes that. I don't know who Michigan has next, but I think this game will help them — help sharpen the pencil a little bit and get you ready for your next opponent.

"I was glad our guys responded. You never really look at it from an offensive standpoint. You hope shots go in, you hope to execute, you're going to work things. We get ourselves prepared in that area, but if it doesn't go, can you beat a really good team?

"Like, today, we played OK offensively. That's the whole thing. If we don't play well offensively, but we still get good shots and we don't run it over, I still think we win this game because defensively we did some really good things. That's what we're trying to get to.

"And then if you beat great people, especially on the road, a lot of times you've got to be better offensively. If you can keep making baskets and setting your defense, you just continue to make it harder on them."

On how Purdue has improved so drastically defensively ...

Painter: "We're not doing anything different than what we were doing at the beginning of the year, we've just gotten better. I think, sometimes, when you don't have a set rotation to start and you're trying to figure things out, you're making it harder on yourself. But you don't know, right? So, you're trying to get it figured out, what's best for your team?

"We've stayed with it. I think a lot of times, especially someone with an untrained eye, when you see something and the other team has success, you say, 'Well, that doesn't work.' In reality, you're normally making mistakes. I always say, 'Stick to our rules.' When you stick to our rules and do what we work on and what we drill, normally they're not going to have success. It's normally us breaking down and them taking advantage of that breakdown.

"So, how we guard the ball or how we handle the post or whatever it might be, this is what we started in June. We felt like we could have lineups with no rim protection when Daniel (Jacobsen) wasn't out there. We also though physically, where's he going to be as he goes through the Big Ten season. We didn't know. I just felt like we had to do some things a little bit differently, because I didn't feel like we had the rim protection necessary. It doesn't mean we can't be good defensively, you don't have to have a shot blocker. Man, does it help when you do, because they help erase mistakes.

"Right now, we just don't have that. So, we have to do a better job containing the dribble. We have to do a better job of keeping the ball out of the paint. Everybody has more success when they keep the ball out of the paint, but we really have more success.

"You saw that in the second half. When they got the ball where they wanted, they had success. When we kept the ball from getting in there, now we're generating turnovers and misses."

On how Purdue made it difficult for Michigan's offense ...

Painter: "I would say just the uniqueness of their team, for us, was a little challenging. You don't know how to navigate something you don't normally see. Danny Wolf really puts you into a bind that you're just uncertain about, because who else is 7-foot and coming off a ball screen?

"That kind of had us back-and forth. What should we do here? He's so good at just finding that roll guy. And he's so good working downhill. Then you go with the other athleticism and skill level of those players.

"I thought we defended well, but I also thought they had some good looks not go down. I think sometimes on the road, you get that benefit.

"Tre Donaldson and (Nimari) Burnett and Roddy Gayle (Jr.) have the ability to drive the basketball, (Wolf's) ability to drive the basketball and then Vlad (Goldin) has been as good as anybody in our league. We really didn't want him to get those deep post-ups and we tried to fight and come with a quick double and tried to just stay with Danny Wolf. Try to keep him from getting angles to the best of our ability.

"Then, we wanted to switch as much as we could, but we didn't want it to be lazy switches, we wanted to be clean and keep the ball in front of us. That was the gist of it without getting into the real weeds of the specials they run and how they handle it.

"I thought our ball pressure was the difference to start with. I thought jarring them, getting a couple of steals at half court, getting a couple pick-sixes, that really got us going. Then, they never really got into what they do. They did, but they didn't. It's not one of those fluid things.

"You watch them play on tape and it gets frustrating. Like, how in the hell are we going to stop them? It's just one of those deals. You're defense has got to help you, and I thought our defense helped us tonight."

On wearing special tennis shoes designed by children suffering from cancer ...

Painter: "We've done a lot through Coaches vs. Cancer and the American Cancer Society with events and different things. Anytime we can do things of this nature, just for the overall awareness. But it was really cool that we had kids who are cancer patients design our shoes. Now, we can auction them and raise money to help go against this dreaded disease."