Fletcher Loyer Talks About Purdue's 'Win or Go Home' Mindset in Big Ten Tournament

Purdue has won its first two games of the Big Ten Tournament, advancing to the semifinals. Fletcher Loyer said everyone is stepping up for the Boilermakers.

Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) looks to pass the ball. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

CHICAGO — The question has floated around the college basketball world for the past few weeks. After finishing 6-7 in its final 13 games, everyone wanted to know what went wrong with Purdue? Maybe the Boilermakers were just missing that sense of urgency.

Purdue has played some of its basketball over the last two days, defeating Northwestern 81-68 in the third round of the Big Ten Tournament and taking down Nebraska 74-58 in the quarterfinals on Friday. The Boilermakers have played extremely well on both ends of the floor, resulting in a showdown with UCLA in the semifinal round of the tournament on Saturday.

Fresh off a 19-point, four-rebound and two-steal performance against the Huskers, Loyer said everyone in Purdue's locker room has embraced a fresh mentality for the postseason.

"Win or go home. It's March, it's time to really step it up," Loyer said. "Obviously, we don't want to lose, man. We want to come out ready to play and do our job."

Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) drives to the basket. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Purdue had closed out the regular season with losses in four of its last six games. Three of those four defeats came at Mackey Arena, including a 97-93 loss to Wisconsin on Senior Day.

Despite ending the regular season on a low note, Purdue has been able to flip the page rather quickly. This is a program that has seen a lot, especially its senior leaders. Loyer, Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn have experienced nearly everything in college basketball.

When the calendar turned to March, it's almost like a new switch was flipped for the Boilers.

"It's what you work for growing up. It's what you work for all offseason. Obviously, you want to build that resume in the regular season, but now it's time to really go," he said. "Just getting the message across. Glad to see we've played pretty well these last couple of games and got some in the win category."

Loyer thriving in Big Ten Tournament play

Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) celebrates a foul call. | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

It feels like ages ago that Loyer went through that dreaded shooting slump during a portion of Purdue's schedule. The senior shot himself out of that funk in February and it's carried over into the Big Ten Tournament.

On Thursday night, the senior guard scored 14 points and dished out three assists in Purdue's win over Northwestern. He followed it up with a 19-point outing against Nebraska, also collecting four rebounds and recording two steals in the victory.

Loyer's contributions aren't limited to his offense either. He's also played much better on the defensive end and has been much scrappier, diving for loose balls and creating extra opportunities for Purdue.

His energy and effort has been contagious for Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament. If Loyer continues to make those contributions on both ends of the court, he can help take the Boilermakers a long way in March.

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