Matt Painter Cites Biggest Concern Through Purdue's First Two Games in Canada

One of the biggest reasons why Matt Painter wanted to take an international trip during the summer was to see where some of his team's deficiencies were heading into the 2026-27 season. You can spot them in practice, but it's even more advantageous to do it in a competitive environment.

Purdue is 2-0 in its four-game trip to Canada, defeating the Vancouver Selects 102-63 on Saturday and Trinity Western University 82-66 on Sunday. There have been several positives from both games, but there's also been one glaring concern, one that really came to light in Sunday's game.

With Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn both gone, Purdue is struggling to rebound the basketball right now. That's one of the key pillars for Painter and his team.

"They were quicker to the ball than us. Even though we outrebounded them by three, I still felt they were quicker to the basketball," Painter said of Trinity Western in a video posted by GoldandBlack.com. "We had to do a better job rebounding, a better job boxing out."

Purdue Boilermakers center Daniel Jacobsen (12). | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Purdue has plenty of big bodies on this year's roster. The Boilermakers have Daniel Jacobsen, Raleigh Burgess, Caden Pierce, Jack Benter, Rivers Knight and Sinan Huan in the frontcourt. Right now, Pierce has been the most effective rebounder, swooping in from every direction to collect missed shots off the glass.

The Boilermakers would also benefit from the addition of Enzo Shahrvin, but the French big man has not received eligibility clearance from the NCAA, so he is unable to play competitively.

Shahrvin brings a strong, physical presence in the post. That's something Purdue is currently lacking.

"You can see, from a rebounding standpoint, a lack of physicality," Painter said. "We need a little more punch there, or we need guys to play with more physicality."

Purdue outrebounded Trinity Western 41-38 and Pierce had a team-high seven rebounds. He's been the most consistent guy on the glass through two games. In order to win games in the Big Ten, though, the Boilermakers need everyone to be aggressive on the boards.

As the Boilers prepare for their final two games in Canada, it's the one area Painter would like to see more physicality and more consistency.

"We've got to do a better job boxing out," he said. "Our inability to rebound really came out [Sunday]."

Guys fighting for spots right now

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter reacts to a call. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Painter did acknowledge that his current philosophy on this four-game trip isn't helping Purdue's cause. This year's roster has a lot of depth, and he's trying to discover which lineups work best and what advantages and disadvantages each rotation brings to the floor.

Through the first two games, Painter has utilized a "hockey switch," substituting five guys at a time in each quarter. There have been some alterations to that, but it's not something he's going to do during the regular season.

He says that the depth is creating some great competition and he wants to see who separates themselves during this trip, as well as throughout the rest of the summer and fall.

"We have depth, but we don't have a lot of separation," Painter said. "You could argue each position. Who should play the point? Who should play the two? Who should play the three, or the four or the five?"

In other words, very little has been sorted out at this point in the season. This four-game trip is providing Painter and the staff with an excellent look at what works, what doesn't and where the Boilermakers need to improve before that season-opening tipoff against Gonzaga on Nov. 2.

Get top Boilermakers stories, expert analysis, and can't-miss moments straight to your inbox for free by signing up for the Purdue Boilermakers on SI newsletter!

Add us as a preferred source on Google