Matt Painter Talks About Purdue Embracing Championship Expectations

Purdue has heard every compliment possible during the offseason. The Boilermakers are thought to be the preseason No. 1 team in the country and are a national title favorite entering the 2025-26 campaign. Matt Painter says it's good for the program to receive that kind of attention, but it doesn't help you win any games on the court.

The Boilers held their first official practice of the year on Wednesday, with their first exhibition game just one month away. Everyone inside the building is thinking about a national championship, hoping to bring that coveted NCAA trophy to West Lafayette.

Painter acknowledged that the attention from the national media is beneficial for the health of the program. But his current team can't get caught up in the preseason hype.

"I think it's a good thing. You've worked hard to be in a really good position. I think it helps you more from an attention standpoint, a recruiting standpoint, and your program getting noticed, which you always want," Painter said on Wednesday. "But deep down, it doesn't help you win the next game. I think that's where your focus has to be: being mature enough to know you still have to do your job, you can't let your teammates down, you have to stay connected."

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter yells down court | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This isn't the first time Purdue has been in this position. The Boilermakers received plenty of preseason hype before the start of the 2023-24 campaign, Zach Edey's final year with the program.

National attention didn't deter Purdue from accomplishing its goals that year. The Boilermakers won a Big Ten title and played in the National Championship Game for the first time since 1969.

Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn all went through that run to the Final Four. They're not newbies to this type of spotlight. But several guys on the roster weren't around during Purdue's last run.

"I think anytime you have guys on your team who have had success, they've been through these scenarios, which they have," Painter said. "Not everybody, though. So, from a collective standpoint, we have to act like nobody's been through this."

Why Painter loves playing tough exhibition games

It can be easy for college athletes to hear the noise, read the headlines, and start to feel good about themselves before the season starts. Fortunately for Purdue, it has an incredibly challenging exhibition game in Lexington on Oct. 24.

There's a reason Painter wanted to schedule another tough exhibition game before the start of the regular season.

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

"That's why I really enjoy playing a tough exhibition game like Kentucky. They can say whatever they want, but now you have to go face them in that beehive," he said. "That's who you are. When you walk out of there, that's who you are that day. Let's learn from that, let's get better, and get ready for that first real game."

Purdue has scheduled road exhibition games the previous two seasons, as well. Two years ago, the Boilermakers traveled to play Arkansas. Last year, they went to Omaha to take on Creighton.

Those preseason matchups have served as reminders that, no matter what the media or fans say, performance on the court speaks much louder.

"A lot of times, success will mess with you a lot more than failure. That failure gets you on edge, the failure makes you look at things clearly," Painter said. "Where you can win by a basket or two and you think you dominated a game, when in reality, you didn't."

Why Painter loves playing tough exhibition games

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