National Title or Bust? Matt Painter Responds to Expectations for Purdue
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The expectations in West Lafayette are as high as they've ever been. Purdue will be a top-three team in the preseason polls and a favorite to win the national championship this coming season. But is it national title or bust for the Boilermakers? Matt Painter responded to that question.
Friday, Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster of the Field of 68 visited Mackey Arena for an opportunity to speak with multiple Purdue players, as well as Painter. Dauster has labeled the 2025-26 campaign as a "national title or bust" year for the Boilermakers because of the talent on the roster.
Painter agrees with him.
"True. True," he said. "But 'bust' isn't like your program falls apart."
Painter said that this year feels similar to the 2023-24 season, a year in which Purdue finished with a 34-5 record, won the Big Ten and reached the National Championship Game. However, after that loss, there's always the wonder of when a team might return to that stage.
"When you walk off and you get beat by UConn and you have Zach Edey, when will we ever have a bite at the apple like this?" Painter said. "Where I did a poor job last year is ... (telling the team) we can still get back to a Final Four. It was still our goal, we just didn't talk about it all the time like we did the year before, like we're talking about it right now."
With seniors Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Fletcher Loyer all returning, along with the additions of Oscar Cluff, Omer Mayer, and Liam Murphy, many believe Purdue has the best roster in the country.
It's created sky-high expectations in West Lafayette, but nothing that scares Painter's team.
Purdue's success is not a fluke
Painter also wanted to emphasize that Purdue's expectations for the 2025-26 season aren't a random occurrence. The Boilermakers are held in such high regard because of the success the program has enjoyed over the past decade.
"I think when you've been No. 1 in the country — if this happens and we're preseason No. 1 — at some point, four out of the last five years, it's not just random here," Painter said. "That's not random."
This season, Purdue will be looking to win its third Big Ten title in four years. If the Boilers do reach the Final Four, it'll be the second time in three seasons.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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