Purdue Coach Matt Painter Previews NCAA Tournament
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Before Purdue basketball hits the road for its first-round matchup of the NCAA Tournament, coach Matt painter met with the media on Tuesday to discuss the team's preparation.
The No. 1-seeded Boilermakers have struggled in late-game scenarios as of late and narrowly defeated both Rutgers and Penn State during their Big Ten Tournament run. They led by as many as 17 points against the Nittany Lions on Sunday in the championship game and held on for a 67-65 win.
Without knowing its next opponent before Wednesday's play-in matchup between Texas Southern and Fairleigh Dickinson, Purdue is utilizing practice time to improve upon its mistakes.
"You're still having some struggles with it, you're never going to be perfect in the game," Painter said. "So as a coach, that always keeps something there. That's something we'll work on here today.
"We won't go very long, but we'll work on just taking care of the basketball. We'll work on different press scenarios and handling that stuff. But also, what you have to emphasize is a lot of the good things that are putting you in that position."
After taking a 60-43 lead with 6:18 left to play against the Nittany Lions, the Boilermakers were outscored 22-7 from then on. Against a team that it defeated twice in the regular season by an average margin of 16.5 points, Purdue's near collapse was cause for concern with March Madness on the horizon.
"We keep getting ourselves in really good positions and playing well, then we don't finish those games," Painter said. "Some of it is not taking care of the ball when people come and run and jump at us, or press us, or do different things.
"The other one is just not being able to make a wide-open shot to push the lead out. So when you compound that where you turn it over a little bit more and you're missing shots, then the other team feels better about it."
The team is scheduled to tip off in the first round at 6:50 p.m. ET at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Should the team move on to the second round, it would play the winner of a first-round game between Florida Atlantic and Memphis.
-----
Related Stories on Purdue Basketball
- Purdue Guard Ethan Morton Previews NCAA Tournament: Ahead of Purdue's trip to Columbus, Ohio, for the NCAA Tournament, junior guard Ethan Morton spoke about the team's focus and preparation. The Boilermakers will play the winner of a matchup between Texas Southern and Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round. CLICK HERE
- Purdue Earns No. 1 Seed in NCAA Tournament: Purdue enters the NCAA Tournament after winning the Big Ten Conference regular-season and tournament titles. The Boilermakers earned a No. 1 seed in the East Region with a 29-5 overall record and will play the winner of Texas Southern and Fairleigh Dickinson. CLICK HERE
- Purdue Captures Big Ten Tournament Win Over Penn State: Purdue won the 2023 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament championship game by surviving a late push from Penn State on Sunday at the United Center. Junior center Zach Edey led the way with 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting and came down with 13 rebounds. CLICK HERE
- Purdue, Penn State Big Ten Tournament Photo Gallery: Purdue defeated Penn State 67-65 in the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament title game on Sunday at the United Center in Chicago. Check out some of the best photos from the game and the team's postgame celebration. CLICK HERE
- Micah Shrewsberry Speaks on Purdue's NCAA Tourney Chances: "They're going to will themselves through some games when they don't shoot it well because of how they defend, because of how they rebound," Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry said of Purdue. CLICK HERE
-----
Keep up to date on everything at BoilermakersCountry.com by liking and following our Facebook page: Purdue Boilermakers on Sports Illustrated/FanNation.
