Purdue Striving for Better Mental Toughness, Concentration in Pivotal Stretch

Matt Painter writes it on the board before every game before plays — "be mentally and physically tougher than our opponent." On Saturday, Painter believed Wisconsin brought the fight to Purdue, rather than the other way around. That's something the Boilermakers are hoping to change in their final five regular season games.

Purdue dropped to 11-4 in Big Ten play after suffering back-to-back losses to Michigan and Wisconsin last week. They're only 1.5 games behind the Wolverines in the Big Ten standings, but every game has grown exponentially more important down the final stretch.

If the Boilers want a chance to win a third straight Big Ten title, getting back to that mental toughness is key.

"It's the most important thing. It far outweighs any of the physical deficiencies or lack of rest, however you want to say it," said junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn. "Right now, it's all mental. It's all mental for everybody at this point in the season. I think every team knows how they play and what they're trying to do ... right now it's just mental, making sure you're prepared for each game."

Mental fatigue showed itself in two different ways in the last two games. Last Tuesday, both Trey Kaufman-Renn and Caleb Furst fouled out late in the road trip to Ann Arbor. The Boilers lost that game 75-73, as Braden Smith's Hail Mary at the buzzer was off the mark.

Saturday, Purdue's defensive lapses led to Wisconsin living in the painted area, getting to the middle of the floor and shooting an incredible 20-of-22 from inside the 3-point line. To Painter, those problems on the defensive end were attributed to a lack of focus.

"I thought we had more concentration issues than we had physical issues. You have to have a defensive concentration about you where you concentrate and your determined and know what's going on," he said. "Like, if you're a good shooter, I'm going to break your rhythm — I'm not going to let you shoot a shot in rhythm. Then, if you do beat me, you're going to beat me to the baseline, you're not going to beat me to the middle. "

Games against Michigan and Wisconsin were important in Purdue's chase for a Big Ten regular season crown. But those losses didn't take the Boilers completely out of the running. With five games left, they still have a chance to three-peat.

But with a tough schedule remaining — at Michigan State, at Indiana, vs. UCLA, vs. Rutgers and at Illinois — the Boilermakers have to find that mental toughness again.

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