Purdue's 4-Game Skid Not Unfamiliar Territory for Assistant Coach Terry Johnson

Purdue assistant coach Terry Johnson was on staff when Butler went through a rough patch in the 2010-11 season. The end result? A trip to the national title game.

Purdue assistant coach Terry Johnson | Nikos Frazier / Journal & Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK

If it could have been avoided, Purdue would have preferred to not lose four straight games. But since there's no way to change the past, Boilermakers assistant coach Terry Johnson is drawing on previous experience to help keep things steady in West Lafayette.

After winning 11-of-12 games earlier this year, Purdue has hit a rut. The Boilermakers have dropped four straight contests, falling to Michigan, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Indiana. Yes, this is a new thing for those currently at Purdue — the program's last four-game skid came in the 2019-20 season — but Johnson has been in this situation before.

Johnson was an assistant coach at Butler from 2007-17. He was a member of the program when it reached the National Championship Game in back-to-back seasons — 2010 and 2011.

During the 2009-10 season, Butler went 33-5 with an 18-0 record in the Horizon League. The Bulldogs earned a No. 5 seed and reached the National Championship game, losing to Duke.

The next year, Butler went through some changes, primarily losing Gordon Hayward from the previous season. At one point in late January, the Bulldogs had lost four times in five games.

So, while it's been a bumpy road recently, Johnson knows the world isn't ending.

"We will bounce back. I've kind of been in this position before," Johnson said on Purdue Basketball Live. "We hit a skid — a little bit sooner, probably late January — and you have a Come to Jesus meeting. We had that today. A lot of guys met with (coach Matt Painter). You get back to playing Purdue basketball and being consistent in our work, and having fun with it."

What happened to Butler after that temporary derailment? The Bulldogs won their final seven regular season games, won the Horizon League Tournament and reached the National Championship Game for a second straight season.

Butler rattled off 14 consecutive victories and got the chance to compete for an NCAA title for a second straight season.

"The guys got together, had a meeting. Some of them started with themselves and then we just took off," Johnson said. "Now, am I saying we're going to do this here? It's going to be hard ... but we just have to roll our sleeves up and get back to playing Boilermaker basketball."

Although Purdue's situation might be different, it's still similar to what Butler experienced over a decade ago. The Boilers were in the National Championship Game last season and have hit a slick spot.

Getting back to the National Championship Game would be a tall order for the Boilermakers, but it should serve as motivation. The season is far from over. And, as we've learned time and again, anything can happen in March.

Johnson knows that better than anyone.

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