Matt Painter Discusses Benefit of Scheduling Tough Non-Conference Opponents

For the third time this season, Purdue will go toe-to-toe with a ranked opponent in the non-conference portion of its schedule. No. 10 Iowa State comes to Mackey Arena for a showdown with the top-ranked Boilermakers on Saturday. Scheduling these high-level matchups has become a theme for coach Matt Painter and his program.

Purdue has already played No. 12 Alabama and No. 19 Texas Tech, winning both games. The Boilermakers still have No. 10 Iowa State and No. 20 Auburn on the docket, a chance to add a few more signature wins to an already impressive resumé.

Scheduling these matchups has become a regular occurrence for Painter, and on Friday, he explained the advantages of playing in these games.

"It makes sense, right? I think it makes you better," Painter said. "I always call it picking your losses. Obviously, you're not trying to lose, you're trying to win, but if you get beat by Iowa State or if Iowa State gets beat by Purdue, you're not getting beat up when it comes to seeding. They're actually going to look at it as a positive."

Purdue has earned a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament each of the last eight seasons. A big reason behind that high seeding is because of its aggressive non-conference scheduling.

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter | David Leong-Imagn Images

Painter also believes playing in these games away from Mackey Arena — whether it's on the road or in a neutral-site environment — is also beneficial for his players.

"The neutrals are important, too, because the NCAA Tournament is neutral," Painter said. "Getting into different venues helps guys."

Saturday's game should be one of the best in the non-conference portion of the college basketball calendar. Both Purdue and Iowa State are 8-0 and both have high-powered offenses that can light up the scoreboard.

A win for either team would certainly go a long way with the NCAA selection committee in March. And the loss doesn't leave much of a wound, either.

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