Purdue Frustrated by 3-Game Losing Skid, Remains Confident Moving Forward

For most of the guys wearing a black-and-gold uniform, this past week has provided a new basketball experience. It's not a particularly good one, either. For the first time since the 2019-20 season, Purdue has lost three consecutive games, dating back to last Tuesday's loss to Michigan. For most of the players in the locker room, it's the first time they've ever experienced that type of skid.

Purdue dropped a 75-66 contest to Michigan State at the Breslin Center on Tuesday, extending the losing streak to three games. The Boilermakers have also fallen to Michigan (75-73) and Wisconsin (94-84) over the last week.

These are unchartered waters for the Boilers, filled with waves of emotion, especially as they watch their hopes of winning a third straight Big Ten title sink.

"Obviously, everybody is a little bit frustrated, nobody likes to lose," said junior guard Fletcher Loyer. "Especially three in a row, especially when you have a chance to win the Big Ten."

Before last week's game against Michigan, Purdue stood atop the Big Ten standings and controlled its own destiny. Now, it owns an 11-5 record and conference play and sits in fourth place, two games out of the lead.

Yes, the Boilers are disappointed with how they've played in the last three games, especially with so much at stake. Some of that has boiled over to frustration on the court, but that's not always a bad sign.

"You don't want to lose any games, but at the same time some of it's good, to be honest," junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn said. "It shows that the guys care. Everybody that is on the floor wants to win and win really bad for themselves and the program. It means so much to them. I like a little bit of it, but you can't let it affect the game and how you're playing."

While Kaufman-Renn likes to see a little bit of that emotion, none of it has spilled over into the locker room. There's been no finger-pointing and nobody has played the blame game.

Loyer says he and his teammates have handled the three-game skid as well as they can, even though some of the outside noise has grown louder.

"The fans aren't (keeping their poise), Twitter is not, but we're not worried about that," Loyer said. "We're worried about what's in the locker room and we know we've got a good team."

As frustrating as the last week has been for Purdue, it's still important to remember this is a team that had 11 wins in a 12-game stretch, dating back to late December. The Boilermakers have ranked wins over No. 2 Alabama, No. 12 Michigan, No. 20 Maryland and No. 24 Ole Miss. They've won five true road games this season.

There a lot of positives on Purdue's resumé, though they can be hard to spot given the recent struggles. But the success the Boilermakers have enjoyed this season is a big reason why guys aren't panicking in West Lafayette.

"If I didn't believe in these guys and I didn't think we were any good, I'd probably go home and be real pissed," Loyer said. "I believe in the coaches, I believe in the guys in the locker room. I know we're going to be alright, it's just a matter of everybody else believing that and focusing."

For Purdue, a lot of that "focus" as to be on what lies ahead instead of what has happened in the past. While the hopes of a regular season Big Ten title hinge on the assistance of Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin, the Boilermakers are still in a great position to earn a top-four spot in the Big Ten Tournament.

By finishing fourth or better in the conference, Purdue would secure that all-important double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament. But it won't come easy, as the Boilermakers have a road trip to Bloomington for a rivalry clash with Indiana on Sunday. Then, Purdue hosts UCLA and Rutgers at Mackey Arena before closing the regular season at Illinois.

Right now, though, the only thing the Boilers are focused on is correcting the errors that have led to a three-game skid.

"To be honest, it's just one game at a time. Figuring out what you did wrong, go watch a lot of film — I know the coaches are going to do the same thing," Kaufman-Renn said. "As a team, we're going to collectively figure out what we need to get better at. You just have to focus on staying ahead, you can't change the best."

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