Purdue Hoping to Have Better Energy in Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal vs. Michigan

INDIANAPOLIS — Purdue may have been the team more rested entering Thursday night's game, but it was USC that brought the energy most of the night. The Boilermakers pulled out a 76-71 win to advance to the quarterfinals, but they didn't deny that they lacked fire throughout the night.

It was a sluggish start for Purdue, which trailed USC by 10 points at one point in the first half. It was a bit disappointing, as the Trojans were coming off a double-overtime battle with Rutgers the previous night.

Although the Boilers were able to escape with a victory, Trey Kaufman-Renn said he and his teammates have to be better to start games moving forward.

"Our energy was horrible at the beginning of the game," he told reporters. "We've got to get other guys too, me included, getting better energy to start the game."

Throughout the course of the season, Purdue has had times where it has struggled to find that energy. That has usually happened on nights when the ball doesn't go through the basket. Coach Matt Painter says it's something his team has to learn to play through.

"Obviously, we had a tough time finding our energy," Painter said. "We've had some pretty good starts to games over the course of the year, so then you don't look at it like energy is a problem, but when we miss it, miss shots, it becomes a problem. You hope through experience and maturity that that's not the case because we do have a lot of guys that have been in games such as this."

Purdue got a taste of how difficult life can be in the Big Ten Tournament when you don't start games with fire and passion. It's not going to get any easier, either. The Boilermakers will take on No. 3 seed Michigan on Friday night in the quarterfinal round — an opponent they played twice during the regular season.

The Boilers pummeled Michigan at Mackey Arena in January, but the Wolverines got the win in Ann Arbor less than a month later. Both teams would love the chance to win the series with a chance to reach the semifinal round of the Big Ten Tournament on Saturday.

It's why coming out with energy — regardless of whether the shots are falling — is so vital.

"Whether you're rebounding, getting 50-50 balls, you've got to be able to find your energy," Painter said. "Great players when it's not their night still find their energy and help their team win. It took us a while, but we eventually got there, which is a good sign."

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