Purdue Reaches Major Reflection Point Defensively Following Loss to Indiana
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The frustration was visible on the faces of Purdue's senior trio following Tuesday night's 72-67 loss to Indiana. Rather than walking out of Assembly Hall for the final time with a victory, the Boilermakers exited the building with fingernails full of hair. The preseason No. 1 team suffered its third straight loss, leaving Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn scratching their heads.
Shortly after the final seconds evaporated from the scoreboard, Loyer was asked for his thoughts on losing in Bloomington on his last trip into town. He didn't mince any words with his response.
“It sucks, so that’s one. Two, frustrated because we lost," Loyer said. "Three, we have to get better. There’s another one for you.”
What happened at Assembly Hall has been a theme in Purdue's last three games. The Boilermakers played well enough to get a lead in the first 13 minutes of the first half, but squandered it in the final seven minutes.
Purdue was able to take a 23-19 advantage at the under-eight media timeout, with just over seven minutes to play. But Indiana came out of that break and finished off the half on a 21-6 run. The Hoosiers led 40-29 at the break and never relinquished the lead.
Similar situations unfolded in losses to UCLA and Illinois last week. Purdue had a 12-point lead in the first half in Los Angeles, but the Bruins tied it up at halftime. Then, in the loss to the Fighting Illini, the Boilers held two double-digit leads in the first half, but Brad Underwood's team only trailed by four points at the midway mark.
The offense hasn't been perfect during this three-game skid, but Purdue's defense has been the reason behind the team's recent shortcomings.
“It gets frustrating, to be frank with you. We have too good of a team," coach Matt Painter said. "If they just come in here and play lights out and knock our socks off, but that wasn’t the case. We have to do a better job. We have to find some guys who will do it for 40 minutes.”
Tuesday night's loss felt different than the previous two to UCLA and Illinois. This was the first time Purdue seemed disjointed for the majority of the game. Indiana was the aggressor from the opening jump. When the Hoosiers faced adversity, they responded.
The Boilermakers came alive late, but it was too late.
“They got to the ball quicker than we did, we weren’t locked in defensively. We’ve got to be better," Smith said. "We have to bring the fight early, and we didn’t do that.”
Purdue can talk about the frustration it felt after the loss to Indiana, but bringing the energy and fight in a rivalry game should be a non-negotiable, especially for a team that spoke so openly about wanting to win a national title. Getting outworked on the glass and outhustled for loose ball simply can't happen — not in a rivalry game, nor in any Big Ten game.
So, what's the fix?
Harping on defensive improvement
Purdue was held well below its season average of 84 points per game in the loss to Indiana, but the offense wasn't the major talking point. Instead, most of the attention was on Indiana shooting 12-of-33 from behind the three-point line and 46% from the floor.
Those aren't astronomical shooting numbers for the Hoosiers, but several of those makes came at critical junctures. And, Indiana's percentages could have been higher. Purdue was slow in its rotations, often leaving guys wide open.
“We have to have a better focus and understanding and defending," Painter said. "Understanding what they’re trying to run, who the hell has the ball, who am I guarding, am I in this gap? The things we work on every single day.”
Last year, when Purdue struggled on the defensive end, issues with communication on the court were the primary culprit. Smith says that the issue has reared its ugly head again.
The senior guard also said that guys have lost focus and aren't sticking to their assignments.
“I think it’s as simple as, one, communicating. We’re playing in loud environments and we always play in a loud environment. We have to be better at communicating and understanding that," Smith said. "Two, just knowing the opposing team and what their players do and stick to the scout. I think we’re not doing that.”
Purdue still has time to figure out its defensive issues, but not much. Ten games remain in the regular season before the Big Ten Tournament and, ultimately, the NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers are on a time crunch, especially if they want to chase a second Final Four appearance.
Just a few weeks ago, Purdue looked like it had a defense good enough to win a conference title and make a deep run in March Madness. Right now, it's struggling to defend the perimeter and close out on shooters.
“We have to be a better defensive team, we have to compete and do a better job there," Painter said. "And I have to do a better job. We win together, we lose together, but we’ve gotta get it figured out quick.”
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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