What Matt Painter Said After Purdue's 104-68 Win Over Nebraska

Purdue earned its fifth straight victory on Sunday, defeating Nebraska 104-68. It was one of the top performances of the season for the Boilermakers, who connected on 19-of-33 shots from 3-point range.

Freshman CJ Cox scored a game-high 23 points, Fletcher Loyer added 19 and Trey Kaufman-Renn had 15 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Braden Smith ended with eight points and 14 assists.

Here's everything coach Matt Painter said following Purdue's blowout win.

On the play of Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn ...

Painter: "Yeah, I thought they were really good, I thought our whole team was unselfish, sharing the basketball. They obviously have a connection in our ball-screen package. Braden's ability to get the ball in position for guys to score or get the ball in position for Trey to score or Trey to pass.

"We were able to get a lot of stuff in transition because we were able to rebound, and that's what's always held us back. When we struggle to rebound, we can't get out in transition and be able to steal some points. But I was pleased with our passing and our unselfishness."

On Purdue's ability to take care of the basketball vs. Nebraska ...

Painter: "Everything looks better when you make shots. You look great when you make 19 threes. I thought against Rutgers, we didn't look great because we were 4-of-24, but in terms of decision-making, both nights were really good. One night you made shots, one night you didn't. So, a lot of times, the untrained eye can't see that, can't understand that. But if you watch basketball and are like, 'Hey, those are good shots, they're just not going in,' you've got to stay with it. That's what we've tried to do. We've tried to stay positive about it, keep making good decisions, keep taking those shots. You saw tonight, they can go in.

"I think that's where it starts for us, both offensively and defensively. Just our execution and then taking care of the ball and getting a quality shot. Analytically, we scored at a pretty high clip tonight, but then we're setting our defense when we take good shots. When they've got to take the ball out, you're going to do a better job of setting your defense, even though in the second half we proved that to be false a couple of times."

On the play of CJ Cox since becoming a starter ...

Painter: "He does a good job of getting into the basketball (defensively) more than anything. We really wanted to give Brice Williams that attention like we've give the other top scorers in the last couple of games. I think him and Myles (Colvin) do a really good job of tag-teaming that in terms of (CJ) subbing out — whether that's four minutes, five minutes, six minutes — and then Myles coming in. Gicarri (Harris) gets in that mix a little bit, but it's mainly those two guys.

"With guys like Ace Bailey and (Nick) Martinelli, those guys are bigger, so it lands more with Cam (Heide) and Caleb (Furst) on that front, even though we switch a lot and everybody guards somebody.

"I thought CJ was great. He had some timely threes in the first half and then he really got it going in the second half of making shots and those guys finding him, got to his pull-up a few times, which he needs to do more."

On having a guard as a talented as Braden Smith ...

Painter: "The people that have your most usage, when they're passers and they're unselfish, that's contagious, just like it's contagious when somebody doesn't, right? We all know that. You get with somebody that's a ball hog, you get with somebody who won't share the basketball, people don't want to play with him.

"So, a guy like Zach Edey, even though it's in a different context, it's the same as Braden Smith, because they're both passers. If you double team Zach, he passes the basketball. Braden, sometimes we've got to get him to shoot the basketball more because that's what this team needs. But that's contagious on a good front. Anytime that happens or we get into action and do different things, those guys know that they have to be ready for him because he's going to pass the basketball and you've got to be ready."

On the process of settling on this current starting lineup ...

Painter: "More than anything, I think we have more than five starters. So, when you start a season, you're trying to figure things out. Obviously, Daniel (Jacobsen) upset the apple cart by getting hurt and that really helped open a window, whether that was for Cam or whether or that was for Caleb. Both of them have played more since then and they both have done really well.

"I just thought after the Toledo game and Texas A&M and Auburn, I thought from a physical standpoint you have to be able to play against them. I think Caleb helps us in that area. Where Cam got himself in that position is, I didn't start Cam but he kept finishing games. He kept being the one that was better for us to finish those games, so we put him in the starting lineup. As it went on, we played some really physical teams, and I think Caleb matches to those guys better.

"Through the Toledo game, I just didn't think we were very tough and I didn't think we were quick to the ball. It's one of those things where you don't know if it's always going to work, but it just seemed like we have to make a change here. Sometimes it's good for those guys to start, but it's also good for those other guys to come off the bench. It was great to see Myles have a really good game. He's done some really good things for us. Cam's done some really good things for us.

"It's what we really tried to orchestrate in the summer and the fall. We would keep Fletcher (Loyer), Braden and Trey always on the main team, then we'd mix in the other two guys. Everybody always played better with Braden. Then we'd go on the other team, and we didn't have enough play-making on that team. You wouldn't look as good then. Everybody needed to start with those three guys.

"We have some guys like Gicarri, Myles and Cam, they could finish games. They've played well enough in the last two weeks. There's a lot of people who would have finished today if the game was close, because I thought a lot of guys played well."

On Trey Kaufman-Renn having seven assists and no turnovers ...

Painter: "(Nebraska) is going to come up on their ball screens and they've given us a lot of trouble in the past. What opens things up is when you make shots. So, we don't make shots tonight, he wouldn't have as many opportunities.

"We're trying to run actions and get those big guys moving and then create a pocket so Trey can get that ball in that sweet spot, around the nail, elbows area and now be able to play. The thing that makes him special in those areas is he can make that floater. If he can't make that floater, they can stay back. Now they get you to dribble, now they can swarm you once you dribble. He does a good job being able to make that.

"Where he gets in trouble is if he takes that and he dribbles immediately without surveying the land. You've got to catch it, you've got to pause. Now, if you get help on a one-man side, you've got to hit that corner. If he stays home and they help up, you've got your flip-up dunk. If they help up and now they crack down, now you've got a spray out on the two-man side. Then the point guard threw it, and if that guy comes down, you can throw it right back out.

"You've got to take all that in and digest that in a breakdown drill where we move people around and do different stuff. So, when we run our stuff, we don't try to tell him, 'OK, here's what they're going to do.' Some people will get to where in regular ball screen defense they're going to do the same thing all the time. But once you get pocket passes, how people cover that, it varies. It really varies.

"You don't want them to go with a pre-determined thought of, 'OK, this is going to happen and this is going to help.' No, just catch it, don't dribble, pause for a second. Trey's proven that he can get it, pause and then just drive it and get a layup. It doesn't look like it can happen once the play starts, but once they spray out to shooters and you got guys knocking down shots, that's what opens things up."

On Purdue forcing more turnovers in the last three games ...

Painter: "Just trying to have more active hands. And then we've pressured more with our bigs. I think that is something we haven't done in the past because of our ultimate size where we can't, and we just want to anchor. Now, those guys getting up on the basketball a little bit more. Especially with everybody that plays five out and they draw people out and they open the paint. Now, things are happening where they're getting some things, but our pressure, they're having to worry about instead of picking us apart because we're back.

"When you're back, sometimes you'll take some plays where people cut through, where it won't be as clean. Once you get it, you're probably going to get something at that point. ... We have tried to do that and be more detailed and more clean with our switches while seeing the basketball, making sure when they go iso ball screens that we anchor our low man. Dribble down post-ups, we anchor our low man and just really keep the ball out of the paint.

"The last three or four games — I don't know what our total numbers are — but at halftime we have had really, really good numbers — Northwestern, Rutgers and this game — of the ball staying out of the paint. When it does, we've had a lot of success. When the ball doesn't stay out of the paint, we don't have as much success. And that holds true for everybody. If you watch a pick-up game or the NBA Finals or this game, all those games, when the ball gets in the paint, more times than not, good things are going to happen."