Winning Big Ten Tournament is Exactly What Purdue Needed Entering March Madness

CHICAGO — To say there were some concerns about how Purdue's regular season ended may be an understatement. The Boilermakers were 6-7 in their last 13 games, which included losses in four of their final six. The primary culprit in those losses was a lack of focus on the defensive end.

All of that changed in Chicago, resulting in a Big Ten Tournament championship for Purdue, the third in program history. It didn't have an easy path to a title, either, playing No. 15 Northwestern, No. 2 Nebraska, No. 6 UCLA and No. 1 Michigan en route to a ring.

Offensively, Purdue did its thing in those four games, scoring at least 73 points in each of its four wins. Where this team showed the biggest improvement, though, came defensively.

"We needed this for confidence, more than anything," coach Matt Painter said. "The people who came into Mackey Arena and beat us, it wasn't offensive issues with us; we were very good offensively in those losses. We weren't good enough defensively. You can't forget about that. You have to defend, because there are games when the ball isn't going to go in. You have to grind it out, guard the ball, play good team defense and rebound the basketball."

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter gestures. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Ironically, Purdue's first game of the Big Ten Tournament may have been its worst defensively, at least from a statistical standpoint. Northwestern shot 53% from the floor and was 6-of-14 from behind the three-point line. The Boilermakers won the game 81-68 — a score not vindicative of the disparity between the two teams, but the Wildcats were the only team to shoot above 50% from the floor against Painter's squad for the entirety of the tournament.

Nebraska shot just 39% and was 10-of-31 from three-point range. The Boilermakers held UCLA to 44% shooting and Michigan connected on just 29% of its shots from behind the arc. Collectively, it was a much better defensive effort from Purdue.

That's why Purdue "needed" this type of run in Chicago. Yes, winning always feels good, but doing it on the defensive end — something the Boilers haven't done many times this season — provides this team with some confidence heading into March Madness.

Seniors explain why Big Ten Tournament win "feels good"

Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) cuts down a piece of the net. | David Banks-Imagn Images

When the season started, Purdue had aspirations of winning a Big Ten regular-season title. It was the first of many big goals the Boilermakers had set out for themselves for the 2025-26 campaign.

Michigan took that title, finishing the conference season with a 19-1 record. The Boilermakers were 13-7, which tied for sixth and resulted in the No. 7 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. But the Boilers mustered the energy to make one of the most impressive runs we've seen in this particular conference tournament.

"It feels great, man," senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn said. "We let Michigan get the regular season title, and that's what I told the guys before, we gotta win this one."

Purdue's seniors have accomplished a lot during their four-year careers in West Lafayette, and still have a lot more they'd like to add to the list. But, this week, that veteran core wanted to give the younger guys on the team the experience of winning a title.

"This one felt really good. Obviously, we want to go do more," senior guard Fletcher Loyer said. "To do it for this group of guys, these young guys who came in and proved they're about the team, they're about the university, they're about doing it for the group of guys and not themselves. It felt really good to win it for them. It felt great."

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