Author: Jon Stillman

Following the Purdue Boilermakers’ resounding 81-61 victory in Minneapolis over the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Boilers’ head coach Matt Painter broke down the game in his post-game press conference, which you can see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it5Ukw1JVMM One main theme from his words that came up more than once was his approval of how his team took care of the ball; Purdue committed a season-low three turnovers, well under their season average of 12 coming into the game. Here are some highlights from Painter’s comments: On Caleb Furst and his insertion into the starting lineup: Painter said: “We just felt like, the other…

For Thursday’s game at Minnesota, Purdue Boilermakers head basketball coach Matt Painter went into the lab and heavily tinkered with his starting lineup for the second time this season. In both cases, the result of his experimenting earned the Boilermakers a decisive victory. C.J. Cox and Caleb Furst were inserted into the starting five, replacing Camden Heide and Myles Colvin, and joined mainstays Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Fletcher Loyer. To help matters, Purdue took much better care of the basketball, only turning the ball over three times the entire game, and improved their rebounding compared to recent games, and…

After back-to-back losses to ranked SEC opponents on neutral courts, the Purdue Boilermakers basketball team was desperate for a rebound outing on Sunday against the Toledo Rockets. Braden Smith made sure the Boilers emerged victoriously. The junior guard from Westfield, IN, poured in a career-high 34 points, with 6 of 13 shooting from distance, and added 12 assists to lead Purdue to an 83-64 win at Mackey Arena in their last scheduled non-conference game of the season. Smith’s performance was the first in school history to boast at least 30 points and 10 assists in one game. Junior forward Trey…

Heading into the holidays after the first two months of the season, most college basketball programs across the country would gladly switch places with a team that is 8-4 and currently ranked as the 21st-best squad in the nation. However, fans of Purdue basketball in West Lafayette, Indiana and elsewhere across the map know the team for which they root is not “most” organizations. While the Boilermakers’ first segment of their schedule has had plenty of positives on which to build, supporters of the black and gold have come to expect a certain level of competency from their team. After…

In a battle of two top-20 teams on Saturday, the #2-ranked Auburn Tigers showed just how much the 16th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers need to improve to in order to compete with the elite of college basketball. Playing on a neutral court in front of a decidedly pro-Auburn crowd in Birmingham’s Legacy Arena, Purdue succumbed to the pressure-cooker defense employed by the Tigers and fell 87-69. The final score was not indicative of the dominant performance displayed by Auburn; the Boilers actually outscored the Tigers by 15 over the final 7:01 of the game after Auburn built their largest lead to 33.…

Although never being labeled as a team who ducks a tough opponent, the Purdue Boilermakers basketball team came out on the short end in a game against nationally-ranked Texas A&M on Saturday. The loss marked the third setback of their season, and the second to a squad in the AP-Top 25. The Aggies’ recipe for success was lifted from the scouting reports of then-ranked #15 Marquette and Penn State, the two other teams to defeat Purdue, on how to combat the Boilers: force Purdue into unforced errors. That area of weakness was exposed once again on Saturday; Purdue committed 16…

After stumbling through their game against Penn State on December 5, the Purdue basketball program clinched a much-needed gut-check victory over Maryland on Sunday at Mackey Arena. However, the Boilermakers have no time to rest on their laurels. The 17th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies, who stand at a very respectable 8-2, are next on Purdue’s challenging non-conference slate, and the two teams will tangle at Indianapolis’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse as part of the 2024 Indy Classic beginning at noon ET. Texas A&M’s Non-Conference Schedule Just As Formidable Aggies’ head coach Buzz Williams took a page out of Matt Painter’s playbook. Painter, the…

Purdue basketball head coach Matt Painter addressed the media across a variety of topics after his Boilermakers defeated Maryland, 83-78, on Sunday afternoon. Here is a summary of his responses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQe2dTZ3Z5M On coping with Maryland’s bigs, Julian Reese and Derik Queen: “It helped that Reese got into foul trouble. Those guys didn’t score much in the first half, they just got every rebound. Maryland was plus nine on the glass (in the first half), and then in the second half we did a much better job. I think we were plus-six. Those guys (Reese and Queen) are aircraft carriers, they…

In a game marked by large scoring runs by both teams, the Purdue Boilermakers outlasted the Maryland Terrapins at Mackey Arena on Sunday afternoon, 83-78. After losing at Penn State on Thursday night, Purdue faced the possibility of starting a Big 10 season 0-2 for the first time in 11 years. Thanks to a comeback victory spurred by their best players, Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Fletcher Loyer, not to mention some valuable contributions from Camden Heide, the Boilers avoided that distinction and extended their home-winning streak to 23 games, their last Mackey Arena-loss coming at the hands of Indiana…

One of the main concerns for Purdue head coach Matt Painter in the early stages of this season is his team’s ability to avoid turning the ball over. On Wednesday, Painter’s worst fears came true. The 8th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers turned the ball over 24 times, their most this season, en route their second loss of the 2024-25 season, falling handily on the road to the Penn State Nittany Lions 81-70 in a contest where the score was much closer than the battle actually was. The game was the Big 10 opener for both squads. Boilermakers Unable To Handle Penn State’s…

No true Purdue Boilermakers basketball fan will soon forget the legacy left behind in West Lafayette by two-time national player of the year, Zach Edey. The 7-4 big man gave all one player could give during his time with the Boilers; Purdue reached the national championship game last year, the first time they had done that since 1969, and that would not have been remotely possible without him manning his post. How the Boilermakers respond to Edey’s absence from the middle of the paint this season has been and will continue to be a major story line for Purdue; their…

For fans of all things black and gold, one thing is certain: Now that the Purdue football season has ended, all eyes and attention become squarely centered on the school’s basketball team. And now that the bulk of their highly successful non-conference slate is over, the Purdue basketball team now sets their sights on the next phase, the Big 10 conference schedule, which begins Thursday, December 5, against Penn State in University Park, PA. Game time is set for 6:30 ET and will be televised on FS1. State Of The Boilermakers After Their Tournament Victory Aside from the clunker produced…

Behind hot shooting, sound rebounding, and a little luck, the Purdue Boilermakers beat the Ole Miss Rebels 80-78 on Friday to claim the 2nd Annual Rady Children’s Invitational title in San Diego. Combined with their semifinal win over North Carolina State on Thursday, Purdue had the privilege of packing the tournament’s championship trophy on their flight back to West Lafayette. The victory pushed the Boilermakers’ non-conference record to 7-1 before their Big 10 schedule begins on Thursday, December 5, in State College, Pennsylvania against Penn State. Purdue Burned The Nets And Manned The Boards In The First Half Friday marked…

Purdue head coach Matt Painter’s post-game comments following his team’s 71-61 victory over North Carolina State on Thursday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnNIwjT5qaI

No one in the college basketball realm would have a leg to stand on if they challenged the validity and toughness of the Purdue Boilermaker basketball team’s non-conference schedule. Especially in November, their choice of opponents prove they aren’t ducking anyone. On Thursday for a special Thanksgiving Day matinee game in the 2nd-annual Rady’s Children Invitational in San Diego, Purdue, for the second time in the span of two weeks, takes on a 2024 Final Four team when they face the North Carolina State Wolfpack. The Boilers, a national finalist last year themselves, are 5-1 and beat one of the…