Three days after his team “messed up” and blew a double-digit halftime lead against Ohio State, head coach Matt Painter and the #11 Purdue Boilermakers (16-5, 8-2 Big Ten) came to play angry Friday night against Dusty May and his #21 Michigan Wolverines (14-5, 6-2 Big Ten). Within the game’s opening minute, the Boilers had forced two Michigan turnovers and set the tone for what became a 91-64 rout of the Wolverines.
On Purdue’s annual Hammer Down Cancer fundraiser night, the Boilermakers brought the hammer down on Michigan. Purdue led by as many as 30 points and forced the Wolverines into 22 turnovers on the night. Preseason All-Big Ten selection Braden Smith posted a double-double with 24 points and 10 assists.
Dusty May Questions Michigan Wolverines’ Toughness
Michigan head coach Dusty May addressed the media after the game and did not mince words when asked about what disappointed him the most on Friday night:
“The competitive spirit that we didn’t play with.”
May felt his team wasn’t just out-played Friday night, but also out-spirited by a Purdue team playing with a chip on its shoulder.
“If we’re going to be a championship-level program, we’ve got to be able to rise to the occasion or at least match the energy and spirit of a championship-caliber program. And we’re not there yet.”
When addressing his team’s turnover problems, May stated that he doesn’t think his team is playing with the right amount of poise when it comes to ball security:
“The turnovers are obviously a theme. We’re just loose, we’re casual… We haven’t risen to the challenge from a physicality standpoint… But we’re going to be obsessed with getting to the point we need to where we match the level of intensity and physicality in these games.”
Turnovers have been a months-long plague upon the Wolverines’ season. After Friday’s contest, Michigan now averages 15.0 turnovers per game, the worst mark in the Big Ten and the 18th-worst in Division I. The Wolverines have an uphill battle to win the Big Ten with those kinds of turnovers: since 2003, no team has won the Big Ten Tournament after leading the conference in turnovers per game.
Matt Painter On Purdue Boilermakers’ Dominant Win
After the game, Purdue head coach Matt Painter credited his team’s defensive pressure, especially the efforts from freshman guard C.J. Cox, for setting the tone for the win:
“I thought our ball pressure, especially CJ (Cox), I thought he set the tone. The first eight turnovers they had in the first seven or eight minutes, I thought set the tone for the game.”
Cox had 3 steals in the contest to complement 11 points on 3/4 shooting from the field.
Matt Krohn, Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Painter told reporters that he knows first-hand how a turnover problem can ruin a team’s game plan. In an 81-70 loss to Penn State on December 5, the Boilermakers committed 24 turnovers and struggled to get into an offensive rhythm.
Painter credited his team’s depth Friday night, saying that being able to go nine-deep with his rotation lets him shift lineups without sacrificing production on the court:
“Having depth and having balance really helps us. Obviously, Trey (Kaufman-Renn) got in foul trouble in the first half a little bit. C.J. (Cox) got into a little bit of foul trouble. But all those guys were ready to play. I think we’re really seeing some improvements with our guys off the bench and our overall depth.”
Only three days after an embarrassing second-half collapse against Ohio State snapped Purdue’s 26-game home winning streak, Painter was impressed with how quickly his team was able to regroup and respond:
“Tonight was a great sign from just getting off the canvas. Doesn’t feel good to lose. Nobody likes that… I was glad our guys responded. You never really look at it from an offensive standpoint. You hope shots go in, you hope to execute, you’re going to work things. We get ourselves prepared in that area, but if it doesn’t go, can you beat a really good team?”
The Purdue Boilermakers will hope the momentum carries forward into their next game. The Boilers host the Indiana Hoosiers (14-6, 5-4 Big Ten) on January 31. The Hoosiers and head coach Mike Woodson are in the midst of their own struggles, having lost three of their last four games. The Michigan Wolverines return to Ann Arbor for a January 27 matchup with the Penn State Nittany Lions (13-7, 3-6 Big Ten).
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