Purdue didn’t go to Hartford expecting a pretty night. It went there looking for answers.
The Boilermakers got them, even if the lesson came wrapped in a lopsided 76-53 loss to No. 4 UConn on Tuesday.
With the regular season about to begin and No. 15 Gonzaga waiting in Las Vegas next Monday night, Purdue now has a clear snapshot of what needs fixing before the games start counting.
Starting point guard Omer Mayer said the defeat left a mark, but the right kind.
"It really humbled us, but in a good way. We are hungrier; we have more motivation, even more than we had before," starting point guard Omer Mayer said.
"It's not about the losing; it's about how you react after a loss like that. It's an exhibition, but we make it count for us because we have to learn from our mistakes and get better."
The harshest number from the game was Purdue’s work from deep. The Boilermakers hit just 2 of 25 shots from three-point range, an 8% clip, and they finished under .390 from the field overall. That kind of shooting line usually tells the whole story, but this one was bigger than a cold night.
Junior guard Gicarri Harris said the issue started with effort and rebounding, while also pointing to the speed of the game and the number of newcomers getting their first crack at a high-level opponent.
"From the UConn game, it was just our effort; rebounding the ball was the big thing," said junior guard Gicarri Harris. "Offensively, we were a little bit sped up.
But there were a lot of new guys playing their first game against a high-caliber team like that. I think, now that we got that game out of the way ... we'll be in a much better position."
Matt Painter also made it clear the game wasn’t a perfect mirror of what Purdue will look like once the season is underway. He went deeper into his bench than he normally would, shuffled through rotations and gave several players extended run as he used the exhibition to test different combinations.
Still, one message came through loud and clear: effort isn’t optional.
"Each and every one of us going out and maximizing our effort and maximizing our minutes," Harris said. "No matter if you're playing four minutes or you're playing the whole game, play as hard as you can at all times."
Now the Boilermakers turn right around and head to Las Vegas for a much bigger stage. Their season opener comes against Gonzaga in the Hall of Fame Series, and Purdue won’t have the luxury of easing into things with a soft landing.
Painter described the Bulldogs as a team that can punish mistakes in transition and said Purdue has to be sharper with the ball and more disciplined in how it takes shots.
"Great in transition, good size," Painter said of Gonzaga. "There are a few areas that are going to be so important for us, no matter who we play, but we have to do a better job of keeping people out of transition.
These guys are really good in transition. That starts with taking care of the basketball, taking good shots, and setting your defense."
That’s why Painter likes these kinds of road exhibitions in the first place. Even with the Gonzaga game taking place at a neutral site, Purdue is still beginning the season away from Mackey Arena against elite competition.
And if the trip to Hartford did anything beyond handing Purdue a loss, it gave the Boilermakers a first road test and maybe took a little of the early-season nerves out of the room before the real games begin.
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The first test is anything but gentle. Purdue opens against No. 15 Gonzaga in the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas on Nov. 2, a matchup that will also serve as an early snapshot of where both programs stand after busy offseasons and new-look rosters. Gonzaga is entering a transition of its own as it moves toward the Pac-12 and reshapes around transfers and a new addition from Real Madrid, which only raises the stakes for Purdues first look at its post-Braden Smith identity. [Read more 🡒]
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For Purdue, the challenge is as much about self-inflicted damage as it is about anything the Nittany Lions do. The Boilermakers have to stay efficient on offense, avoid negative plays and finish drives when they get opportunities, because their defensive issues in tight spaces have already made the red zone a problem area. Penn State brings its own offensive questions into the matchup, but if Purdue cannot clean up those critical moments, the trip could become a lot harder than the record suggests. [Read more 🡒]