Purdue is done with exhibitions and now gets thrown straight into the deep end.
On Monday in Las Vegas, the Boilermakers open the regular season against No. 15 Gonzaga in the Hall of Fame Series, a stage that gives Matt Painter’s team an immediate chance to land a statement win.
After a rough 76-53 exhibition loss to No. 4 UConn on Tuesday night, Painter met with reporters on Thursday and spent much of the conversation revisiting what went wrong, while also laying out what has to sharpen up before tipoff.
The UConn game exposed a few clear trouble spots. Purdue hit only two of 25 shots from beyond the arc, was beaten on the glass 40-34, and committed two more turnovers than the Huskies. Painter said the issues weren’t hard to spot.
"We've got to do a better job of rebounding, do a better job of embracing the physicality of the game. And then, just executing and understanding that we have to get into what we're doing earlier," Painter said.
"If you're going to play at the end of the shot clock, the ball has to be in the hands of someone who can go make plays. That's how we have to be able to orchestrate, running good offense and getting a quality shot, because if you play to the end of the shot clock against some really good teams, you're going to have some really poor possessions."
That execution piece matters even more for a Purdue group that brings back experience but is still working through new roles. Painter made it clear the Boilers have to be cleaner on both ends, and he pointed to communication as the biggest defensive separator so far.
"Communication is the key. That's probably the one thing that jumped out for me from a defensive standpoint," Painter said.
"When you're the low man, and you're at the rim, you've got to be the loudest, because you see nine other people on the court. So it's important that you paint a picture with your voice while you're on the court, and we just don't have that."
Painter added that veteran players need to be more vocal, but he also stressed that the whole roster has to help by using its voice.
The exhibition schedule wasn’t built to give Purdue easy wins, and Painter said that was by design. Even a lopsided loss like the one to UConn can serve a purpose if the lessons stick.
"Playing that game is to get ready for this game," Painter said. "If you play better, you like it.
It magnifies your issues. No one is sitting around watching that film thinking, 'We've got this figured out.'
We don't have it figured out. We have to keep working, have to keep plugging."
Now the challenge gets even tougher. Gonzaga brings speed, quickness and size, and Mark Few’s teams are known for playing fundamentally sound basketball and rarely beating themselves. Painter said Purdue’s first priority is keeping the Bulldogs out of transition, where they do their best work.
"Great in transition, good size," Painter said. "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, setting your defense."
Purdue and Gonzaga tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET, with the game set to air on TNT.
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