Purdue’s Big 10 Success Backfires as Matt Painter Suffers Shaky March Madness Future

The Purdue Boilermakers are once again dominating the Big 10 this season. They have rarely had a dull moment this season when it comes to their conference with only one loss so far. But is the head coach Matt Painter putting all his eggs in one basket? How much should a team pin its hopes on just one individual to carry them through?

Analysts recently weighed in on Purdue’s roster’s imbalanced situation while talking about their excellent season on The Field of 68 After Dark podcast. Analyst Jeff Goodman said, “I just wish he [Braden Smith] had a little more help in terms of ball handling so it wasn’t all on him when they do come after him. If they draw the wrong matchup in the NCAA tournament, they’re done. There’s nothing they can do.”

While some may argue that Painter’s roster is not so bad without Smith, his over-the-top contributions to the scoreboard are important to note. If we look at his performance in the recent game against Minnesota, he arguably carried his team to victory. He made 20 points but also managed to chip in 10 assists and 6 rebounds, almost single-handedly dominating the Gophers and brushing past a triple-double.

Goodman went on to state his expectations of other players that could support Smith. Painter can have a way better chance against the likes of MI State with a more evenly performing roster. He said, “I wish Colvin and Heide were just more consistent. [Then] We’d be looking at him completely different than we look at him right now which is still.”

The Boilermakers have seen a few good moments from Camden Heide this season but Painter may not be maximizing his potential. Myles Colvin too has the potential to be one of the key players. His recent game against Nebraska speaks for his talent when he electrified the crowd with his stellar flush. For now, Trey Kaufman-Renn and CJ Cox continue to support Smith in their Big 10 journey.

Regardless of Painter heavily relying on Braden Smith for his Big 10 dominance, he is still enjoying a winning streak of seven games. Let’s have a look at his most recent triumph against Oregon.

Matt Painter makes 7th straight win by defeating Oregon

The win against the Ducks is Purdue’s narrowest victory in a while at 65-58. The offense was seemingly hard to come by and it wasn’t easy for the Boilermakers. Therefore, fans were in for a defense battle with Purdue forcing 16 turnovers and out-rebounding the Ducks 37-32. Also, Purdue managed to shoot nearly twice as many free throws, making the most of their opportunities

However, Oregon fought to take a 31-30 lead at halftime but they had to struggle more after the break. Purdue went on an 11-0 rally while Oregon barely landed two points in the first eight minutes of the second half.

It was Oregon’s offense that lost them the nail-biting game with just 36% shots from the field. Meanwhile, the Boilermakers sealed their victory with relatively better defense by getting 7 blocks and 16 turnovers.

Painter faces a tough schedule ahead which includes meeting the Spartans at their home next month. For now, Purdue is due to meet Ohio State Buckeyes at their home. It can be a chance for the Buckeyes to get rid of their losing streak but Purdue can be a tough rival. Let’s see how long Painter keeps his winning streak.