Matt Painter Reacts to Purdue's 87-66 Win at Indiana
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 >> All right, I hope you're good, Mike.
00:01 So whoever ready, go ahead, first question.
00:04 Casey, start your hand up.
00:04 >> Matt, it really seemed like in the second half,
00:08 the run was kind of stopped by Ethan Warren coming in and having a good attack.
00:13 It was kind of like, how did your defense respond in that second half?
00:16 >> Yeah, we were getting pretty good shots, and
00:19 then they weren't going down to start the second half.
00:21 Their shots were, so obviously they made a quick,
00:23 they closed the gap that immediate time out by around ten points.
00:28 And when we subbed right there, I thought defense, I thought Cam did some good
00:32 things, I thought Ethan did some good things.
00:34 And they were able to push that lead back.
00:36 I think that's what we talk about with those guys, is what's the score when you
00:41 come in versus the score when you sub back out?
00:43 So it takes everybody, and
00:45 those guys have done a really good job defensively for us, Cam and Ethan.
00:50 We started Mason to start the second half just from an offensive spacing purpose.
00:54 And he played really well in the first half.
00:56 And then when Trey came in, it's funny how that works, right?
00:59 Trey played really well when he subbed back in for Mason,
01:02 did a lot of really good things.
01:03 So just proud of our guys, total team effort.
01:06 >> Matt, you know how these rivalry games can go.
01:08 What does it say about your guys coming in here,
01:11 hostile environment, you can have a really good-
01:13 >> Yeah, we have a lot of great wins,
01:15 but a lot of great neutral court wins.
01:18 And that's really helped our resume, but we haven't, outside of winning at Maryland,
01:21 we haven't really played that well on the road, true world games.
01:24 This is just our fourth game.
01:26 So we needed a game like this.
01:28 We needed to play better, we needed to shoot better.
01:30 But we also needed to give ourselves a chance and not turn the ball over.
01:33 I thought, looking at the box score, we gave ourselves a chance.
01:36 But when you get into these rivalry games, anything can go.
01:39 So when they quickly cut our lead by ten points,
01:42 it's exactly what you're thinking, right?
01:44 I know you guys have never stood up there and coached a game, but
01:47 you really think at that time, it's at four possessions, five possessions.
01:53 It can happen.
01:54 But you gotta keep your poise and keep your patience, and
01:58 just keep doing what you did to get in that position.
02:00 >> Not just the offensive plays, you gotta play slower, stop their runs.
02:04 >> Right. >> Just, what did that kinda say about
02:06 him and those moments?
02:07 >> Yeah, the three he made in the second half was big.
02:10 When they were making that run, he had to keep pushing back to 14.
02:13 And we got, it was at 11, but we just had timely shots.
02:17 It was very, very steady for us.
02:20 And I go in five for six, and four for four from three, and get 19 points.
02:25 But no, Fletch is a good player.
02:27 He does a great job of playing on the break.
02:29 He does a great job of playing offside.
02:31 >> Matt, at the very first media timeout of the game,
02:34 you put Mason in right after that.
02:35 He goes right at Embaco in the paint.
02:37 Embaco picks up his second.
02:39 >> Yeah. >> Is that maybe the first step in
02:40 putting you on the right path?
02:42 Embaco started well.
02:44 >> Yeah, he's a good player.
02:45 He's talented.
02:46 And his ability to make shots and his ability to do things off the bounce a little
02:51 bit, he's really coming.
02:53 He's one of those guys that's gonna be really good next year.
02:55 And he's had that learning curve.
02:58 You watch him the first five or six games, and now you watch him now,
03:01 he's a different player.
03:02 He's guarding, he's defending, he's doing what coach wants him to do.
03:06 But now it's a big play.
03:07 When you can come in there, you can bring guys like Mason Niles off your bench,
03:11 Caleb First off your bench, Ethan,
03:14 Cam, Miles, all those guys, it's a real spark.
03:18 Cuz they're really not subs.
03:20 They're really starters that come off.
03:22 >> Matt, last year, Braden left here.
03:24 I think he was a little down with the way that ended.
03:26 Tonight, his shot's not going down, but
03:27 he did a lot of other things to help you guys win the game.
03:30 You think that kinda shows the maturity of this guy, right?
03:32 >> Yeah, Braden's a good player.
03:33 He's competitive.
03:34 He's got poise.
03:35 He sees the floor.
03:36 Takes to coaching, understands what they're trying to do,
03:41 what they're trying to take away.
03:44 Has a good feel for where Zach is and what Zach's trying to do.
03:46 You gotta give him time.
03:48 Sometimes they get back in there, depending on how they're guarding him.
03:50 Outside of just his finishes, we just gotta do a better job of working with him on
03:55 some of his speed dribble finishes, cuz he's good.
03:57 He's good at that.
03:58 And tonight, it just didn't fall for him.
04:00 But he was in control of the game.
04:04 He had a bonus hands more than anybody on that court.
04:06 And he was definitely in control.
04:08 >> Matt, I'm sure it's not appropriate to ask your kind of person.
04:11 What more can you say about him?
04:12 >> He's almost certainly his last trip here.
04:15 >> Yeah. >> He played way too many games.
04:16 >> He's a good player.
04:17 He didn't shoot a great percentage.
04:19 It's a really good game for him.
04:22 We kept him in there a long time.
04:24 He didn't get very many breaks.
04:25 He played 36 minutes.
04:26 I thought when he got fatigued, he missed a couple.
04:28 But I also thought he got fatigued.
04:30 And he made a couple.
04:31 He kept going at wear, kept holding him accountable.
04:34 But Zach's the best.
04:36 There's no way around it.
04:38 He rebounds the basketball.
04:39 He causes a lot of attention.
04:41 You see when he goes one on one, he's gonna draw some fouls.
04:45 He's gonna score the basketball.
04:46 He accumulates a lot of rebounds.
04:48 He's a real tough cover.
04:50 >> Warren Renew finished pretty far below their season scoring numbers.
04:54 Just what did it take defensively to kind of limit those guys?
04:57 >> Yeah, Renew was the guy for us.
04:59 We thought that he was the one.
05:02 We gave him a lot of attention.
05:04 So when he dribbled him and he was extended, we put another guy there.
05:07 We went at him, tried to double him.
05:09 We got a couple rotations and got burned that way.
05:12 But he's so good when he gets to his right shoulder and gets to the middle,
05:15 whether he's driving it or he's posting.
05:17 So you gotta keep him off the glass.
05:20 He had two offensive rebounds.
05:21 But he's a good player.
05:25 That combination is where's ability to stretch the defense.
05:30 For us, that puts us in a bind a little bit.
05:33 Anytime that people can stretch us out.
05:34 But Zach's gotten so much better in ball screen defense and switching and
05:38 guarding people and doing different things.
05:40 But we had him in wearing USA basketball.
05:43 He's a talent.
05:44 But obviously, I always say the adjustment to go against Zach, it takes a game.
05:50 It takes a game just to kind of feel your way through it.
05:53 It's like playing a good pressing team and you press in practice and
05:56 you're not a pressing team.
05:58 And then like, okay, we're ready for this team.
05:59 And then you get to the game and it's like, shit, we didn't see this in practice.
06:04 He didn't see him at practice.
06:06 And so that's difficult to see someone that can move that 7'4",
06:08 300, size 20s, that plays hard every single play.
06:13 You just, who the hell's diving up 18 at 7'4", 300?
06:18 It just kind of shows you who he is.
06:20 >> You mentioned earlier the importance of doing well on the road,
06:24 getting commands, what do you find out about a team when they do that?
06:27 What do you find out?
06:28 >> Just the result, that is an easy, that's an unbelievable environment.
06:33 The fans here are amazing.
06:34 They come out, they support their team.
06:36 They've been spoiled through the years.
06:40 I mean, they've had some great, great teams here.
06:42 A lot of tradition here, but to be able to come in here and
06:45 be up 22 at half is a huge statement for our team.
06:48 Just the confidence, because we've come back to back years and
06:53 the first half been terrible.
06:55 But I think a lot of that has to do with the fans and
06:56 the players of Indiana, they made us play that way.
06:59 And tonight, we did it.
07:01 But we did it in this hornet's nest, which complements our team.
07:06 >> You mentioned Mason,
07:07 how pleased were you with the minutes you got from Caleb and Ethan as well?
07:11 >> Yeah, Ethan played well, Ethan came in and defended.
07:13 Did some really good things, made good decisions.
07:16 Caleb had some really good minutes in the first half.
07:18 We stayed with Zach a little bit more in the second half, so
07:20 that shortened it for him.
07:23 But Mason had a really good first half.
07:25 He really helped us in that first half.
07:27 You look at his plus minus.
07:28 Then at the start of the second half, we just felt like we had to get somebody more
07:32 physical and renew after we had that struggle the first five, six minutes.
07:35 And I thought Trey Coffin did a really good job.
07:38 >> Matt, people are talking about Zach now as a lottery player.
07:42 What improvements have you seen that make him a lottery player?
07:46 >> Yeah, we feared more in ball screens.
07:48 We switched more when the ball's gotten deep.
07:51 And so his ability to guard the basketball,
07:53 his ability to get out on the perimeter.
07:57 When you compare it to somebody 6'8", 2'10", it's a lot different, right?
08:03 But when you compare it to people his size, he's really moving.
08:06 He's really doing a good job.
08:07 He makes his free throws.
08:11 He can shoot on the perimeter, I just don't love him.
08:13 People get upset about it.
08:15 But who would really like if he shot on the perimeter?
08:18 Those guys guarding him.
08:19 They really like that.
08:20 I love just keep going at it like a football mentality.
08:24 Just keep making them pay.
08:25 Just keep posting.
08:26 You're not gonna keep the guy, right?
08:27 He's not gonna be a 15-year vet at Purdue, right?
08:30 You don't keep him.
08:31 You gotta let them play to their strengths right there.
08:34 But no, he protects the rim better.
08:37 When he gets a foul, we get him to stay on his feet.
08:40 So when you saw Sparks make that one and do whatever,
08:43 our whole bench is just yelling at him to stay down, just stay down.
08:46 Cuz we don't need him to get two.
08:49 And so a little bit of that.
08:50 But he's improved defensively.
08:52 He's a willing passer.
08:54 He doesn't have the bullshit because he didn't get recruited.
08:57 That's the best way I can say it.
08:58 These guys get recruited and they come here and
09:00 then they gotta field a team.
09:01 And now you've gotta come in and play a role.
09:02 It's like the great college players.
09:04 If you can't rebound and you can't defend and you can't play a role in the NBA,
09:08 you can't play in the NBA outside of three or four guys in a draft.
09:11 You gotta be able to do those things.
09:13 He does a lot of little things that help a team win.
09:16 And so that's why I think they gotta place there for
09:18 him because those things have improved.
09:20 But he can rebound, he can pass, he can score this back to the basket.
09:24 I think he's got a spot.
09:26 >> Right.
09:26 Matt, Lance made a bunch of plays for you in the night,
09:31 including that big one right for the half.
09:32 Where do you kind of view his three point team at this point in terms of
09:35 your overall offensive picture this long?
09:38 >> Yeah, just playing off of other people.
09:40 When you get into the situation and you have a great point guard and
09:44 you have a great big guy that garner a lot of attention,
09:47 just take what comes your way.
09:49 And obviously he made the one that they call the illegal screen on.
09:51 So he was three for seven, but he would have been four for eight.
09:53 I liked at the end of the game just how hard he ran on the break and
09:58 went and got us a couple layups.
10:00 We've had teams where we didn't have that, right?
10:02 And so when we had Carson or we had J.I.,
10:05 those guys can get us those type of buckets.
10:07 But when we haven't had those type of guys, he's not at their level.
10:11 But that's what we need.
10:13 We need him to be able to steal some baskets in transition and
10:16 then just take his threes that come his way.
10:18 >> You talked about Mbaka and Ware and the impact that they had.
10:21 I think it was 12-9 when both those guys came out in the first half.
10:24 And then by the time they came back, you guys were really pulled away.
10:26 What do you feel like changed for Indiana with those guys off the floor and
10:29 what were you able to take advantage of?
10:30 >> Yeah, you have a little bit of a drop off.
10:32 With you like, you know, Clue, Ware and Mbaka are probably gonna be in the NBA,
10:36 right?
10:37 You have a little bit of a drop off.
10:38 You know, Zach Headey gets in foul trouble, he goes out.
10:41 Even though we have good players, you have a little bit of a drop off, right?
10:45 And so that's what you wanna be able to do, and
10:48 that's what I constantly try to do through the development of our program and
10:51 have guys, is make sure you have enough guys when foul trouble hits or
10:55 injuries hit, you have guys that are ready to roll and ready to play.
10:59 And that's really hard because everybody wants to start,
11:02 everybody wants to play 30 minutes, doesn't work that way.
11:04 So it's hard to feel a team these days in this landscape, but
11:08 we definitely took advantage of it.
11:11 No different than Nebraska took advantage of us when Zach went out at the end of
11:15 the first half in our game with them.
11:17 That's one way.
11:18 >> You mentioned this play earlier, but was your favorite play with Zach tonight
11:22 to see him go to the floor after a loose ball?
11:24 >> Yeah, no question.
11:25 Instinctually do it.
11:26 No, not we had to, I guess I gotta do this.
11:31 No, he instinctually dove and got us a loose ball and got the possession back.
11:35 No question about it.
11:36 So he's fun to coach.
11:38 >> Thank you guys.