Head coach Matt Painter spoke on Purdue's offensive ball security troubles in loss vs. Ohio State.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 >> For an issue, what else just, it seemed like offense was just hard from the start
00:04 for you guys.
00:05 >> Yeah, yeah.
00:07 I thought we got off to a good start in the game.
00:10 We wanted to go to Trey Kaufman, just kind of establish him with that matchup.
00:14 I thought he did some good things for us.
00:18 But we just didn't sustain.
00:21 At the same time, Bruce Thornton made some plays to start the game and
00:25 kind of kept him afloat.
00:27 At that time, we were going as the half were on,
00:31 I just thought our attention to detail wasn't great.
00:36 And I think you see it in our box house.
00:38 That's where the number one thing that I thought at halftime,
00:42 they had more rebounds than us, and they had fewer turnovers than us.
00:47 And then you see how we dominate the glass in the second half.
00:50 If we have a better effort on the glass,
00:52 there's just too many opportunities there.
00:55 But give them credit, they played well, they did some really good things.
01:00 I think the stat that probably jumps out to me is their points off the turnovers,
01:03 like that's the game right there.
01:05 If we take care of the basketball and those turnovers and we just miss shots,
01:09 we probably win the game.
01:11 We don't score the ball on any of those possessions, but
01:13 now they're not running out and getting layups.
01:16 And we're getting behind plays and fouls and stuff.
01:18 But yeah, we didn't play well enough to get the win.
01:24 >> Matt, what's it like preparing for an interim coach at this point in the season?
01:28 Just what differences do you see from this Ohio State team today,
01:31 than maybe that you saw on tape earlier this season?
01:33 >> No, no.
01:35 >> What's it like?
01:35 >> If he was here, the score would have been 73-69 Ohio State.
01:38 Not that he's his assistant.
01:41 They didn't run anything different.
01:42 They didn't do anything different.
01:44 They're the same team.
01:46 It's a player's game.
01:47 I know we gotta organize.
01:48 I know we gotta structure.
01:49 I know we gotta get them to believe.
01:51 We gotta coach the hell out of them.
01:53 But at the end of the day, it's a player's game.
01:54 They have good players.
01:56 >> You mentioned the turnovers.
01:57 What stood out about Ted Keyes' defense on Zach Eaddy?
02:00 >> Yeah, he did a good job of stripping him.
02:02 I don't know whether he was just exposing it or
02:05 Zed just picked up something, like a pitcher tipping something.
02:09 But what happened today and him getting those strips hasn't happened much all year.
02:13 He does a pretty good job of protecting the ball.
02:15 But it was a big part of the game, Zed's ability to defend.
02:19 And Akparo's a shot blocker.
02:22 So you wanna get your body on Akparo as much as you can,
02:25 cuz when he has space, he actually is good on people that he guards, but
02:29 he's good at his help side blocks too.
02:31 I wouldn't have thought that that would have helped them defensively
02:36 by him getting out of the game, but it sure did.
02:38 Zed did a good job.
02:38 >> And kind of going off of that, not only were they good on Zed,
02:42 they were good getting out on your shooters.
02:44 >> Yes.
02:45 >> You're a team that shoots a lot of threes.
02:47 >> Right. >> You only had,
02:48 I think, nine attempts tonight.
02:49 >> Right.
02:50 >> How difficult was it where that was taken away and
02:52 you couldn't get an offense for them from that?
02:53 >> Yeah, and if you don't have them and they take them away,
02:57 you don't wanna shoot them.
02:58 So you know what I mean?
02:59 You still wanna go.
03:00 And I think what they really got us to do from a decision making standpoint,
03:05 if we could have it back, are intermediate shots.
03:08 I think we took some, we had a stretch there in the second half where we didn't
03:11 take very many, and we played better offensively in the first half.
03:15 We had too many intermediate shots, kind of in between a pull up and
03:18 a floater to where it just wasn't something that you would think is
03:23 a strength of ours.
03:24 Now if you get into low clock and you get some of those,
03:26 you totally understand it.
03:28 But give them credit.
03:30 They defended well in the post, they guarded the three point line.
03:33 Their attention to detail defensively was big time.
03:39 But if you like their pieces, I told our guys, don't look at their record.
03:43 Jamison Battle, Ark Par, the guys that start for them,
03:45 they didn't play anywhere in the country.
03:48 So I mean, I don't know what to tell, so I tried to tell our guys.
03:52 I just said, hey, I recruited a couple of those guys.
03:55 So we've watched them, we've watched them on tape.
03:57 Sometimes in basketball, you're just not good consistently.
04:03 Like one guy plays well, the other guy doesn't.
04:05 Like when can we get these two guys to play well together?
04:07 You have three guards like they have, like when can we get two of them to play well?
04:12 And you look at that tonight, like Bruce Thornton played really well.
04:15 Jamison Battle played really well.
04:17 Roddy Giel just didn't get as many opportunities as those guys did.
04:22 But you look at their bench on top of two of their three top guys playing,
04:26 then you get their bench was better than our bench, all right?
04:29 So you get that, that's the game, that's what you need.
04:33 But they haven't gotten that consistently, that's why their record's there.
04:36 But don't doubt their ability.
04:38 They have a lot of ability, they have talent, they have good basketball players.
04:41 They just haven't been consistent together.
04:43 And maybe this win can help them kinda push on like they did last year,
04:47 cuz they were damn good at the end of the year last year.
04:49 >> [INAUDIBLE]
04:54 >> Yeah.
04:54 >> Things kinda changed after that.
04:56 What need to be better tonight if they're here or not?
04:58 It seems like a rebounding takeover.
05:00 >> Right. >> Sideways.
05:01 >> Yeah, I think that's where you start with.
05:02 Like we have to get those possessions.
05:04 Like we gotta take care of the ball, we gotta rebound the ball.
05:06 And when he goes out, that's gonna be an important part of the game.
05:10 Just getting on the glass, not allowing second chance opportunities.
05:13 We'll have to go back and watch.
05:14 It's kinda tough to comb through in terms of possessions and
05:18 everything when he went out.
05:19 But yeah, we gotta do a better job.
05:22 He's gotten a couple, but it's part of the game.
05:25 Like sometimes you get one and you deserve it.
05:27 I know the one that he drove, he fouled and that was right in front of me.
05:31 The one where they took a charge in the open court right there,
05:34 I just saw the tail end of it.
05:36 But I just don't like those charges when the ball's not involved.
05:39 They tried to do another one right there.
05:41 Like you just can't take an open court charge and the ball's not involved.
05:44 It's just not a basketball play, but he called it and so be it.
05:49 [BLANK_AUDIO]
05:51 >> Matt, you said how prepared for the same team regardless of who's coaching.
05:57 Did you expect a different type of fight, atmosphere, and
06:00 all the other things that aren't X's and O's as far as a team that's been through
06:04 a week like this and coming out with a problem, a different level of pride?
06:08 >> Right. >> Or it might be.
06:09 >> I think what's in balance is the psychic of your team.
06:13 Like you know what I mean?
06:14 Like that's what you don't know about.
06:16 Like what are they gonna do?
06:17 How are they gonna respond?
06:18 You see it in Major League Baseball all the time.
06:21 They change the manager and they went four out of five,
06:24 then they go back to being who they were.
06:26 Like you know what I mean?
06:26 You get that, I don't think in basketball you get that.
06:28 Well, this doesn't happen a lot.
06:30 Obviously in college happens a little bit, but not very much.
06:34 So that's what you just, you didn't know.
06:36 So we fought hard to be in this position.
06:40 And when you say you're gonna get everybody's best shot,
06:44 you think that's just kind of like a folk tale, like whatever.
06:46 But you get everybody's best shot, like you get, so prepare for it.
06:49 I've always said in preparation, prepare for their best.
06:53 So when you see some guy averaging four points,
06:56 he got a scholarship to Ohio State, you know what I mean?
06:59 Like he just hasn't got the opportunity yet to do more because somebody's in
07:03 front of him.
07:04 But if he does get that opportunity, understand he's a good player.
07:08 I have good players that play 15 minutes.
07:10 You're like, well, why are you playing 15 minutes?
07:12 Well, Zach Keating's pretty good.
07:13 Brady Smith's pretty good, right?
07:15 You got people in front of you, but don't doubt their ability as a player.
07:18 So you're always trying to fight that, cuz it's human nature,
07:22 with your own players, no matter if it's this scenario or not.
07:25 But that's the one thing that you just don't know.
07:27 Can we get them down and keep them down?
07:29 And then they go away, right?
07:31 Which obviously didn't happen, they win the game.
07:33 So where's their fight, what's it gonna be?
07:36 I think they answered that, their fight was great, and
07:39 they were very productive.
07:40 >> You mentioned the end of last season, you saw these guys-
07:46 >> Right. >> In Big Ten Tournament.
07:47 Where does this team look compared to what you saw in the fight back?
07:53 >> Yeah, would you say this is their best game today?
07:58 I noticed it.
08:01 I watch on film, and I turn the volume down.
08:04 So I don't mess with environments and broadcasters and stuff like that.
08:08 >> We beat Alabama, not immediately.
08:10 >> Yeah, we beat Alabama too.
08:11 So you gotta outscore them, cuz they can really, really score.
08:14 So Roddy Gale is a tough cover, Bruce Thornton's a tough cover.
08:22 Jamison Battle, I thought Klusman did a great job on Jamison Battle in Wisconsin.
08:26 His attention to detail was better than our attention to detail, just was.
08:30 And so we gotta be better in areas like that, not to contest their shots, but
08:35 so they don't even shoot them.
08:37 Because once you let a guy like that get his head up and
08:40 you see that last one he made, that's a tough shot.
08:43 But I think they're right there.
08:45 I think they wanted to see that surge a little bit before.
08:49 But to their defense, you don't set your conference schedule.
08:54 Some things are difficult sometimes, they're out of your hands, and
08:57 then it kinda snowballs in the wrong direction.
08:59 But no, I think they're right there, cuz they have good pieces.
09:02 And then defensively, defensively they were better tonight.
09:07 I can say that from watching film.
09:08 They were better tonight than they have been.
09:10 I think that's the one area, but I think you'll see a lot of coaches say that
09:16 no matter what, we're kinda greedy in that area.
09:19 We always want our teams to be better defensively, right?
09:22 But I think today, I think we can honestly say you guys cover them,
09:26 that they were better on that end of the court.
09:28 And then now when you throw in there, they made some shots,
09:31 they produced some steals, they got in transition, their bench played well.
09:35 There's just a lot of positives there.
09:37 But now they're gonna hope to sustain those.
09:40 >> Matt, your bench does a lot of good things,
09:43 especially defensively a lot of times.
09:45 You got four points from them today.
09:47 Mason obviously had a quiet day.
09:49 Do you need more scoring from your bench?
09:50 >> We need more production from our bench.
09:54 And that's what I kinda talked to our guys afterwards.
09:56 When I played, I always want the truth, and the truth hurts a lot, right?
10:01 But if you're a better offensive player than a defensive player,
10:08 be a two-way player.
10:11 We need more guys that, if they're out there because of offense,
10:16 to be better on defense, if they're out there on defense, be better on offense.
10:19 Just accept the truth, just like as a coach.
10:22 I've just always tried to accept the truth, and
10:24 when you can do that, you can fix things.
10:27 So I think that's the challenge for us, is when things don't quite go our way,
10:33 can we hang on our defense and get stops and grind out a victory?
10:37 We've done that this year, we didn't do that tonight.
10:39 >> Over there then, Brian.
10:42 Last question.
10:43 >> Matt, you talked about the rebounding and the points off turnovers.
10:46 >> Yeah. >> What were some of the similarities
10:47 you saw in this game and
10:49 in the games you played against Nebraska and Northwestern in the conference?
10:52 >> Yeah, our three losses are all turnovers.
10:56 I think this is the lowest turnover.
10:57 I think it's 14, 16, and 17.
11:00 I think we got an outlier in there where we've had something in between 14 and
11:04 17 and we've won.
11:06 But I think everything else has been, was Rutgers?
11:09 >> Rutgers. >> Yeah.
11:10 So yeah, so our record is off the charts since I've been at Purdue,
11:18 when we have fewer turnovers and more rebounds.
11:20 Like 151 and 15 or something like that.
11:24 But when they out rebound us and they have fewer turnovers,
11:27 which that didn't happen tonight, we're 6 and 48.
11:31 So you can kind of see the importance of those stats, right?
11:35 It's off the charts.
11:36 So if we just go, see they have six turnovers and we have 14, so
11:40 we're not even close.
11:41 We can't even say two possessions, right?
11:43 So give them credit, but also we gotta generate some turnovers too.
11:48 And give Ohio State credit for that.
11:50 But I would say that's where the common denominator is,
11:54 if you're just picking out in those games.
11:56 Now Nebraska made some really tough shots.
11:58 Northwestern made some tough, they scored more in that game.
12:01 I know Northwestern definitely scored more.
12:05 So when you let good players get their heads up,
12:08 now you can actually do some good things and they still make shots.
12:11 Like Jameson Battles, that one shot at the end, that wasn't bad defense.
12:15 But the other two, just to kind of let him get free and to get his head up, and
12:19 that's all good players need.
12:21 >> That kind of leads exactly what I was gonna ask you.
12:23 I think in your three losses, it isn't just turnovers, but
12:27 I think the opponents average 20 points off of it.
12:30 >> Yeah. >> Or something like that.
12:31 >> There you go.
12:31 >> [INAUDIBLE]
12:34 >> I know they come in occasion sizes,
12:36 but there's something.
12:37 >> Right. >> Common denominator is the higher
12:39 turnovers.
12:39 >> Yeah, well, tonight the lion's share was at Key's hands.
12:45 Key had, I would say, that was the most.
12:47 If you're trying to dissect the total, with it,
12:52 I'm trying to think in the other games how those turnovers were.
12:56 It's not coming to me, but tonight that was the most kind of prevalent thought,
13:03 is get the basketball down low, you gotta protect the ball.
13:06 You can't expose the basketball.
13:08 So give him credit for it, but we gotta learn from it.
13:12 We won nine straight, is that right?
13:15 So we've won nine straight to this game and put ourselves in a great position and
13:20 we just gotta be better, we gotta play better.
13:22 But give credit to Ohio State, but they're really good.
13:24 >> Thanks.