A few final musings on Purdue's 58-54 loss at Miami, because I know how you like musings.
• A little alarm went off in my head when I heard Matt Painter call this a 'frustrating' loss. Of course it is, but you don't often hear coaches talk like that, even heart-on-their-sleeve types like Painter. You never want to project discouragement on your team. Maybe I'm making too much of it, but it just struck me that I've heard every Painter-ism, every rant, every spiel so many times that sometimes I feel like I'm sitting there listening to a Teddy Ruxpin. Such is life when you cover the same coach so long.
But, yeah, hell yeah, this had to be more than frustrating.
Purdue needed growth this season. It needed last season's mediocrity to be worthwhile. It needed that Marquette game, for one, to be a productive growth moment. Doesn't seem to be.
This one's on everybody. I'm not sure exactly what Painter could have done to make this different, and I hesitate to assign blame when I can't offer a coherent answer to that question, but this wasn't the first loss like this.
But this year, so much depends on those juniors, and to lump in Isaiah Thompson, those with experience.
That's where the problem seemed to lie tonight, that this team was allowed to "get comfortable," as Eric Hunter put it afterward. A coach can squawk about that stuff all he wants, but the ears must be open.
Upperclassmen were not especially solid in that second half.
Trevion Williams continues to giveth and taketh, and just seems off. Eric Hunter, god love him for coming back in four weeks from a six-week injury, then playing great in the first half, but he can't be playing for a steal like he did on that three Miami hit.
That was such an important play. Purdue just needed solid there.
• Mason Gillis should start the Indiana State game. He has earned it. He might be Purdue's foremost competitor and its highest-motor player, and those things ought to be rewarded.
I don't know what more to say about Aaron Wheeler's struggles, but they're not limited to just not making shots, of which he got I don't know how many wide-open ones tonight.
• Isaiah Thompson was great against Valparaiso. Great. If a sign of maturity is building on success, then Thompson still looked like a freshman against Miami. Decision-making is so important for Purdue this season, and its ability to make the right decision at the right time has been a problem for Purdue in its two losses thus far.
• I've said this on a couple other platforms here, and am trying to make a convoluted point here, but Purdue is recruiting at a very high level right now, but it has to make sure that these players coming into the program aren't just talented and fit well, but they're also tough and they also really, really, really want to win. Purdue was missing a certain something last year that it was again missing tonight. Again, lots of nice kids and wonderful people on this team, but nice kids can be killers too, and Purdue needs somebody to fill that role, not just now but long-term.
Never want to over-react to one loss, but this wasn't one loss as much as it seemed like the extension of a lot of last season's failings.
• On a positive note, you did see Purdue's ceiling tonight, and it was pretty good. That's little consolation after the roof caved in after halftime, but is worth mentioning, at least.
Thanks for reading everybody and have a good night.
