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With Early Season Success and Heightened Expectations What Would be Your Advice to Painter?

Feb 1, 2022
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A little bit of Deja vu when thinking back to last year when we were 8 and 0 and ranked No. 1 on December 6, 2021. What a great holiday weekend it was to be a Boilermaker. So, moving forward if you could, what advice would you give Painter and what would you like to see as the season progresses? Here is mine: Do NOT shrink the playing time of the bench as the Big Ten season begins. Keep team chemistry high! This should be a priority. Do not bury anyone on the bench for the second half of the season. I would much rather be 15 and 5 in the Big Ten with great team chemistry than 18 and 2 in the Big Ten with some players left out because of trying to win every game at all costs. Come tourney time do what you feel is best but leading up to the tourney I would make team chemistry a high priority while still rewarding good play and hard work during practice. This year and the next few years look like they could be something really special if we manage it just right. Good luck and Boiler Up!
 
A little bit of Deja vu when thinking back to last year when we were 8 and 0 and ranked No. 1 on December 6, 2021. What a great holiday weekend it was to be a Boilermaker. So, moving forward if you could, what advice would you give Painter and what would you like to see as the season progresses? Here is mine: Do NOT shrink the playing time of the bench as the Big Ten season begins. Keep team chemistry high! This should be a priority. Do not bury anyone on the bench for the second half of the season. I would much rather be 15 and 5 in the Big Ten with great team chemistry than 18 and 2 in the Big Ten with some players left out because of trying to win every game at all costs. Come tourney time do what you feel is best but leading up to the tourney I would make team chemistry a high priority while still rewarding good play and hard work during practice. This year and the next few years look like they could be something really special if we manage it just right. Good luck and Boiler Up!
I’d tell Matt: “Stay away from this board.”
 
I’d tell Matt: “Stay away from this board.”
CMP reading this board:
the-office-why-are-you-like-that.gif
 
A little bit of Deja vu when thinking back to last year when we were 8 and 0 and ranked No. 1 on December 6, 2021. What a great holiday weekend it was to be a Boilermaker. So, moving forward if you could, what advice would you give Painter and what would you like to see as the season progresses? Here is mine: Do NOT shrink the playing time of the bench as the Big Ten season begins. Keep team chemistry high! This should be a priority. Do not bury anyone on the bench for the second half of the season. I would much rather be 15 and 5 in the Big Ten with great team chemistry than 18 and 2 in the Big Ten with some players left out because of trying to win every game at all costs. Come tourney time do what you feel is best but leading up to the tourney I would make team chemistry a high priority while still rewarding good play and hard work during practice. This year and the next few years look like they could be something really special if we manage it just right. Good luck and Boiler Up!
Keep improving one day/practice/game at a time. Painter mentioned that there are still many mistakes being made. If we can correct/minimize those and continue with the effort and unselfish play we've seen -- look out!
 
You'd rather see 15-5 than 18-2?? Could not disagree with that more, for so many different reasons.
Yeah I don't get that.

I think this team is built a lot differently than last year's. What I don't see much of right now is one-dimensional players. And as such, they're much more team-orientated and selfless. We loved Jaden, but he was showcasing his talents for the NBA and also took several plays off defensively. Sasha was incredibly one-dimensional, even though that dimension was excellent.

Also, we did not have a true PG.
 
You'd rather see 15-5 than 18-2?? Could not disagree with that more, for so many different reasons.
Whatever. I have seen this movie plenty of times before and come tournament time something always seems off with our team. Pre-conference games we look like world beaters and then something changes. This goes back many years. Even in 2011 when we got blitzed by VCU; we just didn't have the right vibe for that game and got wiped off the court. Last year losing to St. Peters; again, we just weren't together as a team that day. 2019 was the only team in recent memory that seemed ready to make a tourney run.
 
A little bit of Deja vu when thinking back to last year when we were 8 and 0 and ranked No. 1 on December 6, 2021. What a great holiday weekend it was to be a Boilermaker. So, moving forward if you could, what advice would you give Painter and what would you like to see as the season progresses? Here is mine: Do NOT shrink the playing time of the bench as the Big Ten season begins. Keep team chemistry high! This should be a priority. Do not bury anyone on the bench for the second half of the season. I would much rather be 15 and 5 in the Big Ten with great team chemistry than 18 and 2 in the Big Ten with some players left out because of trying to win every game at all costs. Come tourney time do what you feel is best but leading up to the tourney I would make team chemistry a high priority while still rewarding good play and hard work during practice. This year and the next few years look like they could be something really special if we manage it just right. Good luck and Boiler Up!
Call the league office and tell them you will not accept the physical play on Edey as it has been officiated in previous years.
 
Whatever. I have seen this movie plenty of times before and come tournament time something always seems off with our team. Pre-conference games we look like world beaters and then something changes. This goes back many years. Even in 2011 when we got blitzed by VCU; we just didn't have the right vibe for that game and got wiped off the court. Last year losing to St. Peters; again, we just weren't together as a team that day. 2019 was the only team in recent memory that seemed ready to make a tourney run.
In 2011, we were playing the best ball of anyone in the nation and 2 weeks before conf tourney we lost Hummel, that is why VCU blitzed us, vibe had nothing to do with it. Last year's team had too many players playing for themselves at end of year and not for team.

I say keep pushing the players, being tough on them and focusing on our errors and issues and improve each day, do not get let us get complacent.
 
Focus on March by increasing the minutes of the second team to about 18 per game.

Even rest Edey completely in some games, like they do in the nba. Some of our guys have gotten burned out in previous years.
 
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In 2011, we were playing the best ball of anyone in the nation and 2 weeks before conf tourney we lost Hummel, that is why VCU blitzed us, vibe had nothing to do with it. Last year's team had too many players playing for themselves at end of year and not for team.

I say keep pushing the players, being tough on them and focusing on our errors and issues and improve each day, do not get let us get complacent.

Wrong year. 2011 Tourney was when Hummel tore his ACL just a few weeks before the season started.

We lost to Duke in the S16 after losing Hummel in the Barn
 
Focus on March by increasing the minutes of the second team to about 18 per game.

Even rest Edey completely in some games, like they do in the nba. Some of our guys have gotten burned out in previous years.
So you agree, sacrifice games to a loss , to get us ready for tourney.
 
I love how we are playing so far. I just want to feel this good about the team going into the NCAA tournament. Hopefully we will!
 
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Wrong year. 2011 Tourney was when Hummel tore his ACL just a few weeks before the season started.

We lost to Duke in the S16 after losing Hummel in the Barn
Not having Hummel was huge those two years, but I also think that the loss of Barlow and how it happened was significant in that 2011 tournament. I am not saying that it would have been enough to beat VCU, but Barlow was a freak athlete and his defense might have been enough to disrupt them, not to mention that the whole incident was a big distraction.
 
You'd rather see 15-5 than 18-2?? Could not disagree with that more, for so many different reasons.
There’s nothing to indicate that they are connected, but if 15-5 comes with a final four or national championship and 18-2 means round of 32 or Sweet 16 loss, then yes, I’ll take 15-5 in conference all day.

Nobody would remember 5 losses in conference if there was success in March. The 2018-2019 team won the B1G at 16-4, was 26-10 overall and was 2 seconds away from the Final Four. Nobody cares about those losses though because they remember the tournament run.
 
There’s nothing to indicate that they are connected, but if 15-5 comes with a final four or national championship and 18-2 means round of 32 or Sweet 16 loss, then yes, I’ll take 15-5 in conference all day.

Nobody would remember 5 losses in conference if there was success in March. The 2018-2019 team won the B1G at 16-4, was 26-10 overall and was 2 seconds away from the Final Four. Nobody cares about those losses though because they remember the tournament run.

Right, but there is nothing that suggests a worse record helps NCAAT play. I would argue a better record helps seeding, thus making advancing easier, in theory.
 
Right, but there is nothing that suggests a worse record helps NCAAT play. I would argue a better record helps seeding, thus making advancing easier, in theory.
This.

The numbers don't lie. The better seed you have the better your chances of winning the title. Do what you need to do to get the best seed possible.
 
In 2011, we were playing the best ball of anyone in the nation and 2 weeks before conf tourney we lost Hummel, that is why VCU blitzed us, vibe had nothing to do with it. Last year's team had too many players playing for themselves at end of year and not for team.

I say keep pushing the players, being tough on them and focusing on our errors and issues and improve each day, do not get let us get complacent.
This group of players...at least at this time, are totally different mentally and physically. Matt has a LOT of depth to not get complacent, and I think this group is well grounded. That said a single area where Purdue appears to be much better is the williness to pick the spots to drive the ball to attack pressure on the perimeter. This cerebral selection combined with an effectiveness through good selection is also successful because these players have no fear going to the FT line.

I hope that continues in a hostile gym filled with thousands. Not forgetting the mid range game mostly by Brandon, Mason and Fletcher although mathematically less efficient perhaps makes teams defended in all three areas where before there was pressure on the arc and the perimeter players were defended in what they did well.

This group appears to be able to get to the basket or pull up and make a short one and all that pressure the offense NOW puts on the D gets Purdue into bonus with good FT shooters. There were "some" times last year where I thought Trevion didn't challenge the blocks "some" when he didn't want to go to the FT line. How many times did Nojel not seek out a foul to avoid the FT line?
 
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This group of players...at least at this time, are totally different mentally and physically. Matt has a LOT of depth to not get complacent, and I think this group is well grounded. That said a single area where Purdue appears to be much better is the williness to pick the spots to drive the ball to attack pressure on the perimeter. This cerebral selection combined with an effectiveness through good selection is also successful because these players have no fear going to the FT line.

I hope that continues in a hostile gym filled with thousands. Not forgetting the mid range game mostly by Brandon, Mason and Fletcher although mathematically less efficient perhaps makes teams defended in all three areas where before there was pressure on the arc and the perimeter players were defended in what they did well.

This group appears to be able to get to the basket or pull up and make a short one and all that pressure the offense NOW puts on the D gets Purdue into bonus with good FT shooters. There were "some" times last year where I thought Trevion didn't challenge the blocks "some" when he didn't want to go to the FT line. How many times did Nojel not seek out a foul to avoid the FT line?
Our biggest problems last year IMO were our 3 best players:

-Didn’t shoot free throws well collectively
-Turned the ball over a lot collectively
-Weren’t good defenders collectively
-Couldn’t all play together

Not really anyone’s fault, but when your 3 best players don’t fit great with each other, you probably won’t reach your full potential.
This roster seems to not have that issue.
 
Keep multiple winning conditions alive.

I think the team took a huge step back last year when Painter shortened the rotation and gave less minutes to IT, Newman, etc. Taking those 2 off the floor eliminated 2 guys who could be the hot hand each night. I feel the reason we did so well in the early season was that we played less structured, more loose and allowed our shooters to shoot. We didn’t pull a guy until he had a bad shooting night vs not letting the guy get started in the first place.

Once the rotation got shorter, we had less options for shooters and it definitely cost us a few games.

Keep the rotation at 10 guys and only narrow it when the game dictates…not before hand.

We are still struggling (at times) with what some of the “alternate” rotations will look like. Which of the backups mesh well with the starters when a few other key guys aren’t in as well. We’ve just been able to be up fairly big at those times when we struggled so Duke rattling off 7 straight when down 18 wasn’t as big of a deal.
 
Our biggest problems last year IMO were our 3 best players:

-Didn’t shoot free throws well collectively
-Turned the ball over a lot collectively
-Weren’t good defenders collectively
-Couldn’t all play together

Not really anyone’s fault, but when your 3 best players don’t fit great with each other, you probably won’t reach your full potential.
This roster seems to not have that issue.
All that is true and potentially only the FT shooting was more physical. None needed the turnovers, all could improve on D and smart play would have allowed 2 of the 3 to be more effective. I think the fit was as much mental as physical, assuming you were using Trevion, Jaden and Zach. The lack of fit became much more pronounced after showtime was in play IMO
 
Right, but there is nothing that suggests a worse record helps NCAAT play. I would argue a better record helps seeding, thus making advancing easier, in theory.
When it’s time to win win the other team don’t care about who you are in the tournament it’s let’s go one game at a time or go home
 
I agree with the OP. Keep the rotation the way it is. The young guys need all the playing time they can get. Unless someone starts playing out of their mind , I see no reason to change anything.
 
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No advice for Painter, but for all us fans: let's just stay grounded. It's a long season. Purdue is going to face some very good teams in the B1G. We're still playing with a couple freshmen in the starting line up, and there will be rough patches. The good news is we've already glimpsed that this team has a high ceiling.
 
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