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Matt Painter points to turnovers in Purdue’s loss to Michigan State
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Purdue suffered another last-second loss on Saturday in East Lansing. A Tyson Walker 3-pointer with less than 2 seconds to play lifted Michigan State to a 68-65 win over the fourth-ranked Boilermakers.
It marked the third time this season Matt Painter’s squad has been defeated on a late 3-pointer. Purdue also fell to Rutgers on a half-court heave in December and dropped a road contest to Indiana on a late 3.
Michigan State’s clutch shot wasn’t what Painter or his players pointed to as the difference in the game, though. The Purdue head coach talked about turnovers as the biggest issue.
Purdue coach Matt Painter points to turnovers as a major determining factor. Had seven in first half and 10 in second half that led to 16 MSU points.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) February 26, 2022
Purdue ended the contest with 17 turnovers — not a good recipe for success on the road in the B1G. While the Boilermakers did make a late run with a chance to win, careless possessions proved to be the difference.
Senior guard Eric Hunter Jr. also said turnovers were an issue throughout the game.
Eric Hunter Jr. on #Purdue's 17 turnovers:
"We all had them. Just bonehead plays trying to make the game too difficult"— mike carmin (@mike_carmin) February 26, 2022
Purdue dropped to 13-5 in the B1G with Saturday’s loss to Michigan State. With Wisconsin and Indiana still on the schedule, it will still have a chance to claim a B1G regular season crown if it wins out.
But the Boilers can’t afford to turn the ball over at the rate they did on Saturday. That could lead to an early exit in the NCAA Tournament.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB