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Matt Painter talks Purdue’s matchup vs. Texas in Round of 32
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After suffering a first-round exit last season, Purdue bounced back and took care of business this year. The Boilermakers coasted to a blowout win over Yale to advance to the Round of 32 on Sunday.
Life is about to get much tougher, though.
The third-seeded Boilers will take on No. 6 seed Texas on Sunday, playing a Chris Beard-coached team for the third time since 2016. In the previous two meetings (2016, Arkansas Little-Rock & 2018, Texas Tech), Beard got the best of Matt Painter.
Purdue is looking to change that fortune and return to the Sweet 16. With No. 1 seed Baylor and No. 2 seed Kentucky both falling in the region, the Boilers’ path to a Final Four seems much easier if they can get by the Longhorns.
On Saturday, Painter met with reporters to preview Sunday’s evening contest against Texas. Here’s what he had to say:
Matt Painter on NCAA coaches being judged by March Madness results: “You’re playing another team. That often gets forgotten when you’re asked these questions. That team’s a really good team. They didn’t slip on a banana peel and land in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.”
— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) March 19, 2022
Painter on fouling or not, up 3 points in the final seconds, references NCAA losses when he did (UVa) and did not (Little Rock): “For those saying you should foul or should not, I’ve proven you can lose either way.”
Self-deprecation FTW.
— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) March 19, 2022
Matt Painter’s last thoughts from today’s press conference were on the #Longhorns guards (Marcus Carr, Andrew Jones and Courtney Ramey.
“(Texas has) experience in all three guys,” he said. "They’re all big, physical guards that cause issues for you.” #HookEm #MarchMadness
— Jeff Howe (@JeffHowe247) March 19, 2022
Matt Painter said the #Longhorns are a combination of Big Ten #MarchMadness teams Rutgers, Michgan State, Indiana and Ohio State along with Villanova when asked for a comparison of the teams Purdue has played this season.
“I’d say a combination of all five,” he said. #HookEm
— Jeff Howe (@JeffHowe247) March 19, 2022
Chris Beard's first NCAA win came at Ark.-Little Rock against Matt Painter's Purdue team in 2016. "He’s a really good coach. Obviously he doesn’t advance and do all the things he’s done at different stops if he’s not a good coach."
— Brian Davis (@BDavisUT) March 19, 2022
#Boilers coach Matt Painter with good answer on how coaches get measured by NCAA Tournament results. Says he's "process-oriented," takes past losses as chances to improve for the next time.
"That's how you get gauged, and if that bothers you, it's probably not your profession."
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) March 19, 2022
Matt Painter called @TexasMBB’s Timmy Allen “a match-up nightmare.” #HookEm #MarchMadness
— Jeff Howe (@JeffHowe247) March 19, 2022
Purdue coach Matt Painter: "In terms of Marcus Carr, with him playing at Minnesota, we know how dangerous he is. He’s gotten the best of us a couple times."
— Brian Davis (@BDavisUT) March 19, 2022
#Boilers coach Matt Painter on facing #Texas coach Chris Beard, who has beaten Painter's teams at different spots in the NCAA Tournament:
"You want your teams to be as tough as their teams. You want your teams to be able to compete like that."
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) March 19, 2022
“They’re a great defensive team. They have great experience at the guards,” Purdue head coach Matt Painter said of the #Longhorns #HookEm #MarchMadness
— Jeff Howe (@JeffHowe247) March 19, 2022
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