Purdue fan or not, a lot of fans across B1G country have grown to appreciate head basketball coach Matt Painter. His unique perspective about the game, coaching and other aspects of college basketball tend to be pretty insightful.

That was the case again on Monday, when Painter was asked about the situation that unfolded in Madison on Sunday between Michigan’s Juwan Howard and Wisconsin’s Greg Gard. He called the incident “avoidable.”

Painter didn’t discuss that specific situation much but tied it into what he tells his players following a loss.

“One thing I say to our guys before they get interviewed when we lose is, class is what you show when things don’t go your way. We got beat. Whether you like it or not,” Painter said. “But in (Michigan-Wisconsin game), it was avoidable. It was just really avoidable. It didn’t need to happen. But, you know, it did and hopefully we can learn from it.

“That’s part of it, man. Swallowing your pride and shaking someone’s hand. You can’t have it both ways, you just can’t.”

Painter went on to say that he “gets paid to coach Purdue,” and can’t worry about what opponents choose to do. Below is the clip from the Purdue head coach’s two-minute comment on the situation:

Howard was slapped with a five-game suspension, which means he will not be on the sideline for the remainder of the regular season. Phil Martelli will be the acting head coach for the Wolverines. Howard was also fined $40,000.

Gard was fined $10,000 for his involvement.