Marquette Coach Shaka Smart Gives Major Praise to Purdue
Marquette coach Shaka Smart understood just how big of a win his team got on Tuesday night in Milwaukee, taking down No. 6 Purdue 76-58. After the game, the Golden Eagles leader had plenty of praise for the Boilermakers.
"Great team win. So much respect for Purdue," Smart said in his opening remarks in the postgame press conference. "I would say, other than UConn, in college basketball right now, they have the best program. The consistency that they've shown, the fact that they're able to lose a guy like Zach Edey and still have a team that can play with and beat anyone. That's a great win for us."
Marquette got tremendous play on the defensive end, forcing Purdue into 15 turnovers and holding the Boilermakers to just 40% from the floor. They also connected on just six-of-18 shots from long range.
Kam Jones had a special night, recording just the third triple-double in program history. He ended with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Marquette also got 21 points from Stevie Mitchell and 12 from Chase Ross.
Smart and his teams have battled Purdue each of the last three seasons, so he understands the challenges the Boilermakers present. Purdue had won the last two meetings, a 2022 matchup in Mackey Arena and the 2023 championship game of the Maui Invitational.
This time, though, Marquette got the best of Purdue, handing the program its first nonconference loss in the regular season since Dec. 8, 2020 (Miami). The Boilers had won 39 straight nonconference contests.
Tuesday's win was part of a three-game stretch against Power Five opponents for Marquette. The Golden Eagles now travel to the Bahamas on Saturday to play Georgia after posting back-to-back wins over Maryland and Purdue.
Matt Painter and the Boilermakers return home on Saturday to play Marshall.
Related stories on Purdue basketball
WHAT MATT PAINTER SAID: Purdue lost a nonconference regular season game for the first time since 2020 on Tuesday night, falling 76-58 to Marquette. Here's what coach Matt Painter said after the loss. CLICK HERE
PURDUE-MARQUETTE GAME STORY: No. 6 Purdue struggled against an active No. 15 Marquette defense, ending the game with 15 turnovers and shooting just 40% from the floor in a 76-58 loss. CLICK HERE
