Matt Painter Expecting Indiana to Give No. 10 Purdue Its Best Shot in Rivalry Clash
![Indiana's Malik Reneau (5) looks to pass during the first half of the Indiana versus Purdue men's basketball game Indiana's Malik Reneau (5) looks to pass during the first half of the Indiana versus Purdue men's basketball game](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2000,h_1125,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/boilermakers_country/01jjqk4vjw4wx85a78j1.jpg)
Yes, it might be an old cliche, but Purdue coach Matt Painter is a believer in the "you're going to get every team's best shot," saying. He expects Indiana to come out locked in and ready for Friday's rivalry clash against No. 10 Purdue at Mackey Arena.
Friday's game is an important one for both programs. Not only are state bragging rights hanging in the balance, but Purdue is chasing down a potential third consecutive Big Ten title. Indiana, on the other hand, is on life support in terms of its NCAA Tournament hopes.
A win is important for both teams as they chase their goals.
Even though Indiana is coming off back-to-back losses to Northwestern and Maryland, Painter expects to see the Hoosiers play at a high level on Friday.
"Always understand you're going to get their best effort. But you always prepare for somebody's best. Don't look at them and say, 'This guy is streaky.' ... Always take guys at their best," he said on Purdue Basketball Live.
"When you look at (Oumar) Ballo, you look at (Malik) Reneau, and (Mackenzie) Mgbako, they're very, very talented guys. Look at them at their best. Sometimes, when you're piecing a team together, you don't get everybody's best ... Those guys on their front line, they're tough to deal with. They have good guards — (Myles) Rice is a good player, Trey Galloway is a good two-way player, Luke Goode has really helped them."
Although Indiana is returning players like Reneau, Mgbako, Galloway and Anthony Leal, the program added a lot of new pieces via the portal. Ballo, Rice, Goode and Kanaan Carlyle have been the most impactful.
Yet, at times this season, it still hasn't looked like Indiana has found good chemistry on the court. Part of the problem is that Reneau missed a handful of games due to injury. He played better in the second half of Sunday's game vs. Maryland, scoring 10 points and grabbing six rebounds.
"With Malik Reneau coming back, now he's kind of finding his way back in their lineup. The way he played in the last five, six, seven minutes of that game against Maryland was really impressive," Painter said. "Obviously, they lost the game, but I think that was the silver lining of that game for them — he got back, looked like his legs got back under him a little bit, he made shots."
Purdue swept the season series with Indiana last season and has won 15 of the last 19 meetings. But past success doesn't always mean future triumph.
That's a big reason why the Boilers won't be taking the Hoosiers lightly on Friday night.
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