Purdue's Matt Painter Talks Challenges of Chasing Third Big Ten Title
ROSEMONT, Ill. — Some of Purdue's biggest contributors from the 2023-24 Final Four team may be gone, but Matt Painter and the Boilermakers still have the pieces to win a third straight Big Ten championship. Trying to "three-peat" is a big goal heading into the season.
Painter took the stage at Big Ten Men's Basketball Media Days on Thursday after leading Purdue to a 34-5 record, a conference title and a National Championship Game appearance last season. The 20-year coach of the Boilermakers didn't shy away from talking about the team's aspirations in 2024-25.
"We're trying to win three Big Ten championships in a row. Just keep that carrot in front of us," Painter said. "We have three starters back from a Final Four team. We have five freshmen. We have a lot of guys with experience outside those starters. Just blending in those five freshmen more than anything — understanding what we do an how we do it will take a little bit of time."
Purdue is an interesting spot from a roster standpoint. The Boilermakers return a backcourt combination of Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer, who have both started in all 74 games of the their careers in West Lafayette. Plus, Trey Kaufman-Renn returns in the frontcourt after starting all 39 contests last year.
Then there's Myles Colvin, Camden Heide and Caleb Furst, all of which were contributors off the bench. Then, Painter and his staffed hauled in a top-20 recruiting class, bringing in five new players.
On the flip side, Purdue lost two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey, Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year Mason Gillis and starting guard Lance Jones. A lot of production departed from that Final Four squad.
Yet Purdue was still picked to win the league, selected as the top team in the Big Ten by the media. While Painter will take the compliment, he's been coaching long enough to know that those votes don't translate to wins on the court.
"It's great when people pick you to win your league," he said, "but it really means nothing."
Chasing a third straight Big Ten title comes with a lot of complications, especially in an expanded Big Ten. With the conference adding Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington, winning another league crown gets even more difficult.
But the grind of a Big Ten schedule is the reason why Painter has adopted a tough nonconference scheduling model. This year, the Boilermakers have games against Texas A&M, Alabama, Auburn, Marquette and North Carolina State on the docket.
Maybe those games don't count towards the conference record, but they'll go a long way in helping Purdue prepare to "three-peat" in the Big Ten.
"We're excited, but we also know it'll be very hard. That's the one thing with a challenging schedule like we have in nonconference," Painter said. "You've got to get yourself prepared because it's such a bear when you get to Big Ten play."
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HOW TO WATCH BIG TEN MEDIA DAYS: Big Ten Men's and Women's Basketball Media Days will be held in Chicago from Wednesday, Oct. 2 through Thursday, Oct. 3. CLICK HERE
PURDUE LANDS 3-STAR GUARD: Purdue has landed its first commitment in the 2025 recruiting class. Ohio native Antione West Jr. committed to the Boilermakers on Tuesday. CLICK HERE
