Purdue Coach Matt Painter Explains Keys to Beating No. 2 Alabama
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The competition level amps up quite a bit for No. 13 Purdue on Friday night. The Boilermakers host No. 2 Alabama, hoping to extend their 38-game win streak against nonconference opponents in the regular season.
It won't be easy for Purdue, as Alabama brings a high-octane offense and one of the best players in the country — Mark Sears — into Mackey Arena.
Friday night presents plenty of challenges for Purdue. Coach Matt Painter says the biggest key against Alabama is playing mistake-free basketball for 40 minutes.
"More than anything, when you face a dynamic offensive team, you can't hurt yourself," Painter said Thursday. "If you want to turn the ball over, take bad shots, they're just going to get into transition and get what they want — Get to the free throw line, get rhythm threes, get dunks. So, you've got to do a good job offensively of getting quality shots, taking care of the basketball and setting your defense. I think that's first and foremost."
Purdue has struggled with turnovers a bit through the first three games of the season, averaging 13 per contest. The Boilermakers had 16 in the opener against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and 13 against Northern Kentucky. They handled the ball better in Monday's game against Yale, finishing the night with 10 turnovers.
Taking care of the basketball will be of the utmost importance.
But Painter also eluded to the fact that Purdue is going to have to make some plays Friday night. That's a byproduct of Alabama having a lot of talented players on the roster. There is a reason the Crimson Tide average 90 points per game, after all.
"They run really good stuff and they're very efficient. Mark Sears is a great player, one of the best guards in the country/ (Latrell) Wrightsell is one of the best shooters in the country," Painter said. "They've got a lot of interchangeable pieces that really put you into a bind."
Entering Friday night's game, both Purdue and Alabama are 3-0. Neither team has faced top-tier competition, but they've both found themselves in tough games early in the season. Painter knows his team is in for a dogfight on Friday night in Mackey Arena.
"They have dynamic players. Great scheme, great coach," Painter said. "They know what they're doing."
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