Texas A&M's Buzz Williams Calls Matt Painter 'First Ballot Hall of Famer'
INDIANAPOLIS — They might have been competitors on the court for 40 minutes of basketball on Saturday afternoon, but Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams has nothing but respect for Purdue coach Matt Painter. He raved about the program that has been built in West Lafayette over the last 20 seasons.
No. 17 Texas A&M defeated No. 11 Purdue 70-66 on Saturday in the Indy Classic, the Boilers' first loss in the newly-revised event. The Aggies got the job done on the defensive end, forcing 16 turnovers and winning the rebounding battle 34-23. Purdue also shot just 34.6% from 3-point range.
After the game, Williams talked about the consistency with which Purdue plays, a credit to the program and culture Painter has created in two decades at the helm.
"I think the consistency he has led with for the last 20 years is renowned," Williams said. "Not necessarily the results, just how he goes about his work on and off the floor. I have the utmost respect for who he is as a person and who he is as a coach.
"Everything he's done, not just last year but in the 20 years he's been there has been phenomenal. He's a first ballot Hall of Famer."
Saturday didn't produce the results Purdue would have liked. The Boilermakers fell to 8-3 on the season, suffering losses to Marquette, Penn State and Texas A&M. Life doesn't get any easier, playing No. 2 Auburn next weekend in Birmingham, Ala.
It's going to be another major challenge for Purdue.
But Painter has done a lot of great things in West Lafayette and Williams didn't want that to be lost simply because of Texas A&M's win over Purdue on Saturday.
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