WATCH: Purdue Guard Ethan Morton Previews Matchup at Maryland

Purdue junior guard Ethan Morton addressed the media ahead of the team's road game against Maryland on Thursday at the Xfinity Center in College Park, Md.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Before No. 3 Purdue hits the road for a matchup against Maryland on Thursday at the Xfinity Center in College Park, Md., junior guard Ethan Morton spoke to the media to discuss the team's mindset heading into the game. 

The Boilermakers have been plagued by turnovers in the last three games and have suffered two losses on the road during their recent stretch. The most recent 64-58 defeat came at the hands of Northwestern on Sunday. 

Purdue turned the ball over 16 times in the loss and looks to reset its focus in preparation for a Maryland team that boasts a 13-1 record at home this season. 

"When you get to this point in the year, practice starts to shorten a little bit just because you've played more games and it's a long season," Morton said. "So it's definitely more of a mental focus. Part of that is just our preparation. I think just imagining the pressure we're going to feel, the stuff we're running. 

"Obviously, we've done more drills to simulate that as of late. Just having a good mental focus on it because we're a great team when we don't turn the ball over. I've always said that ties into our defense a lot." 

The Boilermakers faced off against the Terrapins for the first time on Jan. 22, earning a hard-fought 58-55 win at Mackey Arena. They registered 15 turnovers in the victory. 

"In the second half, I think we got a little bit loose with the ball, and their pressure kind of affected it," Morton said. "But it's a two-way street. Teams like that, that press, when they smell blood in the water they turn up the heat." 

Maryland's opponents have averaged 12.4 turnovers per game this season, which is the fifth-most in the Big Ten, and the team currently ranks 29th nationally in defensive efficiency according to the KenPom rankings. 

For the Boilermakers to pick up their 10th quadrant one win of the 2022-23 season on Thursday and improve to 8-2 in true road matchups, they will need to cut down on unforced errors against a stout defense. 

"We're working really hard to fix it," Morton said. "All we can do is move on to the next game and realize that tomorrow is the biggest game to date for us." 

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