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Buzz Williams praises Matt Painter's consistency, calls him a first ballot Hall of Famer

Stephen Samraby:Steve Samra•12/16/24•

SamraSource

Buzz Williams, Matt Painter
Buzz Williams (Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images), Matt Painter (Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)

Buzz Williams led the Texas A&M Aggies into battle against Matt Painter and the Purdue Boilermakers over the weekend, and the SEC squad was able to leave Gainbridge Fieldhouse victorious.

Texas A&M won by a score of 70-66, with Zhuric Phelps leading the way with 16 points, along with Pharrel Payne, who scored 16 off the bench, as well. It was certainly a sizable win for the Aggies, as they advanced to 9-2, and afterwards Williams made sure to point out the immense respect he has for his counterpart in Painter.

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“I think the consistency that Coach [Painter] has led with over the last 20 years is renowned,” Williams said, regarding the Purdue leader. “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.

“I think that some of the guys on our team that are probably basketball junkies are aware of Purdue’s consistency during their basketball career, but I think that our coaches did a good job of presenting how good they are. … What he’s done, not just last year, in the 20 years he’s been there, is phenomenal. He’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer, for sure.”

Over his time with the Boilermakers, Painter has built Purdue into something most programs in college basketball aspire to become. While he hasn’t been able to capture a national title yet for the program, he’s come close, and he’s doing everything he can to continue the team’s rise moving forward.

Williams’ team is ascending as well, and they looked primed to make some noise moving forward. Perhaps it’s a matchup the two programs could revisit come March. Until then, they’ll watch each other from a distance, learning from this past weekend’s game and looking to continuously improve.

Matt Painter and Purdue are back in action on Saturday afternoon, when they’ll face another SEC foe in one of the best teams in the country, the Auburn Tigers. Meanwhile, Buzz Williams and Texas A&M have a showdown with the Houston Christian Huskies on Friday, as they look to continue their hot streak.