Matt Painter on how Purdue blew the game open vs. Gonzaga to advance to Elite Eight

The Purdue Boilermakers suffered one of the biggest disappointments in college basketball history in last year’s NCAA Tournament, becoming the second No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed. And this year, the Boilermakers have proven they are on a warpath for revenge.

They had a battle in the first half against the No. 5 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs on Friday night, but Purdue pulled away in the second half for an 80-68 win. Following the game, Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter spoke with Evan Washburn on the floor.

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Purdue only led Gonzaga by four points at halftime and the Bulldogs were making things very interesting for the first half. How were the Boilermakers able to blow things open in the second half?

“Just did a good job of taking care of the basketball. Got more stops. Really wanted to get them into some tough twos, more than anything. As long as we just sticked with our roles and make it difficult on them. Even when they make some of them,” Painter said.

Purdue got some impressive showings from two of their biggest stars, Braden Smith and Zach Edey. Smith finished with 14 points and 15 assists (7th most all-time in an NCAA Tournament game). Edey finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds, once again tallying another double-double.

“You know, we’ve had of success throughout the year, but this guy [Braden Smith] takes care of the basketball, 15 assists, two turnovers. Obviously, we’ve always got a place to go with the ball with big Zach [Edey]. So, it’s been a great 1-2 punch for us, but just proud of these guys and gotta get some rest here and get ready for a big game to hopefully go to the Final Four.”

Purdue has won their games in the first three rounds by a combined 79 points, looking like one of the most dominant teams in the entire NCAA Tournament. What stands in their path the rest of the way?

“Really good teams stand in our way, so no matter who wins this next game they’re both great teams, great coaches. And we know we’ve gotta prepare for ’em. To beat a great team and not shoot the ball well is what you don’t want, but it can happen sometimes. So, if we shoot the basketball well, some things go our way, we take care of it. Sure. But if it doesn’t, we’ve gotta be able to rebound and grind it and be able to win tough games because you don’t know how that next game’s gonna be,” Painter finished.