Matt Painter gives Michigan his flowers after a big loss
The top two teams in the Big Ten clashed on Tuesday night when Michigan played host to Purdue. Michigan had an impressive win over Purduewinning the game 91-80.
After the competition, the Purdue coach Matt Painter he made sure I gave credit to the Wolverines in their postgame press conference, per Chris Ballas of On3Sports.
“Our goal was to win the Big Ten. These guys don’t lose four games,” Painter said. “We have four losses. They don’t lose four games. So that’s just it. That’s the reality. When you’re in the league for 25-plus years – that’s the reality.”
Purdue entered the season as one of the favorites to win the Big Ten, and Painter had his sights set on a third Big Ten regular-season title since 2023. The Boilermakers are now 11-4 in conference play, which puts them tied with Nebraska and Michigan State, and a game behind Illinois.
“Give them credit. Just like the last two games for us, where we set the tone on the glass, they set the tone right there. Their size was there, but they were also quicker to the ball. I thought their guards did a good job around the basketball,” Painter added. “They’re the No. 1 team in the country for a reason.”
Painter also noted the depth of Michigan’s roster. The Wolverines had six players score in double figures, led by Elliott Kado, who scored 17. Meanwhile, Trey Kaufman-Wren scored 17 for Purdue, but only three players reached double figures. Furthermore, Michigan’s bench outscored Purdue 34-15.
Michigan controls its own destiny in the Big Ten, with just one conference loss, a 2.5-game lead and just four conference games remaining. Michigan now turns its sights to another high-profile matchup as they face Duke on Saturday.
meanwhile, Purdue is 21-5 on the season. They return to action Friday night against Indiana at home.
2026-02-18 12:54:00
