Matt Painter’s mindset on facing upset-minded McNeese
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WISH) — After beating High Point in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, the Boilermakers face the upset minded No. 12 seed McNeese Cowboys.
McNeese beat Clemson by two points on Thursday, but led by as many as 24 points and led for the last 33 minutes of the game.
It doesn’t matter to Purdue head coach Matt Painter what seed McNeese is. He said the Cowboys a great team.
“They have great players,” Painter said. “They have a great coach. They gained some steam here and that’s the narrative, but when the game starts, the game is still the game and they play hard. So look at them for what they do and make sure you’re selling that to your players about how quick they are, athletic they are, how tough they are, how they get into gaps. It’s just making a clip tape. Here’s what works against them. Here’s what does not work against them.”
McNeese dismantled Clemson on the defense end on Thursday, especially in the first half, where they held Clemson to just 13 points in the first half. In the game, Clemson shot just 36.8% from the field and turned the ball over 13 times.
The Cowboys are 19th in the country in forcing turnovers.
“McNeese gives a lot of effort,” Painter said. “They play very, very hard. They get a lot of deflections and a lot of steals. You just have to do a good job of taking care of the basketball.”
Purdue guard Myles Colvin emphasized their preparation heading into the matchup.
“We have seen a lot of different teams,” Myles Colvin said. “We played low-major teams where they have been quicker, faster getting to the ball and disrupt our office. We have also been against teams that are bigger, stronger. So I think it’s just also a preparation, like we said, being in situations where we can have those quick turnarounds.”
Since Purdue was upset by No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson, the Boilermakers have beaten three straight double digit seeds. Purdue has also won five straight second round games.
The game is scheduled to tipoff at 12:10 p.m. EST.
