"Maybe the best program in the country": Nate Oats gave Matt Painter & Purdue high praise before 87-78 loss
Purdue men's basketball has elevated to national contention thanks to the coaching efforts of Matt Painter. His results have since garnered praise from Alabama coach Nate Oats.
Heading into Friday's game between No. 13 Purdue and No. 2 Alabama, Oats spoke on the progress the team has made under Painter's leadership, giving the Boilermakers and their coach praise for continuing to build their program every year.
"They're a good team, picked to win the Big Ten," Oats said. "I think they've been ranked 39 straight AP polls. Which, if you look at schools over the last five years from a Power Five conference, they're first in wins.
"I think only Houston and Gonzaga have more wins in the country, and (Purdue) plays in the Big Ten. So, if you look at a program's superiority, over the last five years, they're arguably may be the best program in the country."
Matt Painter and Purdue take down Alabama; what's next?
Matt Painter and the Boilermakers came out victorious in the highly anticipated matchup, winning 87-78 at home at Mackey Arena to pull off the upset over the higher-ranked Crimson Tide on Friday night.
Three players scored 17 or more points for Purdue. Trey Kaufman-Renn led the way with 26 points, eight rebounds and four assists on 12-of-23 shooting. Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer followed suit with 17 points each, with Smith getting 10 assists and six rebounds while Loyer converted on three of his five 3-point attempts.
Despite Alabama having balanced scoring on its side with four players reaching double-digits, it was unable to stop the Boilermakers from making their shots. The Crimson Tide shot 44% from the field and 31% from beyond the arc, while the Boilermakers knocked down 49% of their shots overall and 56% of their attempts from downtown.
The win improved Matt Painter's squad to a 4-0 record this season, as it looks to return to the national championship game after finishing as the runner-ups in last year's NCAA Tournament following a 75-60 loss to the champions, UConn.
Coming off a big victory against a ranked opponent, Purdue will prepare for its next matchup against Marquette at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.