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WEST LAFAYETTE — Matt Painter scheduled Kentucky for Purdue men’s basketball’s first exhibition for reasons surpassing the Wildcats’ roster.
The Boilermakers want the electrified nostalgia of playing a top-10 team in historic Rupp Arena. They will absorb whatever unpleasantries the denizens in the eRUPPtion Zone — the standing room-only student section — dish out.
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What they need, though, is the best game this ninth-ranked Kentucky team can put on the floor. Purdue went to Arkansas for an exhibition in 2023, and lost. It went to Creighton last season for another, and lost again.
Both experiences made those Boiler teams better in the long run. Painter does not seek an October warm-up. He throws his team into the furnace, in hopes they’ll be more comfortable when they step into one with real wins and losses on the line.
“I say it to a lot of coaches and they look at me like it’s crazy,” Painter said. “Then they go play their first road game and it’s like, ‘Man, those first road games are hard.’
“Well, make it your second road game.”
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Kentucky coach Mark Pope called himself a “massive fan” of Painter. He knows his team has been asked to help another major program expose any lingering vulnerabilities or loose ends. He’s all for it.
He also can see the same value proposition from the other side. How many teams can bring the No. 1 team in the country into their gym for a no-downside competition?
“We’re going to learn the low-hanging fruit stuff, and we’re going to learn some things about us that are the highest level of competitive basketball,” Pope told LEX 18’s BBN Tonight. “And we get to do it all two-and-a-half weeks before the season starts. It’s the greatest thing ever.”
Pope referred to Rupp Arena as “the best atmosphere in college basketball.” Despite his obvious bias, the 20,000-seat venue would make a lot of short lists for that title.
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For Purdue, this foray into an elite atmosphere also includes at least one elite matchup.
Preseason SEC Player of the Year Otega Oweh will task C.J. Cox, Gicarri Harris, Fletcher Loyer and Omer Mayer with containing a big guard with big talent. In his first season with Kentucky after transferring from Oklahoma, the 6-foot-4 Oweh led the Wildcats in both scoring (16.4) and steals.
Though not a high-volume 3-point shooter, Oweh can thrive from mid range. His biggest offensive threat, though, comes as a downhill slasher. This is where he might help Purdue the most — presenting the sort of dribble containment problem it must handle better this season.
“He’s real athletic, so he’s gonna get to the rim,” said Loyer, who faced Oweh in summer games during their days as high school prospects. “He’s going to put pressure on our bigs. Hopefully we’ll stay out of foul trouble and make him make tough shots.”
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It does not appear Purdue will face one of Kentucky’s other starting guards. Jaland Lowe came away from last week’s Blue-White Scrimmage with a shoulder injury. Pope said Thursday the Pittsburgh transfer, a third team All-ACC pick last season, would likely be held out of live contact for “at least another week.”
Lowe is the lone true point guard on this roster. His absence would deprive the backcourt, especially Braden Smith and whichever guard Painter uses to jam the opposing point at any given time, of a challenging preseason matchup.
It would presumably also take Kentucky out of its optimal offensive attack.
That in a roundabout way explains why Painter looks for a challenge beyond what’s happening on the floor. Looking for specific matchups may or may not work out with your opponent’s own needs a timeline.
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Purdue also does not heavily scout this game, compared to their preparation for a regular-season game.
“Playing this game was also choosing the environment, too,” Painter said. “Obviously they’re a talented team. Very good offensive team. Scored a lot of points last year.
“… Really just focusing on what we’re doing right now and wanting to go and play a high-level game in a tough environment and see where we are. No matter what happens, we’re going to be a better team after we play this game.”
That philosophy helped mold most Boilermakers into the team they will be on opening day.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball game today at Kentucky, what Matt Painter’s watching
