Purdue men’s basketball coach Matt Painter welcomes the concept of “national championship or bust,” he told the Field of 68 Podcast on Friday.
One of the most pragmatic figures in the sport, Painter’s reasoning is sound. If the Boilermakers are the preseason No. 1 team, as they likely will be from multiple outlets, how could expectations be any lower?
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He also said last season’s team — blessed with the grace of having ended the program’s Final Four drought the prior year and operating with the leeway of regrouping without Zach Edey — could have used more of that attitude.
“When you walk off and get beat by UConn and you have Zach Edey, (your thought) is when will we ever have a bit a at the apple like this,” Painter said.
He blamed the “poor job” of “not selling we can still get back to a Final Four” last season on one person: himself.
“Where I did a poor job last year is, we had some tough calls at the end of that (Sweet 16) Houston game. And we’re right there in the Elite 8 and now playing Tennessee to go to the Final Four.”
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Purdue will not fly under anyone’s radar this season, and the preseason expectations will be lofty.
All-American point Braden Smith, All-Big Ten forward Trey Kaufman-Renn and every year starter Fletcher Loyer all returned. Daniel Jacobsen is healthy after the 7-foot-4 center missed almost his entire freshman year with a leg fracture. Former South Dakota State big man Oscar Cluff transferred in, and Purdue added Israeli guard Omer Mayer and his extensive international experience.
Smith, Kaufman-Renn and Loyer were all asked about that “natty or bust” concept. All welcomed it in a fairly casual manner. All three experienced some version of the same conversation two years earlier.
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“At the end of the day, that’s obviously our goal,” Smith said. “That’s everybody’s goal. That’s been my goal for the last three years and its the goal this year, because we have the skills and the people in the room to do so.
“If we win it, we win it. If we don’t, we’ll try everything we can do to win it.”
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball has national championship or bust mentality
