Latest Matt Painter News
UConn uses strategy of shutting down Purdue's perimeter shooters to get decisive victory
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — UConn left Donovan Clingan on the loneliest island, stuck deep in the paint to wrestle massive Purdue center Zach Edey. Even when Edey bulled his way to shots at the rim, the Huskies refused to give their big man help, knowing the two-time national player of...
Purdue's Jones has been a perfect transfer fit in a March Madness run to the NCAA title game
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Lance Jones spent four years developing his game at a mid-major program before deciding to enter the transfer portal. The payoff came in March Madness, both for Purdue at every step of what became the best season in program history and for Jones in playing...
Purdue's Painter draws closer to an elusive title by doing things the old-fashioned way
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Other Big Ten coaches walked into the high school point guard's living room and told him lots of things he wanted to hear, and very little he did not. The coach at Purdue at the time, Gene Keady, informed the recruit that if he signed with the Boilermakers, he'd either need...
Purdue's Zach Edey and UConn's Donovan Clingan anchoring the middle in national title game
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The national championship game will be a beefy one. In one corner of the paint is Zach Edey, Purdue's 7-foot-4, 300-pound unstoppable force. Opposite him will be Donovan Clingan, UConn's 7-2, 280-pound game-altering center. One big man is...
High schools to high majors: Final Four includes 3 coaches with roots in high school
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The longer Nate Oats coached at Romulus High School outside of Detroit, the more comfortable he felt with his position in the coaching hierarchy. Oats had always pictured himself as a Division I college coach, yet he had built a top-tier program at Romulus...
At Final Four, they turn back the clock with Purdue, NC State and an old-school matchup of big men
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The opener at the Final Four on Saturday might feel like a trip through a time machine. Yes, those are Purdue and North Carolina State — one program here for the first time since 1980, the other trying to write a 21st-century version of college...
Purdue's Zach Edey is the overwhelming choice for 2nd straight AP Player of the Year award
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — The child who wanted Zach Edey's autograph during his Purdue recruiting trip apparently saw something others missed. Big Maple was destined to be a basketball star. While many college coaches passed on the unpolished Canadian prospect as...
New Oklahoma State basketball coach Steve Lutz embraces Cowboys' tradition
New Oklahoma State basketball coach Steve Lutz embraces the expectations that come with leading a program that has won two national titles and featured Hall of Fame coaches Henry Iba and Eddie Sutton. The Cowboys have reached six Final Fours, but none since 2004. The 51-year-old Lutz...
From NC State's Kevin Keatts to Florida St's Leonard Hamilton, ACC is home to 9 Black head coaches
Kevin Keatts' path through the NCAA Tournament with North Carolina State included beating three teams with white head coaches, with another up next in the Final Four against Purdue's Matt Painter. Marquette's Shaka Smart was the only fellow Black head coach he saw down the sideline...
Final Four road for Purdue began with look in the mirror and decision to stay the course
DETROIT (AP) — Instead of rebuilding via the transfer portal or overhauling the roster with some splashy NIL deals when its season came to an embarrassing halt last year, Purdue looked straight in the mirror. Even after a loss that made them a laughingstock, the Boilermakers pretty...
