What a weekend for Purdue basketball. I do not think it can be overstated what Matt Painter’s team did over the past few days. Facing the longest road trip of the season and two games three time zones away Purdue came back from down 10 to win the first game and its defense throttled a really good offensive team on its home floor to get a Pacific Northwest sweep.

Those two victories did not clinch the Big Ten title, but they are the types of games that championship teams win. Purdue did not shoot particularly well in either game. In fact, it was pretty bad from the floor against an athletic Oregon team whose own defense caused a lot of problems.

In addition to basketball it was a busy weekend for Purdue sports as wrestling hosted Indiana in Mackey Arena, tennis was in action, and women’s basketball continued its struggles.

First, some further thoughts on basketball as Purdue goes for a Three-Pete.

The Champs Until Proven Otherwise

We all know that Matt Painter is a very accomplished coach, but his job this season to date is tremendous. It is on par with the job he did in the 2018-19 season. That year Purdue lost four senior starters and had to completely restructure its offense around a pair of hot shooting guards in Carsen Edwards and Ryan Cline. It sat at 6-5 around Christmas break and really did not look like a tournament team. From there it only won the Big Ten and came within a second of the Final Four.

This year is very similar. Purdue lost one of the most dominant college players of the last half century. Zach Edey was a two-time National Player of the Year, something that incredibly rare in college basketball. That he is gone and Purdue is still the team to beat in the Big Ten is incredible.

Of course, not every team gets to return three starters from a roster that played for a National title a few months ago. Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn have played a lot of basketball together, and that familiarity is an asset no other team in the country has. They were the known quantities, but the supporting cast is starting to come together nicely.

The player that deserves the most praise during this winning streak is Caleb Furst. Furst is about as much of a Purdue guy as you can ask for. He started multiple games as a freshman, fell out of the rotation, and really struggled last year. Not only has he earned a starting spot again, you can tell he is being more assertive and playing with a tremendous amount of confidence. The best Purdue teams always have a consummate glue guy that is willing to do the dirty work. For the last few years it was Mason Gillis. This year Furst has seized the role with aplomb. It should also be noted that he is the first Big Ten basketball player to win at least one conference game in 16 different arenas (and technically 17 since he was part of the 2022-23 team that beat Penn State at the Palestra).

The rest of the rotation also seems to take turns as to who is playing a major supporting role each night. CJ Cox had a huge game against Nebraska. Myles Colvin was great against Northwestern. Gicarri Harris hit multiple clutch free throws against Oregon.

This is a team that is really coming together right now. It has a core trio that is as good as any core trio in the country. Its role players know exactly what they need to do each night. I don’t think the ceiling is as high as it has been the last couple of years, but Purdue is still a very, VERY good team that can play with anyone, and it is getting better each night.

Winning a game 2,000 miles from home against a top 15 team when you offense is struggling is the type of win that championship teams get. There are now 12 games remaining in the regular season and seven are at home in the friendly confines of Mackey Arena. Michigan State may be the last team unbeaten in conference play, but through eight games Purdue looks like the team everyone is chasing.

Again.

Whither, Katie Gearlds

At the other end of the spectrum the Purdue women’s program is struggling, and as a result, there are questions regarding Katie Gearlds and her longevity. Purdue currently sits in last place in the Big Ten at 0-7 and it has top 5 USC coming to town this week. The losses are ugly, too, as the Boilers have played only one Big Ten team within 10 points (losing by 9 to Maryland).

It is disappointing. Personally, I though Katie Gearlds would be the answer after the malaise that Sharon Versyp had cast over the once proud program. She had a fantastic career at Marian University and her first two seasons saw teams that played hard and competed every night. She even got Purdue back to the NCAA Tournament in 2023.

The last two seasons have seen a severe dropoff, and this year’s team looks lost in most games. It is just not clicking in anyway this year, and all the momentum from those first two seasons seems lost.

I wish nothing but success to Katie. She was a fun player to watch and she played during the Purdue women’s basketball golden era. This season appears lost, but hopefully she can develop some momentum going into what will be a critical 2025-26 season for her.

Wrestling Drops Mackey Mania to Indiana

Purdue wrestling borrowed Mackey Arena Friday night for a rivalry dual with Indiana, and the Hoosiers were able to get the Governor’s Cup point in wrestling for the second straight year. There were still several good individual highlights. Matt Ramos stayed undefeated on the season with an 11-2 win at 125 pounds. He remains the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the country at 125 pounds. Isaac Ruble also had a 12-5 win over Aidan Torres at 149 pounds.

Joey Blaze continues his All-American pace at 157 pounds. Blaze is currently ranked 7th nationally at that weight and he beat Ryan Garvick 11-2.

By winning three of the first five matches Purdue led the team standings 11-8 midway through the dual, but Indiana won the final five matches to take the dual 25-11.

Blaze and Ramos both won their matches on Sunday at No. 2 ranked Ohio State, along with Ben Vanadia at 197 pounds, but as a team Purdue dropped the match 34-10.

Men’s Tennis Opens Undefeated

The men’s tennis season got underway at the Schwartz Tennis Center over the weekend and the Purdue men picked up a pair of wins. The Boilers defeated Northern Illinois 7-0 and Dayton 6-1 to start the year 2-0 as a team.

Women's tennis also began its spring season undefeated with a pair of victories. The ladies won 6-1 over Illniois State on Saturday and 7-0 over Butler on Sunday, both at home.

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