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PREMIUM CONTENT

Published Jan 1, 2021

For Purdue, defensive improvement must start on the ball

Brian Neubert • BoilerUpload

GoldandBlack.com staff

@brianneubert

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It's not like Purdue hasn't had its moments defensively this season.

The Boilermakers beat Ohio State in a classic Big Ten slugfest, held high-scoring Iowa to just 70 points on the Hawkeyes' home floor and when it came time to close out the Maryland win, Purdue delivered a picturesque defensive possession.

But the overwhelming majority of the past 80 minutes of Purdue basketball — the Maryland win, plus the loss at 14th-ranked Rutgers — have shown significant vulnerabilities, those vulnerabilities being the Boilermakers' emphasis in practice this week in advance of Saturday's meeting with No. 15 Illinois in Champaign.

"We have to be better than this," Coach Matt Painter said following the loss in Piscataway, after Rutgers scored 81 points despite being down its leading scorer.

In order to be, it has to start on the ball.

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