Props to Matt Painter and Purdue

I've always had a lot of respect for Matt Painter as a coach, but what they're doing this season takes it to another level. It's amazing to me how they've replaced the huge amount of lost production from last year: Jaden Ivey (lottery pick), Trevion Williams (4th year player, kenpom top-10 caliber player), Sasha Stefanovic (40% 3p shooter at high volume), and losing several other guys as well.

Juxtapose that with UM's situation this year where people are justifying, rightfully so in my opinion, subpar performance with the fact that we have so many new guys contributing. To me that just makes what Purdue is doing all the more impressive.

I loved so many of the Painter/Beilein matchups. My favorite was where both coaches knew that neither defense could stop the other's offense, which people wrongfully blame on bad defensive coaching, but was clearly due to both coaches making personnel decisions that took advantage of obvious defensive mismatches and both betting that their mismatch was better than the other guy's. And then of course there was the 2018 team beating the doors off of junior Carsen Edwards Purdue at Crisler in early December. You might remember this as the game where Teske and Simpson flexed Purdue right off the court. But then that same Purdue team used superman Carsen Edwards to win one of the most absolutely remarkable and enjoyable NCAA tournament games I've ever seen.

In a college basketball world so often marred on the court by clutching, grabbing, flopping, nut punching (looking at you, Wisconsin), etc., not to mention all the shit that happens off it, it's nice to have a rival you legitimately respect.

Apologies for the excessive Purdue slurping, but I can't help but root for those guys on a down year for UM.