Why Matt Painter thinks Purdue got 'lucky' in win over USC

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The Purdue basketball team squeaked by the USC Trojans in the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday, 76-71. USC and Purdue were surprisingly tied at 35 at halftime, and the Trojans even had a two-point lead with under six minutes to go.

Again, USC tied things up in the final minute before Purdue hit five free throws down the stretch to get the victory. USC’s Desmond Claude almost tied things up, and the shot would’ve sent the game into overtime.

Ultimately, it was no good, and Purdue survived. Afterward, Purdue basketball coach Matt Painter admits his team got “lucky” in regards to the miss by Claude, per Boilers In The Stands.

“Let’s be frank, he (Claude) shot that 8 foot floater at the end and we got lucky,” Painter said.

USC was the No. 14 seed in the Big Ten, although the Trojans stunned No. 11 Rutgers with a 97-89 double-overtime win in likely the final college game for Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. In that win, Claude was outstanding, leading the way with 28 points and eight assists as the Xavier transfer paced the team.

In the loss to Purdue, Claude once again was outstanding, finishing with 18 points and three rebounds while almost hitting the game-tying shot.

Purdue, on the other hand, had a big effort from Trey Kaufman-Renn, who led all scorers with 30 points and seven rebounds. Still, Painter admitted they got lucky.

Purdue moves on to face Michigan 

Purdue’s next matchup is against Michigan, the No.3 seed in the Big Ten tournament. After beating USC, Painter spoke about the matchup with the Wolverines, per Dustin Schutte of SI.

“They have a lot of good pieces, they have good young guards that come off the bench for them that sometimes they play, sometimes they don’t play as much. Those guys are talented and good players. They’ve just got a good mix,” Painter said.

So, despite a “lucky” win over USC, Purdue lives on for another day in the Big Ten tournament.

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