If Purdue basketball doesn't fix turnovers, NCAA tournament could be another early exit
EVANSTON, Ill. — Purdue was an imperfect basketball team with a perfect record.
Late Friday night, those imperfections were the reason the top-ranked Boilermakers are no longer undefeated.
Eighty-eight points and a 25-rebound edge over Northwestern should've beaten the Wildcats.
Until you see that Northwestern scored 92 points and only turned the ball over three times compared to Purdue's 17 to stun the Boilermakers at Welsh-Ryan Arena for the second straight season.
"Clean up those turnovers and you get five or six more shots and it's a different ball game," Purdue center Zach Edey said. "Credit to (Northwestern). They played hard. They didn't turn it over. We need to force more turnovers on their end."
Poor outside shooting and turnovers plagued Purdue last season and ultimately is the reason the Boilermakers' NCAA tournament lasted stay lasted one day.
More: No. 1 Purdue basketball falls to Northwestern again, this time in overtime
Turnovers have been a theme this season.
Friday was the seventh time in eight games the Boilermakers have turned the ball over at least 10 times. The outlier: eight versus Morehead State. Purdue has at least 15 turnovers in three of its last four games and is averaging 12.6.
At Welsh-Ryan Arena Friday, the Boilers found a team, or a player in Boo Buie (31 points, 9 assists, 0 turnovers), good enough to capitalize.
"Eighty-eight points is enough to win the game," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "You've got to be able to guard."
When Painter looked at the box score after his first loss of the season, he scratched his ear and almost had a look of disbelief.
Three players scored in double figures. Zach Edey had 35 points and 14 rebounds.
How did Purdue lose this game?
The Boilermakers led by double digits late in the first half, led by three in overtime and, again, scored 88 points. Purdue had won 53 consecutive games when it scored at least 80 points.
When the Boilers had a chance to seize control in overtime, they promptly turned the ball over four times in five possessions.
"Just getting five to eight possessions back I think would make a difference," said Purdue point guard Braden Smith, who had six turnovers. "Just limiting those and moving on from there."
The season is long and losses happen, typically in a multitude of ways.
With Purdue, though, the losses have been few over the past three seasons, but when they come, turnovers have often been the common denominator.
March is a long way away.
But if the Boilermakers can't fix their turnover issues, the long wait for the NCAA tournament could result in a similar result as recent seasons.
"It was just a matter of us taking care of the ball," Purdue guard Fletcher Loyer said. "Obviously we outrebounded (Northwestern) by a crap ton, but just us taking care of the ball and we've just got to be better at it."
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue's turnover woes this time not enough to overcome
