NCAA Men's 1st and 2nd Rounds: Detroit Sunday, March 18, 2018 Detroit, Michigan Q. What was that last minute like, all the different Vincent Edwards plays that happened? And then on that final shot, what was going through your minds when that ball Dakota Mathias was in the air? Purdue Boilermakers DAKOTA MATHIAS: We had a good play designed coming out there. Once it left my hand it felt pretty Purdue - 76, Butler - 73 good. We ran that play a lot throughout the year. And it's a good designed set. THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Purdue head coach Matt Painter and student-athletes Vincent But those last couple of minutes we kind of got out of Edwards and Dakota Mathias. Coach, an opening our element, forcing some things offensively, not statement. making the right read to let them back in. And like Coach said, give Butler a lot of credit. They played COACH PAINTER: Obviously it was a tough, grind-it- hard. They're a good team. We're excited to come out out type of game. I thought Butler really posed some with a win. problems for us, especially in some isos. And I thought our guys did a really good job. I thought our Q. Is that the biggest shot you ever had? rebounding in the first half was really good. Just trying DAKOTA MATHIAS: Absolutely. to make it as difficult as we can on Baldwin and Martin. Q. What's second? I really thought if both of those guys played well, when DAKOTA MATHIAS: I don't know right now. This is they played good competition they've won. And we one, two, and three. had to make it tough for them and try to get more shots than points for at least one of them. We were able to Q. Also, can you speak to the seniors really do that with Baldwin and bottle him up and keep stepped up. You lose Isaac. What did it mean to making it difficult for him. you guys to play like you did on a night when you lost Isaac and obviously wanted to help him get to I thought we really did some good things on the the Sweet 16? offensive end until the last three minutes. We lost our DAKOTA MATHIAS: Definitely. That's what we talked poise there, but we still were able to make enough about before the game. This was for Isaac. Our senior plays. We made a couple of transition stops where we class, we've been through a lot together. I think this is deflected behind. Vince made a big time in the first game he's missed. So to go out there and play transition. We got a couple of key reader boards there. for him, everything he means to this program. It just feels good to find a win and for him right there. But obviously the play of the game was our execution in Dakota knocking down that 3 to send it to five points. Q. Vincent, how does it feel to be the leading So I want to give credit to Butler. Obviously they have scorer on your team, contributing a lot to this a great program. They've done an unbelievable job. victory? And Kelan Martin is a fabulous player, fabulous player. VINCENT EDWARDS: I mean, honestly, I don't even For a guy to score 2,000 points -- Kamar Baldwin is care that I was the leading scorer. I was just happy very difficult to deal with. So congratulations to those that we're surviving and advancing to the Sweet 16. guys. The coaching staff did a good job of putting me in great positions to be successful. My teammates found me, But just proud of our guys. We found a way. We lost and we did a great job executing. And Dakota had the big fella and he's a big part of our team. But I think itself a huge shot at the end for us. we also showed we've got a lot of pieces and we've got a lot of guys and we're able to hang in there and get Q. The NCAA Tournament is like a book and each this one. team has their own unique chapter. You guys showed a lot of perseverance losing your team

Rev #1 by #188 at 2018-03-18 18:56:00 GMT page 1 of 3 leader. What are you guys doing to adjust and fill as hard as we could and take up their space. And it's in the chapter? hard with Kelan Martin, because we put a guard on VINCENT EDWARDS: You look sharp, man, by the him, but he's got the size of a power forward. But yet way. (Laughter) I like that suit. But like you were just he can move and shoot. So you're going to give in to saying, I think our thing is, for us would be to just stick something. together. Losing Isaac is definitely is a big piece of something we do. And like Dakota said, he's a huge So when he gets deep, he had the one post move, a part of our program. couple of spins, it's hard because he's rolling off your body and he's bigger than. And that's what made him So we told each other we had to go out there and play a great scorer is just his ability to do things. We knew for him. That's the way we had to keep it going for the they would make runs, but we had to do a good job rest of the ride. We don't want to stop anytime soon. executing trying to keep the ball in front of us on the We just gotta stay together and believe in each other, defensive end. and I think we'll be okay. Like we talked about earlier, we lost our poise right Q. Vincent, how concerned were you when you there. That could have cost us. We had three to four picked up the third foul at the end of the first half possessions in the last three minutes where we came knowing you would have to play the whole second away from nothing and a couple of them put them into half that way? transition. So we're very fortunate to be able to pull VINCENT EDWARDS: It was a little frustrating to be this out after those possessions. out there here and there, but just trying when I was out there, trying to be as effective as I could. Gotta be a Q. Can you talk a little bit about your strategy for little more smarter in those type of situations about replacing Isaac? I saw that you guys went small picking up that foul and just try to stay out there on the for a little bit there without a big. You played Taylor floor. Can't afford to be in foul trouble, especially when a little bit more than he usually plays. we're missing a guy like Isaac. COACH PAINTER: Right.

Q. Dakota, how important is your confidence from Q. Was that the game plan going in, and is that the perimeter going 3-for-6 for this game as the something you'll have to try to do going forward? tournament progresses? Do you feel confident COACH PAINTER: I think you play teams that have shooting from 3? earned their way here. But somebody like Butler and DAKOTA MATHIAS: Definitely. I think we all do as a their prestigiousness of a program, I think it starts with collective unit. Especially losing a piece like Isaac playing hard. So you're worried about your personnel. down there, we're going to be a lot more perimeter- Everybody puts it in like a schematic form. When in oriented. With Carsen, Vince -- P.J. was huge again reality you've got to compete harder than Butler or tonight. I think collectively we have to be more compete as hard as Butler. aggressive and confident on the perimeter. And I thought we were able to do that and match them. VINCENT EDWARDS: One more thing. Shoutout to Lil They played hard. We played hard. Sometimes you B, 2YBG (phonetic). Appreciate you. can get caught up in the loss of something instead of getting consumed in what you have. THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach. I thought Taylor did some good things. Eifert did good Q. Coach, Butler didn't seem like they wanted to go things. Matt Haarms did some good things. But what's away even though you had stretches where you ironic in this game is Matt Haarms, he played 29 were able to hold him down on defense and score. minutes, and the game we played the first time he What did you tell your guys to keep them going played 27. It's not like we put in somebody that hadn't and keep telling them that this game is winnable been playing. and that you can take it all the way? COACH PAINTER: Yeah, the game is just a game of Jacquil Taylor hadn't been playing. So for him to give runs. It goes back and forth, any game you watch, us those kind of minutes was huge. And then Grady unless it gets lopsided. You knew when you got up 10 Eifert has a lot of energy good. He's got good physical in that one stretch they would make plays and come tools. He can compete and plays hard. That being back. said our bench played good.

We were just trying to do a better job of keeping the Nojel Eastern played well. Ryan Cline made a huge 3 ball in front of us and bottling them up, trying to make it there at the end. They kind of left him open. Proud of

Rev #1 by #188 at 2018-03-18 18:56:00 GMT page 2 of 3 those other guys that had to kind of increase their role. buzz saw. Kansas was really good in that game in the But we didn't do anything really different. second half.

We're not going to play through the low post is the only We know we're playing a quality opponent again. We difference. We throw the ball to him a lot. But we're know they're tough and physical. But anytime you can pretty balanced. Carsen leads us in scoring. Vince have an experience like that, I think it definitely helps Edwards averages 15, Dakota averages around 13 or you the next time. 14. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach. Q. The senior mentality that it's your last chance and you don't want it to end and you have several seniors out there, how important of a factor is it in a game like this? COACH PAINTER: I think it's important that -- we lost our poise there, but then we also regained it. And Dakota Mathias made a huge shot but we executed that play and set good screens and moved the and did what you're supposed to do. That's what you have to have.

We can still win the win the game with that one possession and we were able to do that. It's so importantly because they know what they're doing. I know that's hard. You guys say, well, you guys practice. But when you have people that have been in the same system, they started as freshmen and they grew into seniors and they've been together and they have so many experiences, it definitely helps going down the stretch.

Q. Looking ahead to the next game, what's your strategy? COACH PAINTER: The next game, we've got to play harder than Texas Tech. It's a heck of a strategy, isn't it? But no, Chris Beard has done an unbelievable job at Texas Tech. We played them and they beat us when he was at Arkansas-Little Rock. They play extremely hard, very physical, very tough.

And we have to match that. We'll have to the basketball, have quality possessions. I think more than anything, when you get into tournament play, so many people are so excited to play, go at it, but you still have to have quality possessions. When we execute and get those quality possessions, it really helps us offensively but it also helps us set our defense and make them go against a set D.

Q. This is your second straight year making the Sweet 16 of course. For your players, is there a little bit more of a focused mentality rather than they're just happy to be in the Sweet 16; is there more of like we're ready for revenge for last year? COACH PAINTER: I think anytime you've been there before, I think it helps you. I think that experience of being there, and -- I wouldn't say a focus because I thought last year we were focused we just ran into a

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