The Texas A&M Aggies earned a huge 70-66 victory over Purdue, becoming one of eight basketball teams in the loaded SEC with nine wins this season. Aggies head coach Buzz Williams showed why he has two SEC Coach of the Year awards, leading his team to a defensive masterclass against the No. 11 Boilermakers.
After his team’s huge win, Williams spoke about Purdue head coach Matt Painter in the highest regard. Painter has coached the Boilermakers for 20 straight seasons, compiling a 455-206 record during his legendary tenure.
“How he goes about his work on and off the floor,” Williams said. “I have respect for him as a coach and as a person. He’s a first ballot Hall of Famer.”
Williams also called Painter “an offensive savant” in his postgame press conference. The sixth-year Texas A&M coach has the utmost respect for Painter and his Boilermakers, and he clearly had his Aggies more than ready for the challenge.
Purdue coach Matt Painter made an honest claim about his team’s loss
Painter gave an honest assessment of Purdue’s loss following the contest.
“Nobody feels good about it, but we’re definitely a better team for playing them,” Painter said in his postgame presser.
While the loss stung for his Boilermakers, Painter made sure to give credit where credit was due. Williams and the Aggies forced 16 turnovers out of Purdue and held the Boilermakers to 9/26 shooting from beyond the arc.
Senior guard Zhuric Phelps and junior forward Pharrel Payne led the Aggies with 16 points each. Payne shot a perfect 6/6 from the floor in 24 minutes off the bench.
Currently sitting at No. 17 in the nation, Texas A&M will surely make a jump in the next AP Top 25 rankings. The Aggies will return to action on Dec. 20 to host Houston Christian University at Reed Arena.
