Purdue offense contained in 76-57 loss to No. 7 Michigan
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Purdue coach Matt Painter called timeouts twice in the opening 10 minutes, desperately trying to slow Michigan down.
It didn't work.
Jordan Poole scored 21 points as part of a balanced offense and the seventh-ranked Wolverines were stingy on defense in a 76-57 win over the 19th-ranked Boilermakers on Saturday, routing a third ranked team this season.
Painter said Michigan has an "unbelievable" combination of having a variety of scorers all of whom also play well at the other end of the court.
"They can beat you in the 90s," Painter said. "They can do it in the 60s."
The Wolverines (8-0, 1-0 Big Ten) are off to their best start since winning the first 16 games of the 2012-13 season. They were coming off an 84-67 win over No. 11 North Carolina , and they beat then-No. 8 Villanova 73-46 on its home court last month.
Michigan coach John Beilein said it is his goal to be able to win high- or low-scoring games and he's not satisfied yet.
"That's the plan, but we've got a long way to go," he insisted.
The Boilermakers (5-3, 0-1) have lost three of their last four games.
"We need to figure some things out," Purdue center Matt Haarms said after scoring five points and grabbing two rebounds. "I don't think we should have lost by this much. I think we got embarrassed.
"I'm really thinking to myself, this is not what this team should be about. I think we got out-toughed. I think some guys weren't ready to play, including me."
Michigan's Jon Teske matched his career high with 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Ignas Brazdeikis scored 12 and Zavier Simpson had 10 points and seven assists. Charles Matthews added nine points, five rebounds and four assists.
Poole led the way offensively, going 8 of 9 overall and making all five of his 3-point attempts.
"If I hit one, I definitely feel like I'm hot," he said. "I wake up and I feel like they're going in."
Purdue's Carsen Edwards scored 19 on 7-of-21 shooting and Ryan Cline added 15 points.
The Wolverines picked up where they left off Wednesday night against the Tar Heels, making shots and getting stops to take a big lead early.
Painter stopped the game when Michigan led 13-4 at the 16:16 mark of the first half instead of waiting for a TV timeout soon thereafter. He did it again when the Wolverines were ahead 31-16 with 10:22 left before halftime.
Michigan maintained its comfortable cushion without much of a fight from the Boilermakers, who couldn't get closer than 12 in the second half.
Michigan led 44-28 at halftime after connecting on 53 percent of its shots and holding Purdue to 36 percent from the field.
The Wolverines' shooting accuracy slipped in the second half, falling to 47 percent, but they kept up the intensity on defense to keep Purdue at 36 percent.
"They've come so far not just defensively, but with more of a mindset," Painter said. "They can have a grind-it-out mindset."
BIG PICTURE
Purdue: Cline needs more shots and Edwards should take fewer. Cline was 6 of 8 from the field and 3 of 5 from beyond the arc, but Edwards looked for his shot much more than he tried to pass to his sharpshooting guard.
"At times when it doesn't go his way, he gets too aggressive," Painter said.
Michigan: The Wolverines' efficiency on both ends of the floor will make them tough to beat.
"Your defense can be the one constant," Beilein said. "As long as we keep embracing that, we can keep having success."
DENIED
The 7-foot-3 Haarms went up for a dunk on the opening possession of the second half and couldn't finish because 6-6 Matthews contested the shot and was called for a foul.
"Charles has got that 'it' about him," Beilein said. "You're in for a fight when you play him."
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Michigan can't move up much, but it may merit a higher ranking with its impressive start. The Boilermakers might fall out of the AP Top 25.
UP NEXT
Purdue: Hosts Maryland on Thursday.
Michigan: At Northwestern on Tuesday.
