WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue guard Fletcher Loyer feels a difference this March.
He feels that his legs are stronger, more rested, and better prepared for NCAA Tournament play. This is a positive change for the top-seeded Boilermakers.
Last year, their tired freshmen backcourt of Loyer and Braden Smith struggled against 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson, resulting in a significant March Madness upset. Now they are back, aiming for a remarkable comeback.
“Last year, I felt my legs starting to get tired and had to figure out how to get ready and feel good,” Loyer said Sunday after the NCAA Tournament draw. “So, I found a routine that works, and now I'm really prepared to play on Friday.”
In the offseason, Loyer and Smith worked hard to return this season stronger and more focused. They both lost five pounds from their listed weight, hit the weight room, and focused on improving their shooting and decision-making.
Smith responded with 240 assists, breaking the single-season school record, flirting with multiple triple-doubles, and earning first-team all-Big Ten honors. Loyer’s shooting percentage increased to 43.9% this season, and he ranks second on the team with 54 3-pointers.
As the Boilermakers start studying two No. 16 seeds, Montana State and Grambling, Loyer and Smith sound more confident that they can succeed in Friday night’s first-round game in nearby Indianapolis.
“I think just knowing what's coming, how hard it is, and the teams we play, figuring out different ways to take care of your body and resting is different,” Smith said. “I think we've done a much better job this year because we've been through it and understand what's going to come.”
Last March, most fans ignored what now seem like obvious warning signs.
Purdue went 4-4 in its last eight regular-season games, barely escaped the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, and nearly blew a 17-point, second-half lead against Penn State in the tourney title game before clinching a No. 1 seed.
Despite shooting 39.6% from the field and 34.4% on 3-pointers over the entire season, Smith and Loyer made just 35.7% of their shots and 24.4% from beyond the arc over the 11 games leading into tourney play. Then in Game 35, against Fairleigh Dickinson, Smith and Loyer were 6 of 20 from the field, 4 of 14 on 3s, and had seven assists and nine turnovers, looking uncharacteristically uncomfortable against the Knights.
This year’s closing stretch was different.
As 7-foot-4 center and reigning national player of the year Zach Edey continued to dominate in the post and Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year Mason Gillis continued to excel, it was the play of the second-year guards, the addition of energetic guard Lance Jones, and timely 3-pointers that fueled Purdue.
They have won 15 out of 17 games since mid-January, and they won five games in a row by very small margins before losing in overtime to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. The team lost those two games by a total of five points.
Coach Matt Painter said, "It feels different because we have better shooters. When the game is close in the last four or five minutes, Gillis makes a 3-pointer. You feel confident that we can do that. I think that's the main advantage for this team. We are the second-best team in the country at shooting 3-pointers (40.8%), and this gives us a good balance with Zach.
Jones has also played a significant role in achieving that balance. With a team-high of 69 3-pointers and an average of 12.2 points per game, the new team member, who spent his first four seasons at Southern Illinois, has become a consistent threat in shooting, forcing opponents to defend the perimeter more honestly.
Off the court, Jones has brought a joyful and unconventional attitude to Purdue that was missing before.
"You have to enjoy it, and I think that's one of the things Lance has really helped us with," Painter said. "When he's on the court with a smile on his face, and everyone is competing and having fun and supporting each other, it just makes it much easier.
The only real concern now is Smith's health. He briefly left Friday's victory over Michigan State after his right knee seemed to give way, then he made 3 of 10 shots from the field against the Badgers on Saturday. He also briefly left the regular-season finale against Wisconsin due to an ankle injury.
But the early departure combined with a Friday game should give Smith a few extra days to rest before Smith and Loyer hope to achieve a different result in the NCAA tourney.
"I think, naturally, being freshmen, you encounter things you've never experienced before, so you might not know how to handle it," Gillis said. "Having another year, they appear more experienced and calmer in situations where last year they might not have been. I think that's the most important thing, just having the experience.
