No. 1 Purdue and No. 15 Texas Tech should be happy to be meeting in the title game of the Baha Mar Championship on Friday night at Nassau, Bahamas.
They weren’t that far away from facing each other in the consolation game.
But they both found the necessary resolve to set up what could be an entertaining final, with each team having a player who’s considered among the best in the country.
Both teams were extended late into their games Thursday.
Purdue (5-0) got past Memphis 80-71 after trailing with less than six minutes to play.
“Very fortunate to learn a hard lesson and still win the game,” said Boilermakers coach Matt Painter, who identified several teachable areas in the game’s aftermath.
Texas Tech (4-1) had even more late-game drama before prevailing 84-83 against Wake Forest in the nightcap.
JT Toppin, who scored 21 points for the Red Raiders on Thursday, and Purdue’s Braden Smith, who had an off-night shooting, are the headliners, though the supporting casts are strong for both teams.
Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said Purdue has an elite team throughout the roster.
“They have guys that can make shots,” McCasland said. “They just really don’t have any weaknesses. So the key is going to be what’s our competitive fight in a game like this and that’s the only way you can win a game.”
For Purdue, there will be an emphasis on maintaining composure after that became an issue against Memphis. The Boilermakers ended the game on a 17-7 run.
“Worry about what you can control,” Painter said. “We got very, very frustrated and we let it affect us.”
Smith went 2-for-14 from the field, finishing with five points and 11 assists in 37 minutes.
“It looked like to me he was trying to draw fouls instead of just putting it high and soft off the glass,” Painter said. “But I thought he had some good shots that just didn’t go down. … He has seen it all, so it was nothing different for him.”
Painter said he would like to see more confident shooting strokes from his players.
“I thought we took way too many runners and floaters,” he said.
The Boilermakers received a boost from C.J. Cox’s 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting that included four 3-point baskets.
“He got going a little bit,” Painter said. “I think he did a really good job. … When those games get sticky, you’re going to stay with those guys.”
Four Texas Tech players drained three 3-point shots each against Wake Forest, which entered the game among the best in the country statistically in defending 3-pointers.
The Red Raiders will take on their second nationally ranked opponent of the season. Their first, Illinois, scored an 81-77 victory last week over Texas Tech.
The Boilermakers, who based on the first night of games could enjoy a huge edge in crowd support, will look to be more attentive in rebounding against Texas Tech after Memphis collected 15 offensive boards. Toppin has been Texas Tech’s leading rebounder in each of the past four games.
“We’ve got to get more consistency on the glass,” Painter said.
