Purdue closed out the exhibition portion of its 2026-27 season on Tuesday in Hartford. The Boilermakers fell 76-53 to No. 4 UConn, a preseason contest that exposed multiple deficiencies as Matt Painter's team prepares to open the regular season next week.

The glaring statistic from the game was Purdue's struggles from behind the three-point line, converting on just two of their 25 attempts from long range. The Boilers also lost the rebounding battle 40-34 and had 13 turnovers to UConn's 11.

After the game, Painter said Purdue will go back to the drawing board and try to correct some things before heading to Las Vegas for a matchup with No. 15 Gonzaga. What else did the head coach have to say following the loss?

Finding ways to win when the ball doesn't go in

Who are you when the ball doesn't go in the hoop? That's a question Painter asks every team he coaches. On Tuesday night, we saw why that's such an important teaching point.

Not only did Purdue struggle from behind the three-point line, but it also shot below 39% from the field. Many of those failures are a credit to UConn's defense, but the Boilermakers also missed open shots.

When those shots aren't dropping, Purdue must do the little things to win games. That didn't happen on Tuesday night in Hartford.

"What we always talk about is when you go on the road and you don't make shots, can you still be a really good team? Obviously, we're not there right now," Painter said in a video posted by GoldandBlack.com. "I know it was extreme, shooting 2-of-25, but when you have fewer rebounds and more turnovers, you're not going to win that game. You have to have four or five turnovers, outrebound them by 10, and try to fight your way back in. When you're turning the ball over more than them, and you're getting fewer rebounds, and you go 2-of-25, it's going to be a long night."

Guys enduring the growing pains

It's not a breaking news story that Purdue is going through some major changes from last year. The Boilermakers lost four starters from last year's Elite Eight squad, and several players are taking on new roles this season.

C.J. Cox had a solid night, scoring 18 points and shooting 7-of-14 from the floor. He also finished the game with seven rebounds. Outside of him, it was difficult to find individuals who stood out. Painter wanted to see a little bit more from his players.

"Anytime you have a different role and you didn't play as much, you think if you get that opportunity, then that's all you need," Painter said. "Well, there were a lot of people who got that opportunity tonight, and I didn't see that."

Tuesday was an eye-opening experience for several guys, especially the youngsters like Luke Ertel, Jacob Webber and Antione West Jr. It will be interesting to see how everyone responds to Tuesday's performance, but especially those three.

Embracing the physicality

One of the things Painter has emphasized since the beginning of practice in the summer was embracing the physicality. With Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn departing, the Boilermakers needed bigs like Daniel Jacobsen, Raleigh Burgess and Jack Benter to set a tone.

Purdue didn't get killed on the glass by UConn, but Painter thought his team could be more physical, especially in the frontcourt. Transfer Caden Pierce was the only "big" who finished the game with more than three rebounds, totaling seven boards in the contest.

"We have guys who played here before that, the only reason in their minds that they didn't take off and be players was opportunity. Well, people had opportunities tonight," Painter said. "When that happens, you have to be able to go back and look at yourself in the mirror and say, 'Am I embracing the physicality of the game? Am I going to get rebounds?' Because, at times, it was guards getting that way. We've got to get some size in there and clean up some rebounds."

This is probably going to be a work in progress at Purdue. Enzo Shahrvin is expected to help Purdue in this area, but even he struggled with it at times during Tuesday's exhibition.

Daniel Jacobsen's interior presence

He may not have had the best night statistically, but the 7-foot-4 center did some positive things for Purdue. Jacobsen finished the game with seven points, four blocks and three rebounds.

Painter wanted to see Jacobsen get a few more touches in the post, especially with the three-ball absent from Purdue's offensive weaponry. That's another area where the Boiler guards must improve moving forward.

"He needs to get the ball more. We missed him a few times on the interior. He needs to get the basketball down there more," Painter said. "You're not going to just have a heavy diet of threes. You've got to have a balance. When people go under and just give you open threes, that's one thing. These guys weren't."

Jacobsen has worked hard in the offseason to become a better threat in the post. His teammates have to get him the ball on the block for him to be able to take advantage of mismatches down low.