Matt Painter loves using these tough exhibition road games as learning opportunities. Purdue certainly learned some things on Tuesday night in Hartford, falling 76-53 to No. 4 UConn in its final preseason game of the year.

It was a rough shooting night for the Boilers, connecting on just 38.7% of their shots from the field and making just 2-of-25 attempts from behind the three-point line. C.J. Cox was the only Purdue player in double figures, scoring 18 points in the loss.

Here are a few observations from Tuesday night's game in Hartford.

What happens when threes aren't falling?

Because of the way this year's roster is built, Purdue is going to be a team that shoots plenty of threes. On Tuesday night, we saw one potential problem, though: What happens when those aren't falling?

Purdue connected on just 2-of-25 attempts from long range, hitting one in each half. How can the Boilers get points when the three-point shot takes an unexpected absence? Usually, teams can attack the basket or go into the post to get closer looks down low.

The Boilermakers weren't really able to do that on Tuesday night. A lot of that should be attributed to UConn's defense, making it tough for guards to penetrate and get into the paint. Daniel Jacobsen playing just 22 minutes could have been a factor, too. He provided a better post presence when he was in the game and made a few nice moves with the ball in his hands.

Moving forward, Purdue is going to have to find ways to generate points when the three-ball isn't falling. It has the guards to score at the rim, but that wasn't a strength on Tuesday.

Daniel Jacobsen gave Purdue good minutes

He didn't have the best statistical night, but Jacobsen played well on both ends of the floor. He was best on the defensive end, blocking four shots and altering a few others. The 7-foot-4 center also initiated contact on box-outs, something he struggled with last year.

Jacobsen ended the night with seven points, four blocks and three rebounds. But it was easy to see that Purdue played much better when he was on the floor.

Another area where Jacobsen seemed to take a big step was on high ball screens. He took up a lot of space and allowed his guards opportunities to get open looks. Obviously, most of those didn't go in.

A rough night for the youngsters

Purdue's youngsters were thrown into the fire on Tuesday night. Playing the fourth-ranked team in the country on its home floor is no walk in the park, and the rookies learned that lesson the hard way. Luke Ertel, Jacob Webber and Antione West Jr. all struggled in their first "big game."

West scored just two points on 1-of-8 shooting and fouled out. Ertel was also held to two points and made just 1-of-4 attempts from the floor. Webber finished the game missing all three of his three-point attempts.

This is what Painter wants for his young guys. This was a major test for those three and they endured the bumps and bruises that come with playing major college basketball. How will they respond on Monday night?

The "small ball" approach didn't work

Purdue has experimented with small ball over the last two seasons and it found success in the past. It didn't work well for the Boilers against UConn. At one point, the Boilers had a lineup that include Ertel, Cox, West, Benter and Shahrvin. That rotation struggled defensively and wasn't much of a threat on the glass.

Another small lineup included Shahrvin, Benter, Ertel, West and Harris, but that one produced similar results.

There will be times throughout the year when Purdue's smaller lineup works. It could be particularly effective against up-tempo teams or when the Boilermakers are knocking down shots from the perimeter. Plus, the small-ball lineup is something that can be tinkered with throughout the year. It just didn't work against UConn.

UConn dominated in transition

One of the strengths of Purdue's team this year is expected to be how the guards can pressure the basketball and get out in transition. The Boilermakers weren't able to force UConn into many turnovers and weren't able to get easy buckets.

UConn won the fastbreak battle 17-5. The Huskies also outscored the Boilermakers 18-11 in points off turnovers. Purdue doesn't have to dominate in those categories, but it wants to be able to create turnovers and generate easy buckets.

Purdue faced an elite collection of guards on Tuesday, which made it much more difficult to get into transition and take advantage of easy scoring opportunities.