MILWAUKEE – In a blowout victory over Yale on Friday, Purdue Caleb Furst saw his first NCAA tournament action. The moment was not too big for the Freshman striker, who said he was not nervous in the game.
His minutes were heavily matchup-dependent in the conference game. But he was ready to step in and contribute to Boilermakers, helping them advance to a second-round contest that comes on Sunday.
“It’s just a great experience. I just wanted to go in and check what I could control,” Furst said. “Try to do my thing.”
He did just that, putting himself into the game and contributing 10 points and 21 minutes in the 78-56 victory. The prince made two shots off the field, grabbed four rebounds and struck five of six from the penalty line.
“He was around basketball, and he made his free throws,” said Purdue coach Matt Painter. “That’s what we need. When he gets there, he has to play off those guys and be able to make games and rebound. And I thought he did.”
The Prince has not recorded more than 20 minutes in a game for the team since a nonconference victory over Incarnate Word University in December.
But he kept his game simple, made open shots as they came and distributed the basketball to his teammates. Furst did not report any assistance, but he showed a confident strike as he turned a 3-pointer to bring Purdue to 66-41 with 9:28 left in the second half.
Consistency behind the bow is still a work in progress for the Freshman, but the Prince has never hesitated to take it when he is far up.
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“That’s something I’ve been working on a lot all year and I’m just trying to take those opportunities when I have them,” Prince said. “That’s obviously something that pretty much everyone needs to know today. So that’s always something I want to keep working on.”
But it can be hard to stay consistent when you are on the floor for a long time on one night just to watch from the bench during the next.
The Prince, who stands at 6-foot-10, often speaks of starter Mason Gillis against teams with bigger players in their position. And Gillis’ contributions to the Boilermakers can not be underestimated.
“Caleb has not played in some games due to matchups and it will continue to go down that road,” Painter said. “When you have 10 guys, you feel good, sometimes later in the year, you get a rotation of eight or nine men.
“It lets a guy out and many times, every single guy looks at it like ‘what did I do wrong? If in reality, we are only playing one another because they fit better against that particular opponent.
With such a deep roster, Painter preached his players to stay ready, even if minutes are rarely guaranteed. The Prince has taken on his role and continues to grow into a player the program can rely on to move forward.
Purdue will need all players to contribute at a high level to make a deep push in the NCAA Tournament. The prince showed that he was ready to play when he stepped on the field, even at a moment’s notice.
“Every game is different depending on the staff that the other team has, but (painter) talks a lot about how you need to be ready no matter what the situation is, even if your number is called,” Furst said. “So that’s just what I tried to do and what I try to do every game.”
Stories related to Purdue Basketball
- PURDUE STEAMROLLS YALE, 78-56: Purdue Basketball played alongside Yale on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, led by Jaden Ivey’s game-high 22 points. Zach Edey scored 16 points, while Caleb Furst also added 10 from the bench. CLICK HERE
- WHAT MATT PAINTER SAD: Purdue Basketball defeated Yale 78-56 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Here’s all that coach Matt Painter said during the post – match press conference after the win. CLICK HERE
- WHAT the players said: Here’s all the players Jaden Ivey, Zach Edey and Sasha Stefanovic had to say during the post-game press conference after the victory. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE, YALE LIVE BLOG: Purdue Basketball scored against Yale in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday at the Fiserv Forum. CLICK HERE
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