Purdue players reaction to upcoming game

OMAHA, Neb. (WLFI) - SportsTeam 18's Ross Bolin is live at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha Nebraska with more on the match up between the Gold and Black and the Gaels.

Purdue has had to wait a long time for their match-up with Saint Mary's, and the wait is almost over. There are a lot of unknowns involved with March Madness and the key for the Boilermakers at this point is to go out and play Purdue Basketball.

“It's hard to gauge as a coach. Sometimes you really feel like everybody's ready to go and you get out there and struggle or you wonder if they don't have some zip or you know they don't have that energy and they play great. So, most teams, it's hard to figure these things out. You know with certain guys they're going to play hard and I think we've got a unit now that's gone out and played a lot harder these past couple of months,” said Purdue Head Coach, Matt Painter.

“Just being us. Obviously rebounding. We obviously know that we can't let them get going. If we can slow them down. We need to just rebound and play the game,” said Lewis Jackson.

“It's a little different from teams we've played in the past. Just listening through the walk-throughs and the shoot-arounds. There's a lot of film and a lot of preparation that goes into it. Concentrate on that,” said D.J. Byrd.

“A challenge is the right phrase for that, but it's also really exciting. I think it's kind of refreshing to play someone new. It's exciting. Watching a lot of film. Hopefully, we'll be able to stop them,” said Ryne Smith.

Tip is set for 7:27 and Ross Bolin will have complete post game reaction from the Boilermakers coming up later Friday night.