“Saw talent in Zach Edey and Braden Smith where other coaches had no idea”: Fans react as Purdue HC Matt Painter gets his flowers by NCAA analyst

The seventh-ranked Purdue Boilermakers, coached by Matt Painter, received some hefty praise on Friday. The hosts of the "The Field of 68: After Dark" podcast on YouTube touted Painter, who has served the school for nearly 20 years, as their favorite for the 2024-2025 National Coach of the Year award.

This came after Painter steered Purdue to a dominating 90-72 victory over the visiting USC Trojans, which helped them stay atop the Big Ten.

Fans of Painter then flooded the comments section, doubling down on the praise towards him.

"Painter saw talent in Zach and Braden where other coaches had no idea. One turned into 2 time POY and the other is the best point guard in the nation with another year to go. Culture, talent development and a huge offensive playbook has separated Painter from 99% of other D1 coaches," one user posted.

(image credits: The Field of 68: After Dark on Youtube)

"No one talks about how Purdue lost its starting center 1 minute into the second game of the year and Painter had to change his lineup and offense to make everything work," a user said.

(image credits: The Field of 68: After Dark on Youtube)

"I think CMP is up there with the best in the business with Self, Few etc. that you can put them on some coach of the year list. They’re just awesome coaches that do it year in and year out, but you can’t give every award to these guys so it does become the award for who does the most with the least expectations," another user shared.

"I’m fine if Paint never wins another coach of year cause it means Purdue has sunk so low that no one expects them to do anything. No thanks!" a user added.

(image credits: The Field of 68: After Dark on Youtube)

Other users shared their takes on who they think should be the National Coach of the Year.

"Rick Pitino wants a word," one user expressed.

(image credits: The Field of 68: After Dark on Youtube)

"What about Dusty May? He doubled Michigan's wins from last year already!" another user commented.

(image credits: The Field of 68: After Dark on Youtube)

"Why wouldn’t it be Rick Barnes?" a user questioned.

(image credits: The Field of 68: After Dark on Youtube)

No matter the take on whether or not he is the current best coach in the country, what can't be denied is how Painter has led his team to another winning season with a 20-5 overall record, 12-2 in conference play.

Rob Dauster lauds Matt Painter's ability to adapt

In recent years, Matt Painter has led the Purdue Boilermakers to deep runs in the NCAA Tournament, utilizing the services of now-Memphis Grizzlies stalwart Zach Edey. But with his standout big man now in the pros, Painter has found a way for his program to still be successful, which is something that college basketball analyst Rob Dauster commended about him on the podcast:

"They lost a generational talent. Zach Edey is probably the best college basketball player that I've seen doing this ... and he's right here in a position to win the Big 10 again. We got to put some respect on that. The job that he's done this year should never ever be overlooked.

This sentiment resonated throughout the whole episode.

Painter and the Boilermakers now ramp up to visit the Michigan Wolverines on Tuesday.