On Saturday, Iowa State stunned the Purdue Boilermakers 81-58 in Mackey Arena, bringing the latter’s run as the nation’s top team to an abrupt end. The defeat was more than a setback for Matt Painter’s squad. It marked the second-worst home loss ever by an AP No. 1 team and the most lopsided non-conference home loss in the history of the rankings. Naturally, the coach had to speak about the issues.

“You know Miline’s a star. You can’t give him a rhythm three. Got to make things difficult. You can’t let them get angles with that,” Painter said regarding Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic.

However, Painter’s most interesting observation about sounding a locker room alarm was about things that statistics can’t measure.

“Their determination and their fight were better than ours. Like somebody stole your spirit,” Painter stated.

Momcilovic has been phenomenal so far this season, and for the Boilers to prove a point, the first and foremost target was supposed to be him, which they failed. He scored 20 points playing 36 minutes on 8-for-17 shooting, and 13 of those points came after halftime as Iowa State slowly pulled away. This season, he has at least five 20+ points playing 9 so far.

Purdue couldn’t do much on the offense either. Hardly three of them touched double digits, with a maximum capped at 11. Their three-point has been pathetic too, shooting just 22% behind the arc against Iowa State’s 48%.

At halftime, Purdue was only down by four points, 31-35. But Iowa State started the second half with an 11-0 run that quickly made the lead 15 points. The Cyclones’ nonstop three-point barrage, which included three in a row from Tamin Lipsey, Momcilovic, and Keshon Toure, showed that the team was playing with more rhythm and confidence.

Purdue’s offense stopped working, turning the ball over 15 times and making only 4 of 18 three-point shots. This exposed them hard as it sent a message that the team can’t score when the defense puts pressure on them, when the opponent is scoring. But one game assessment can be too early to write them off, as Painter’s side will wish to make an immediate comeback against Minnesota.

Matt Painter Faces Toughest Test Yet After Historic Home Defeat

The loss ended Purdue’s 8-0 streak and was the first time the program had lost a home game against a team from outside the conference since November 2019. It also ended a 36-game homestand against teams from outside the conference.

Now, Painter’s biggest challenge is whether his team can bounce back from a loss that showed they weren’t tough enough or disciplined enough on defense. But Painter has built a lot at Purdue, and one bad game shouldn’t change that. In the last 20 years, he’s turned the Boilermakers into a team that always makes the tournament.

Painter can’t ignore one problem, though. In 2023, Fairleigh Dickinson shocked Purdue and became the second team ever to lose to a No. 1 seed against a 16-seed. That fall showed that the foundation was weak. Now, Iowa State’s blowout on Saturday makes it seem like those cracks might still be there, and they might be deeper than anyone thought.

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Things will be different on Wednesday when Minnesota comes to town. This isn’t just another game in the Big Ten.