WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — When Ohio State prepared for No. 22 Purdue, coach Thad Matta measured his public words carefully.
After having lost three road games by an average of 26.7 points, Matta said he wasn’t interested in seeing whether the Buckeyes could knock off the Boilermakers on Thursday night. Nor was he focused on how such a result might impact hopes his team still harbored concerning its postseason possibilities.
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Matta wanted to see whether his team would compete in front of a hostile crowd against a ranked opponent.