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Painter reportedly passing on Missouri, staying at Purdue

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UPDATE (4:21 p.m. ET): Purdue issued a release announcing that Painter and the school have agreed to an eight-year extension.

“We are thrilled to announce that Matt will continue his leadership of our men’s basketball program at his alma mater,” athletics director Morgan Burke said. “He has been at the helm of the winningest four-year period in the storied history of Boilermaker basketball, and we pledge to work with him to win championships.”

More to come.

UPDATE (3:44 p.m. ET): Mulitple reports now have Painter staying at Purdue. More details to come.

Matt Painter reportedly will be Missouri’s next basketball coach. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says that Painter called Tigers AD Mike Alden to say “he’s in.” No press conferences have been scheduled yet, but the paper reports it’ll be official as early as this afternoon. (Other reports indicate the move is hardly a done deal.)

If true, Painter leaves behind a Purdue program that had finished second or better in the Big Ten each of the last four seasons and had reached two Sweet 16s in that span. The move, which has been in the rumor mill for days, has left some puzzled, mostly because Painter’s a Purdue alum and the money isn’t that much different.

Painter, 40, would receive a sizable salary bump. He makes $1.3 million at Purdue (Which elevated to $1.9 million after bonuses reached), but Missouri will reportedly give him more than $2 million a year and provide additional funds for staffing and day-to-day operations of the program.

That last part – not the salary – might be the difference in the two jobs.

“It’s about having the opportunity to win a national title with the backing of everyone. He wants to know if an assistant coach needs a car (for a recruiting trip), he can get it. If something needs to be done, they’ll do it, so he doesn’t have to worry about all the nickel-and-dime stuff,” former Purdue coach Gene Keady told the Indianapolis Star.

Painter would replace Mike Anderson, who left the school last week to coach Arkansas.

The move would be brilliant for Missouri. Painter’s a more accomplished coach than Anderson, both in the regular season and in the NCAA tournament. Under Painter, Purdue is one of only eight programs with four consecutive 25-win seasons. He was big Ten coach of the year in 2008, ’09 and ’11.

You also can follow me on Twitter @MikeMillerNBC.