FNF: Purdue Basketball Battling for 25th Big Ten Title
By Keith Carrell (@BoilerColts)
ISL Purdue Columnist
As a reminder, Purdue FNF (Fan NonFiction) is an intermittent column I write throughout football and basketball seasons to provide you with some commentary from a Purdue fan. I do try to remain unbiased and at times will throw accolades or criticism as I see fit; these opinions are my own and are related to the sport and games. In no way are my statements a reflection of how I view a person’s character. That said, I will try to be both fair and respectful.
Well, it’s been about two months since my first column of this season and not much has happened since then, right? In that time Purdue earned (and then quickly lost) its first ever #1 AP ranking in men’s basketball (currently #4), went undefeated in non-conference play (the first time since 2009-2010), lost their first game of the season, and lost to Indiana for the first time since 2016 after nine straight wins.
What we’ve learned is that this Purdue team (19-3, 8-3) is still very, very good. Head Coach, Matt Painter has had a number of good teams during his tenure with Purdue, but this team is arguably the most balanced, deepest, and talented one he’s had – all factors needed to be an elite team.
The Boilers also are not flawless, but I’m hard pressed to see a team in the NCAA this year that is a real step above the rest. There have already been some fantastic games among strong teams across the country this season which has me anticipating March Madness like never before. There are at least five teams that have a legitimate shot to win the big dance and Purdue is among that group.
Before the big dance, however, there is still a 25th Big Ten title on the line. While Purdue quickly dug themselves a hole by dropping two of their first three conference games, they’ve since won seven of eight to be just a single game behind current leader Illinois. More importantly, Purdue controls their destiny in the conference race.
THE PROGRESS REPORT:
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Offense: A
You know what’s scary? Purdue’s offense could be even more potent. Am I being greedy? Absolutely. Yes, Purdue owns the top offense in the nation and connects on 50% of their field goal attempts and 40% of their threes. Still, they’ve struggled at times from the free throw line where they connect on 70% of their attempts, a number which has dipped in conference play; and, at 15 attempts per game that’s an area the Boilers need to capitalize on consistently. Turnovers have also been a concern as Purdue coughs it up twelve times per game. On a personal note, I also cringe at how often this team tosses up quick threes, especially in transition. While that can be an advantage for small teams, when you have the likes of Zach Edey, Trevion Williams, or Mason Gillis to clean the glass, allowing them time to at least get into rebounding position (if not run the offense through the paint) lessens the size advantage Purdue has over nearly every other team. I’m also nitpicking as 85 points per game erases A LOT of mistakes. I also would not want to figure out how to defend this Purdue team. Most teams aren’t as balance where they can play Purdue straight up so many have to decide to attempt to take away the inside game and allow Sasha Stefanovic and others to light it up outside or play straight up against Edey and Williams, risking easy buckets at the rim. Add in the change of speed, slashing ability by Jaden Ivey, the driving-cut ability by Stefanovic, and Williams’ passing and this team is a nightmare to defend in the halfcourt.
Defense: C+
Defense is Purdue’s largest opportunity for growth, but an area where Purdue has shown improvement over the past few games. I think most would have suspected that Eric Hunter, Jr. and Brandon Newman would have been Purdue’s best on-ball defenders prior to the season, but each struggled to start the season. Hunter’s role has expanded in recent games as he’s found new life on both ends of the floor. Newman meanwhile has only played one minute total in the past three games. Interior defense has been solid with a strong frontcourt, but perimeter defense has been the Achilles heel for Purdue where they’ve allowed nine threes per game at a 33% clip. Painter’s helping defense is best with a lockdown perimeter defender to interrupt opponents offensive flow and that has been missing for the better part of the season and it has been a major factor in some large leads evaporating. Lastly, Purdue has also struggled to box out on rebounds until recently, but that has also begun to improve the last few games. I do have hope Purdue’s defense can continue its upward trend with the recent focus on that end of the floor alongside the flashes of high value defense employed by Ivey in spurts, but he seems to use the Lebron James method there to conserve energy until he feels its time to flip a switch and increase the intensity. For Purdue to have a real shot at a Final Four and a national title, a good defense will be a must. They don’t have to be great, but they do need to be good and consistent.
Coaching: A
Painter has a tough task trying to figure out how to maximize lineups with such a deep roster. He’s had to test different starting lineups, various mixes of personnel throughout the game, and recently has focused on a nine-man rotation (at the expense of Newman). It’s a good problem to have, but it’s still a challenge to figure out how to get enough and the right balance of minutes. An area Painter seemed to really struggle with early in his Purdue career was with his ATO (after timeout) plays, but vastly improved when Micah Shrewsberry (now the Penn State head coach) joined the staff. That pattern of excellent offensive plays drawn up has continued this year, often using opponent tendencies against them to generate easy baskets. Clock management has also been on display in Purdue’s last two games as the Boilers have been able to prevent multiple possessions at the end of the first half by allowing the clock to run for a few seconds before inbounding the ball. Recruiting is also such a vital part of college coaching (earth shattering news, I know), but Painter has really stepped up his game there where he seemingly used to have to choose between high character or high talent, recently he’s been able to target both which is apparent across the current roster as well as in the pipeline with future commits.
FINAL THOUGHTS
To achieve their goals of a conference title and final four appearance, Purdue will need to continue to make improvements in a few areas, namely on defense. What happens with Newman will also be interesting. Does he buy into the program and his future or get frustrated and transfer after the season? I have no real insight there, but his body language has been saying all the right things, for instance he was the one amping up the team in the tunnel before taking the floor against Ohio State Sunday afternoon. I for one have never been so excited about the potential of Purdue team, one that truly has the ability to be elite, and I’m going to try my hardest to enjoy the ride (but I am a Purdue fan still, so I’m sure that will include a heavy dose of skeptic optimism).
