In the single greatest waste of my time since I traveled 72 hours over three states a few years back to cover two Darrell Hazell commitments who never even wound up at Purdue, here — about 10 hours late — is a closer look back at No. 3 Purdue's 82-58 loss at Michigan.
Understanding this may not be at the top of your to-do list on a Saturday, I am going to make this brief.
DEFENSIVE BREAKDOWNS
First off, look at this clip from the first Michigan game. This was Purdue's mid-half adjustment against Hunter Dickinson shooting threes. Coaches call it 'scissor' coverage, where the 4 and 5 essentially switch. This clip show two things: 1) Mason Gillis taking away the three from Hunter Dickinson while Trevion Williams drops into center field for a steal and 2) that Purdue knows how to do this.
Now, here's a layup Michigan got in the first half, where I assume that same switch was supposed to occur. Instead, Caleb Furst has Hunter Dickinson accounted for, but Trevion Williams is also drifting toward Dickinson, allowing Moussa Diabate one of his many bunnies at the rim.
A few possessions later, Trevion Williams and Mason Gillis effectively execute the switch to take away Michigan's initial offense, but then Purdue breaks down thereafter when Michigan rescreens with Dickinson and both Isaiah Thompson and Mason Gillis go with the ball while Dickinson pops out to the wing to get behind the arc. Trevion Williams is still with Diabate on his initial switch.
First off, this is good, patient, well-designed offense by Michigan, and I don't know if this was on Thompson for not switching onto Dickinson, on Gillis for not somehow getting back to the ball or on Williams for not leaving Diabate (or handing off to someone else) to sprint to Dickinson.
Nevertheless, Michigan and Dickinson now have Purdue on a string, and right before half, two guys run at the 5 man off those single-single screens to take away the three, and that leaves Diabate wide open on the slip.
• Here's the offensive action Michigan really had success with to start the game.
The Wolverines bring the 4, Moussa Diabate, and 5, Hunter Dickinson, across one another to set successive screens (the "single-single" stuff you hear coaches and players mention). This seemed to create some conflict of assignment for Purdue, and Michigan got a dunk from Diabate the first time they ran it, a tough finish going all the way to the basket by DeVante' Jones the second time and then a stop on the third time, because Hunter Dickinson missed right at the rim.
• Now, Michigan moves on to this, which results in another easy basket for Diabate.
Now, I obviously don't know Purdue's rules here or its game-specific nuance, but generally they try to funnel these ball screens to the sideline and "down" them. Trevion Williams does not come to the ball as if to do so. But Sasha Stefanovic and Caleb Furst also seem slightly late coming over in rotation to the rim. I don't know where the breakdown actually occurs here, but something obviously was blown.
Later, Michigan runs this same action, Furst steps up in help and forces Diabate to pull up for a one-hander that's way short, a Purdue defensive win.
• A couple plays later, Michigan changes ends and Purdue's a bit behind, which is to say Trevion Williams is the last man up the floor. Caleb Furst jumps to Brandon Johns, who's essentially playing center in a centerless grouping, and that leaves Moussa Diabate alone on the baseline. Michigan throws it to Diabate, Furst jumps over to him. Williams is positioned in the middle of the lane, as Diabate posts up Furst. He's out of position to double and to take away the baseline if Diabate spins off Furst, which is exactly what he does to score, probably traveling in the process..
Again, I don't know what Purdue's rule were here, but Painter did mention after the game situations where Purdue didn't double when it was supposed to double.
Moments later, Michigan traps Purdue. Purdue gets it across, but Williams short-arms a pass to Jaden Ivey that would have been a dunk, and it's a turnover. Not Williams' night.
• Later, Moussa Diabate faces up Zach Edey at the same spot on the floor that he'd posted Furst earlier. No help comes, which seems unlike Purdue not to double, but maybe that spot on the floor was the reason. (later, Hunter Dickinson posted from that same spot, no double came and he scored way too easily.)
• Now there's this, where Jaden Ivey is caught squeezing in apparent help as Michigan runs their screening action and it allows Eli Brooks a ton of room on the baseline and an easy layup.
You know what, guys, I think we've made our point here. Let's go ahead and move on with our lives.
THE BIGS TOGETHER
Here's exactly what Matt Painter had in mind when he put Trevion Williams and Zach Edey in together, that high-low offense against Michigan's zone could give Purdue an offensive spark.
It did.
But, Purdue was outscored 13-9 with the two bigs in together and gave up back-to-back transition threes before bringing Mason Gillis in at the 4.
MISC
• Seemed like a disproportionate number of Purdue's threes were missed long off the back of the rim for some reason.
• When it was 69-52, Purdue did at least bluff a trap, with Ethan Morton running at DeVante' Jones soon as he crossed midcourt. Michigan just moved the ball to the corner and the red-hot Caleb Houstan made a corner three. Sasha Stefanovic gave him a lot of space leaning toward the lane in case Jones drove.
Understanding this may not be at the top of your to-do list on a Saturday, I am going to make this brief.
DEFENSIVE BREAKDOWNS
First off, look at this clip from the first Michigan game. This was Purdue's mid-half adjustment against Hunter Dickinson shooting threes. Coaches call it 'scissor' coverage, where the 4 and 5 essentially switch. This clip show two things: 1) Mason Gillis taking away the three from Hunter Dickinson while Trevion Williams drops into center field for a steal and 2) that Purdue knows how to do this.
Now, here's a layup Michigan got in the first half, where I assume that same switch was supposed to occur. Instead, Caleb Furst has Hunter Dickinson accounted for, but Trevion Williams is also drifting toward Dickinson, allowing Moussa Diabate one of his many bunnies at the rim.
A few possessions later, Trevion Williams and Mason Gillis effectively execute the switch to take away Michigan's initial offense, but then Purdue breaks down thereafter when Michigan rescreens with Dickinson and both Isaiah Thompson and Mason Gillis go with the ball while Dickinson pops out to the wing to get behind the arc. Trevion Williams is still with Diabate on his initial switch.
First off, this is good, patient, well-designed offense by Michigan, and I don't know if this was on Thompson for not switching onto Dickinson, on Gillis for not somehow getting back to the ball or on Williams for not leaving Diabate (or handing off to someone else) to sprint to Dickinson.
Nevertheless, Michigan and Dickinson now have Purdue on a string, and right before half, two guys run at the 5 man off those single-single screens to take away the three, and that leaves Diabate wide open on the slip.
• Here's the offensive action Michigan really had success with to start the game.
The Wolverines bring the 4, Moussa Diabate, and 5, Hunter Dickinson, across one another to set successive screens (the "single-single" stuff you hear coaches and players mention). This seemed to create some conflict of assignment for Purdue, and Michigan got a dunk from Diabate the first time they ran it, a tough finish going all the way to the basket by DeVante' Jones the second time and then a stop on the third time, because Hunter Dickinson missed right at the rim.
• Now, Michigan moves on to this, which results in another easy basket for Diabate.
Now, I obviously don't know Purdue's rules here or its game-specific nuance, but generally they try to funnel these ball screens to the sideline and "down" them. Trevion Williams does not come to the ball as if to do so. But Sasha Stefanovic and Caleb Furst also seem slightly late coming over in rotation to the rim. I don't know where the breakdown actually occurs here, but something obviously was blown.
Later, Michigan runs this same action, Furst steps up in help and forces Diabate to pull up for a one-hander that's way short, a Purdue defensive win.
• A couple plays later, Michigan changes ends and Purdue's a bit behind, which is to say Trevion Williams is the last man up the floor. Caleb Furst jumps to Brandon Johns, who's essentially playing center in a centerless grouping, and that leaves Moussa Diabate alone on the baseline. Michigan throws it to Diabate, Furst jumps over to him. Williams is positioned in the middle of the lane, as Diabate posts up Furst. He's out of position to double and to take away the baseline if Diabate spins off Furst, which is exactly what he does to score, probably traveling in the process..
Again, I don't know what Purdue's rule were here, but Painter did mention after the game situations where Purdue didn't double when it was supposed to double.
Moments later, Michigan traps Purdue. Purdue gets it across, but Williams short-arms a pass to Jaden Ivey that would have been a dunk, and it's a turnover. Not Williams' night.
• Later, Moussa Diabate faces up Zach Edey at the same spot on the floor that he'd posted Furst earlier. No help comes, which seems unlike Purdue not to double, but maybe that spot on the floor was the reason. (later, Hunter Dickinson posted from that same spot, no double came and he scored way too easily.)
• Now there's this, where Jaden Ivey is caught squeezing in apparent help as Michigan runs their screening action and it allows Eli Brooks a ton of room on the baseline and an easy layup.
You know what, guys, I think we've made our point here. Let's go ahead and move on with our lives.
THE BIGS TOGETHER
Here's exactly what Matt Painter had in mind when he put Trevion Williams and Zach Edey in together, that high-low offense against Michigan's zone could give Purdue an offensive spark.
It did.
But, Purdue was outscored 13-9 with the two bigs in together and gave up back-to-back transition threes before bringing Mason Gillis in at the 4.
MISC
• Seemed like a disproportionate number of Purdue's threes were missed long off the back of the rim for some reason.
• When it was 69-52, Purdue did at least bluff a trap, with Ethan Morton running at DeVante' Jones soon as he crossed midcourt. Michigan just moved the ball to the corner and the red-hot Caleb Houstan made a corner three. Sasha Stefanovic gave him a lot of space leaning toward the lane in case Jones drove.
