Doesn't get much better than this. Just arrived at Gainbridge Fieldhouse ahead of what I'm calling the best college basketball game of the season.
While Purdue's early contests against top teams has been games of differences in styles and how they'd interact, this really seems like a game where two teams that have similar strengths, facing off to see which one can overcome the other.
Here's some of the things I'm most excited about seeing and what I expect to happen in the game at 4:30.
Again, remember this game is on the PEACOCK streaming app alone. Definitely worth getting if you don't have just for this one - generally can find the Peacock bundled with other apps and things as well.
Has Arizona been tested?
One of the questions I asked both Greg Waddell and Troy Hutchison from GOAZCATS.com was if Arizona has actually been tested this season. Yes, it has a great win at Duke. Yes, it has two wins over Big Ten teams, but Arizona has also played a lot of cupcakes to start the season, and you could argue all three of those teams are less than they appeared to start the year, and all lacking in real physicality. Certainly in comparison to Purdue, who offers Zach Edey and three different forms of physicality in Mason Gillis, Caleb Furst, and Trey Kaufman-Renn.
Arizona has looked liked bullies most the season... they've taken on teams smaller than them, not as deep as them. One place where depth really shines is in the games against teams that can't compete. Is that some of the shine on Arizona's rotation? Can the marginal pieces of Arizona's rotation still look good against a team that goes just as deep with real talent and size?
And I think it's fair to properly place Edey and Braden Smith as two of the toughest challenges in the country. There's not a much better 1-2 attack to defenses. Especially for a defense that like Purdue, plays a big that can get lost and attacked in space. Arizona goes to the extreme with its drops and that puts a lot of pressure on Arizona's guards to stay on the dribble and not give space. That's a lot harder to do when it's Zach Edey setting the screen. It's by far the best test Arizona will have gotten this year. The answer to how Arizona does will make my 'paper tiger' comments either prophetic or silly.
Camden Heide game?
You could argue that the Alabama game was another game where Myles Colvin had a bit of a coming out party. He hit a big three, had a great drive and score, and has shown improvement at the defensive end. In a game that saw both Lance Jones and Fletcher Loyer get sent to the bench mostly for defensive lapses, Colvin offers an offensive ceiling that will make overlooking his freshman mistakes on the defensive end more possible, especially if the experienced guards around him aren't playing to their experience.
But Arizona has a blend of size, skill, and strength that screams to me Camden Heide is going to be needed to guard anywhere from 1-4. When things got tightest for Purdue and they've needed an alternative to the starters, especially for defense, it's been Heide who is uniquely big and athletic. He's also knocking down shots, offering the kind of spacing that Purdue will need as Arizona sinks in to stop drives. I wouldn't be shocked if Heide has something close to 20 minutes and 8-10 points while defending some of Arizona's threats on the wing.
Lance Jones needs to be better.
Lance Jones told me Thursday he'd be guarding both of Arizona's starting guards, Caleb Love and Kylan Boswell. What we've seen so far is that Jones defense and speed has raised Purdue's floor. Games against Marquette, Alabama, and Iowa were examples of just how much Jones can change the dynamics of the court for Purdue. But he's not been perfect. He fouled out against Northwestern, he's consistently taken questionable shots, and its cost Purdue in some high leverage situations. He at times has gotten caught up in the moment - searching and forcing his shot instead of letting them come to him in the offense. Against Northwestern late, he got the open shots and just couldn't get them to go.
But the sparks of what he's been for Purdue have been encouraging. A better Lance Jones is exactly what Purdue needs and takes Purdue to another level. There's no better test than defending and going at Boswell and Love, two of the best two-way guards in the country.
Battle at the four.
Keshad Johnson is good. He's a bully, with decent ball skills, and has really been good on the glass. I think his size might be trouble for Gillis, and his quickness could be an issue for Kaufman-Renn. Again, I look to Caleb Furst being a giant X-Factor for Purdue as it plays a team full of length and skill. At PK85 last year, I thought Furst looked like Purdue's second best player at times. I expect him to have a similar effect against Arizona, starting with a strong first run and forcing Painter's hand into sticking with him for the first and second half more than normal.
I really do feel like Purdue's the best team in the country and Arizona has taken advantage of big names that have underwhelmed. But I also believe it might be the second or third best team in the country. This is going to be a great game.
Score prediction: 74-69, Purdue.
What do you have?
While Purdue's early contests against top teams has been games of differences in styles and how they'd interact, this really seems like a game where two teams that have similar strengths, facing off to see which one can overcome the other.
Here's some of the things I'm most excited about seeing and what I expect to happen in the game at 4:30.
Again, remember this game is on the PEACOCK streaming app alone. Definitely worth getting if you don't have just for this one - generally can find the Peacock bundled with other apps and things as well.
Has Arizona been tested?
One of the questions I asked both Greg Waddell and Troy Hutchison from GOAZCATS.com was if Arizona has actually been tested this season. Yes, it has a great win at Duke. Yes, it has two wins over Big Ten teams, but Arizona has also played a lot of cupcakes to start the season, and you could argue all three of those teams are less than they appeared to start the year, and all lacking in real physicality. Certainly in comparison to Purdue, who offers Zach Edey and three different forms of physicality in Mason Gillis, Caleb Furst, and Trey Kaufman-Renn.
Arizona has looked liked bullies most the season... they've taken on teams smaller than them, not as deep as them. One place where depth really shines is in the games against teams that can't compete. Is that some of the shine on Arizona's rotation? Can the marginal pieces of Arizona's rotation still look good against a team that goes just as deep with real talent and size?
And I think it's fair to properly place Edey and Braden Smith as two of the toughest challenges in the country. There's not a much better 1-2 attack to defenses. Especially for a defense that like Purdue, plays a big that can get lost and attacked in space. Arizona goes to the extreme with its drops and that puts a lot of pressure on Arizona's guards to stay on the dribble and not give space. That's a lot harder to do when it's Zach Edey setting the screen. It's by far the best test Arizona will have gotten this year. The answer to how Arizona does will make my 'paper tiger' comments either prophetic or silly.
Camden Heide game?
You could argue that the Alabama game was another game where Myles Colvin had a bit of a coming out party. He hit a big three, had a great drive and score, and has shown improvement at the defensive end. In a game that saw both Lance Jones and Fletcher Loyer get sent to the bench mostly for defensive lapses, Colvin offers an offensive ceiling that will make overlooking his freshman mistakes on the defensive end more possible, especially if the experienced guards around him aren't playing to their experience.
But Arizona has a blend of size, skill, and strength that screams to me Camden Heide is going to be needed to guard anywhere from 1-4. When things got tightest for Purdue and they've needed an alternative to the starters, especially for defense, it's been Heide who is uniquely big and athletic. He's also knocking down shots, offering the kind of spacing that Purdue will need as Arizona sinks in to stop drives. I wouldn't be shocked if Heide has something close to 20 minutes and 8-10 points while defending some of Arizona's threats on the wing.
Lance Jones needs to be better.
Lance Jones told me Thursday he'd be guarding both of Arizona's starting guards, Caleb Love and Kylan Boswell. What we've seen so far is that Jones defense and speed has raised Purdue's floor. Games against Marquette, Alabama, and Iowa were examples of just how much Jones can change the dynamics of the court for Purdue. But he's not been perfect. He fouled out against Northwestern, he's consistently taken questionable shots, and its cost Purdue in some high leverage situations. He at times has gotten caught up in the moment - searching and forcing his shot instead of letting them come to him in the offense. Against Northwestern late, he got the open shots and just couldn't get them to go.
But the sparks of what he's been for Purdue have been encouraging. A better Lance Jones is exactly what Purdue needs and takes Purdue to another level. There's no better test than defending and going at Boswell and Love, two of the best two-way guards in the country.
Battle at the four.
Keshad Johnson is good. He's a bully, with decent ball skills, and has really been good on the glass. I think his size might be trouble for Gillis, and his quickness could be an issue for Kaufman-Renn. Again, I look to Caleb Furst being a giant X-Factor for Purdue as it plays a team full of length and skill. At PK85 last year, I thought Furst looked like Purdue's second best player at times. I expect him to have a similar effect against Arizona, starting with a strong first run and forcing Painter's hand into sticking with him for the first and second half more than normal.
I really do feel like Purdue's the best team in the country and Arizona has taken advantage of big names that have underwhelmed. But I also believe it might be the second or third best team in the country. This is going to be a great game.
Score prediction: 74-69, Purdue.
What do you have?
