Are you ready for some basketball? Tonight, the Purdue Boilermakers host the Austin Peay Governors in Mackey Arena. Tip is set for around 7:00 pm (Eastern time) with television coverage on the Big Ten Network. Purdue is 1-0, coming off a 84-53 victory over Milwaukee earlier this week while Austin Peay (out of the ASUN conference) dropped its opener at North Carolina State 99-50.
The Boilers started out slowly last game and shot poorly in the first half. Despite the slow start and poor shooting, they opened up a sizeable lead late in the first half and cruised to the victory, led by freshman Fletcher Loyer's 17 and Brandon Newman's 16 off the bench. Zach Edey chipped in with 12 and a career-high 17 rebounds with 6 blocks despite going 4-13 from the field. Freshman Braden Smith was terrific in spots from the PG position, ending with 7 points, 4 assists, and 7 steals (tied for second in school history). Transfer David Jenkins sat out last game for Purdue with a bruised eye, but he is expected to play tonight. I would expect the Boilers to have similar game plan tonight and shoot better from the field, and I think Zach Edey will bounce back a little from his poor shooting performance. Their defense was better than expected and showed a good amount of energy and activity - it will be interesting to observe and see if the same kind of intensity is there tonight.
Austin Peay has a little more size than the Milwaukee Panthers that Purdue dispatched, which should help Purdue in preparing to deal with bigger line-ups. Shon Robinson and Elijah Hutchins-Everett lead the Governors in points per game and rebounds from the front-court. There is also some size on the wings with Cameron Copeland and Sean Durugordon. However, even with that, the Governors are somewhat offensively challenged. Last season, they ranked 324th in scoring (64.7 PPG) and 308th in offensive efficiency. They'll need some help from Purdue getting extra possessions with turnovers or on the offensive glass.
I look for Purdue to have the same starting line-up, but I also expect Brandon Newman, Caleb Furst, and Trey Kaufman-Renn will get plenty of minutes off the bench like last game. Brian Waddell and David Jenkins, Jr. should get some significant playing time as well. Also, despite some up-and-down moments and a slow first half, Ethan Morton did have six assists last game - look for him and David Jenkins, Jr. to take some of the primary ball handling duties when Braden Smith goes to the bench for a breather or two.
So.....this is another good opportunity for the new Boilers to get game experience, and Matt Painter can experiment a little with his line-ups before the schedule really amps up. I'd like to see a similar energy on both ends of the floor as last game. Purdue hosts Marquette next Tuesday. Will the Boilers have another good performance to build upon? We shall see starting in a little less than an hour.
Boiler Up, my friends.
The Boilers started out slowly last game and shot poorly in the first half. Despite the slow start and poor shooting, they opened up a sizeable lead late in the first half and cruised to the victory, led by freshman Fletcher Loyer's 17 and Brandon Newman's 16 off the bench. Zach Edey chipped in with 12 and a career-high 17 rebounds with 6 blocks despite going 4-13 from the field. Freshman Braden Smith was terrific in spots from the PG position, ending with 7 points, 4 assists, and 7 steals (tied for second in school history). Transfer David Jenkins sat out last game for Purdue with a bruised eye, but he is expected to play tonight. I would expect the Boilers to have similar game plan tonight and shoot better from the field, and I think Zach Edey will bounce back a little from his poor shooting performance. Their defense was better than expected and showed a good amount of energy and activity - it will be interesting to observe and see if the same kind of intensity is there tonight.
Austin Peay has a little more size than the Milwaukee Panthers that Purdue dispatched, which should help Purdue in preparing to deal with bigger line-ups. Shon Robinson and Elijah Hutchins-Everett lead the Governors in points per game and rebounds from the front-court. There is also some size on the wings with Cameron Copeland and Sean Durugordon. However, even with that, the Governors are somewhat offensively challenged. Last season, they ranked 324th in scoring (64.7 PPG) and 308th in offensive efficiency. They'll need some help from Purdue getting extra possessions with turnovers or on the offensive glass.
I look for Purdue to have the same starting line-up, but I also expect Brandon Newman, Caleb Furst, and Trey Kaufman-Renn will get plenty of minutes off the bench like last game. Brian Waddell and David Jenkins, Jr. should get some significant playing time as well. Also, despite some up-and-down moments and a slow first half, Ethan Morton did have six assists last game - look for him and David Jenkins, Jr. to take some of the primary ball handling duties when Braden Smith goes to the bench for a breather or two.
So.....this is another good opportunity for the new Boilers to get game experience, and Matt Painter can experiment a little with his line-ups before the schedule really amps up. I'd like to see a similar energy on both ends of the floor as last game. Purdue hosts Marquette next Tuesday. Will the Boilers have another good performance to build upon? We shall see starting in a little less than an hour.
Boiler Up, my friends.
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