Man, how did it get so late so fast?
Anyway, some final musings - yes, musings - from Purdue's 73-56 win over Illinois.
• I guess Purdue might still be vulnerable to the inconsistencies of youth at this late stage of the season because its bench was a disaster in the first half. The extended delay in the under-16 timeout hitting — did compel Matt Painter to go with four freshmen going in together, and that was disjointed, I suppose, but individually, the pieces didn't seem to play any better than their sum, so there certainly seemed to be more to it than that.
That said, I think Purdue's bench has largely been better than its experience the majority of this season, so a blip here and there can be lived with. It's not like it cost Purdue the game or anything.
• It's more a credit to Matt Haarms than an indictment of Trevion Williams, but Brad Underwood actually said what Big Ten coaches have to be thinking: Go at Williams and "make him move his feet." Purdue is a very different defensive team with Williams on the floor than Haarms, and that's been reflected by massive disparities in the plus/minus, at a position where that metric does matter.
Williams will get better over time, but it's not going to happen overnight.
But again, it's more a credit to Haarms that Purdue is a better defensive team with him out there. The way he moves his feet for his size is simply special and he's back to being a shot-blocking force.
• I think there was a bit of mirage in the competitiveness of the first half, because of Illinois' outlier shooting to start with — 5-of-7 – and Purdue missing back-to-back one-and-ones there later in the half.
That being said, Illinois was way quicker to the ball on the offensive glass a bunch of times, too, and that can be an advantage of being small and more athletic as long as smaller and more athletic is trying hard, and Underwood does seem to be getting good effort out of those young dudes.
• I'm not even going to look it up, but that's a career-high eight rebounds for Ryan Cline to go along with seven assists. He was mostly shut down as a scorer, but certainly helped Purdue win in other ways after some sloppiness early in the game, when Purdue turned it over on three of its first four trips.
• Purdue did a nice job getting Carsen Edwards in the middle of the floor, with space to work with, sometimes with a ball screen, sometimes not. When you see Edwards bringing it up, positioning himself in the middle of the floor like that, that means Purdue wants him attacking and Illinois had no answer for it. Credit him for not settling for jumpers, too.
He was very good tonight in all phases (defense included) and that was a sight for sore Purdue eyes.
• Matt Haarms has been Purdue's best player the past two weeks, and I'm not sure you can even argue it.
In the past four games, he's averaging 15.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and three-and-a-half blocks and in the 'worst' of those four games, he won the game with the tip-in at Indiana.
Stats are only part of it, though. Watch the games, and you see a player really coming into his own, playing outstanding defense, emerging as a rebounder and becoming more and more of a weapon offensively.
And, making his free throws.
All of 'em.
Anyway, some final musings - yes, musings - from Purdue's 73-56 win over Illinois.
• I guess Purdue might still be vulnerable to the inconsistencies of youth at this late stage of the season because its bench was a disaster in the first half. The extended delay in the under-16 timeout hitting — did compel Matt Painter to go with four freshmen going in together, and that was disjointed, I suppose, but individually, the pieces didn't seem to play any better than their sum, so there certainly seemed to be more to it than that.
That said, I think Purdue's bench has largely been better than its experience the majority of this season, so a blip here and there can be lived with. It's not like it cost Purdue the game or anything.
• It's more a credit to Matt Haarms than an indictment of Trevion Williams, but Brad Underwood actually said what Big Ten coaches have to be thinking: Go at Williams and "make him move his feet." Purdue is a very different defensive team with Williams on the floor than Haarms, and that's been reflected by massive disparities in the plus/minus, at a position where that metric does matter.
Williams will get better over time, but it's not going to happen overnight.
But again, it's more a credit to Haarms that Purdue is a better defensive team with him out there. The way he moves his feet for his size is simply special and he's back to being a shot-blocking force.
• I think there was a bit of mirage in the competitiveness of the first half, because of Illinois' outlier shooting to start with — 5-of-7 – and Purdue missing back-to-back one-and-ones there later in the half.
That being said, Illinois was way quicker to the ball on the offensive glass a bunch of times, too, and that can be an advantage of being small and more athletic as long as smaller and more athletic is trying hard, and Underwood does seem to be getting good effort out of those young dudes.
• I'm not even going to look it up, but that's a career-high eight rebounds for Ryan Cline to go along with seven assists. He was mostly shut down as a scorer, but certainly helped Purdue win in other ways after some sloppiness early in the game, when Purdue turned it over on three of its first four trips.
• Purdue did a nice job getting Carsen Edwards in the middle of the floor, with space to work with, sometimes with a ball screen, sometimes not. When you see Edwards bringing it up, positioning himself in the middle of the floor like that, that means Purdue wants him attacking and Illinois had no answer for it. Credit him for not settling for jumpers, too.
He was very good tonight in all phases (defense included) and that was a sight for sore Purdue eyes.
• Matt Haarms has been Purdue's best player the past two weeks, and I'm not sure you can even argue it.
In the past four games, he's averaging 15.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and three-and-a-half blocks and in the 'worst' of those four games, he won the game with the tip-in at Indiana.
Stats are only part of it, though. Watch the games, and you see a player really coming into his own, playing outstanding defense, emerging as a rebounder and becoming more and more of a weapon offensively.
And, making his free throws.
All of 'em.
