A few final musings — yes, musings — on Purdue's 83-78 double overtime win over Minnesota now that I'm pretty sure I've finally sorted out what exactly happened. That was like the equivalent of three games in terms of stuff happening.
• Purdue won this game because of Nojel Eastern's defense, because of Matt Haarms' outstanding play and because of Sasha Stefanovic's shooting. All those things are true. What is also true is that if one of them doesn't happen, then Purdue doesn't win.
So, weigh them equally if you're playing the blame/credit plus/minus game, because recognize each on their own.
Haarms was brilliant. Trevion Williams was very good too, but Haarms was brilliant against a terrific big guy, albeit one who didn't seem all that interested in post defense. Haarms was great.
This keeps up for Stefanovic and Purdue transforms. He's now done this in nearly as many games in Mackey Arena as he hasn't. Game-changer.
And Eastern, if you just watched that and are trying to downplay what he just did, then you are looking squarely at an apple and calling it a banana because you really want to see a banana. That was as pivotal a stretch of defense as Purdue has seen in some time — Eastern's punking-out of Tony Carr at the Big Ten Tournament in Madison Square Garden comes to mind, too — if you're gonna argue Marcus Carr was tired, I'm sure he was, but pretty crazy how he goes from blowing past Eric Hunter, finishing through Trevion Williams and over Matt Haarms for a stretch late in the second half, and then all of a sudden Eastern comes in and he's gassed. Crazy coincidence.
Prior, Carr was carrying Minnesota to a win, same as Nate Mason did a few years ago.
Anyway, give credit where it's due, on all fronts.
• Don't look now, but for the moment anyway, Purdue just picked up another Quad 1 win ... Minnesota is now 30th in the NET rankings. Whether they end up there, we'll see, but Purdue will take whatever it can get on that résumé, so even if this is a Quad 2 win, great. More importantly, Purdue can't afford to be losing home games to middle-of-the-pack Big Ten teams if it hopes to contend in the conference and make the NCAA Tournament.
Had to have this one, and when you're up six at home halfway through a second overtime, you have to win.
• I'll have to go back and see what happened but seemed to me like Carr got loose a couple times specifically against Isaiah Thompson in that first half, and that sort of got Carr going but also stemmed Purdue's momentum.
But give that kid credit. He's a player. I saw him in AAU and he was just that. He's the kid who came from the same Northern Kings grassroots program as Purdue signee Zach Edey. Very different recruitments, I'm quite certain.
• Staying with credit-where-it's-due, this has obviously been a very difficult season for Aaron Wheeler, but he was a big part of a really solid high-low game offensively for Purdue tonight. He was very good as a passer for the second game in a row, this one way more important than the last one. Haarms did a good job getting great position and Wheeler often got the ball there with authority.
• Give Trevion Williams credit for making those free throws. Obviously you'd have preferred he made both to win the game that one time — regulation and the two OTs are running together— but he made the most pressure-packed foul shot he's taken in college, maybe ever, thereafter, and then made two to help seal the win.
He's 4-of-8 for the game, but he made the big ones.
• This is a cause for concern, perhaps: After scoring 10 or more points in 25 straight college games, the last nine at Purdue, Jahaad Proctor has now been in single-digits in four of the last five. The point totals don't matter as much as the percentages. He's shooting 24 percent from the floor.
Look, you don't need everyone scoring all the time. But you need the guys who are out there to score doing so, or at least being efficient with their opportunities. Since Nebraska, Proctor has been struggling on both fronts, and for a team that isn't the most gifted offensive team in college basketball to begin with, that's not ideal.
Wheeler's struggles this season have left Purdue down a scoring weapon it hoped to have. Hopes to get a little more from Eastern around the basket, in transition, whatever it may be, haven't really materialized. And now if this is something more than just a slump or midseason blip, then Purdue may be hamstrung a little more, because it's probably a safe bet that Stefanovic isn't going to average six threes a game the rest of the way.
• Two pretty good shooting games in a row for Purdue now. That can't possibly be a bad sign. We'll see about the road. But if this becomes more of a high-ceiling, low-floor team shooting-wise than it's been, things change considerably.
Good night, everybody, and thanks for reading.
• Purdue won this game because of Nojel Eastern's defense, because of Matt Haarms' outstanding play and because of Sasha Stefanovic's shooting. All those things are true. What is also true is that if one of them doesn't happen, then Purdue doesn't win.
So, weigh them equally if you're playing the blame/credit plus/minus game, because recognize each on their own.
Haarms was brilliant. Trevion Williams was very good too, but Haarms was brilliant against a terrific big guy, albeit one who didn't seem all that interested in post defense. Haarms was great.
This keeps up for Stefanovic and Purdue transforms. He's now done this in nearly as many games in Mackey Arena as he hasn't. Game-changer.
And Eastern, if you just watched that and are trying to downplay what he just did, then you are looking squarely at an apple and calling it a banana because you really want to see a banana. That was as pivotal a stretch of defense as Purdue has seen in some time — Eastern's punking-out of Tony Carr at the Big Ten Tournament in Madison Square Garden comes to mind, too — if you're gonna argue Marcus Carr was tired, I'm sure he was, but pretty crazy how he goes from blowing past Eric Hunter, finishing through Trevion Williams and over Matt Haarms for a stretch late in the second half, and then all of a sudden Eastern comes in and he's gassed. Crazy coincidence.
Prior, Carr was carrying Minnesota to a win, same as Nate Mason did a few years ago.
Anyway, give credit where it's due, on all fronts.
• Don't look now, but for the moment anyway, Purdue just picked up another Quad 1 win ... Minnesota is now 30th in the NET rankings. Whether they end up there, we'll see, but Purdue will take whatever it can get on that résumé, so even if this is a Quad 2 win, great. More importantly, Purdue can't afford to be losing home games to middle-of-the-pack Big Ten teams if it hopes to contend in the conference and make the NCAA Tournament.
Had to have this one, and when you're up six at home halfway through a second overtime, you have to win.
• I'll have to go back and see what happened but seemed to me like Carr got loose a couple times specifically against Isaiah Thompson in that first half, and that sort of got Carr going but also stemmed Purdue's momentum.
But give that kid credit. He's a player. I saw him in AAU and he was just that. He's the kid who came from the same Northern Kings grassroots program as Purdue signee Zach Edey. Very different recruitments, I'm quite certain.
• Staying with credit-where-it's-due, this has obviously been a very difficult season for Aaron Wheeler, but he was a big part of a really solid high-low game offensively for Purdue tonight. He was very good as a passer for the second game in a row, this one way more important than the last one. Haarms did a good job getting great position and Wheeler often got the ball there with authority.
• Give Trevion Williams credit for making those free throws. Obviously you'd have preferred he made both to win the game that one time — regulation and the two OTs are running together— but he made the most pressure-packed foul shot he's taken in college, maybe ever, thereafter, and then made two to help seal the win.
He's 4-of-8 for the game, but he made the big ones.
• This is a cause for concern, perhaps: After scoring 10 or more points in 25 straight college games, the last nine at Purdue, Jahaad Proctor has now been in single-digits in four of the last five. The point totals don't matter as much as the percentages. He's shooting 24 percent from the floor.
Look, you don't need everyone scoring all the time. But you need the guys who are out there to score doing so, or at least being efficient with their opportunities. Since Nebraska, Proctor has been struggling on both fronts, and for a team that isn't the most gifted offensive team in college basketball to begin with, that's not ideal.
Wheeler's struggles this season have left Purdue down a scoring weapon it hoped to have. Hopes to get a little more from Eastern around the basket, in transition, whatever it may be, haven't really materialized. And now if this is something more than just a slump or midseason blip, then Purdue may be hamstrung a little more, because it's probably a safe bet that Stefanovic isn't going to average six threes a game the rest of the way.
• Two pretty good shooting games in a row for Purdue now. That can't possibly be a bad sign. We'll see about the road. But if this becomes more of a high-ceiling, low-floor team shooting-wise than it's been, things change considerably.
Good night, everybody, and thanks for reading.
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