INDIANAPOLIS — A few final musings from Purdue's 87-77 win over Notre Dame today, because I know how you like musings.
• Eric Hunter gave Purdue same of the best, most complete guard play I've seen at Purdue today, smoothly alternating between scorer and facilitator, making big plays in big moments in both capacities, and clearly showing you why the Boilermakers view him as their leader and some around the program thought he might have been Purdue's best player in the preseason. He was fantastic today. Total command, level head and a clutch streak.
If Purdue gets more of this this season, they're gonna win a bunch of games.
• Give me my choice between a win where I'm just better than my opponent and the game plays out as such and a win where I'm better than my opponent, but stuff happens and I end up losing a lead, then rebuild it and win going away, I'll take the latter every time. Purdue both showed its potential today and got its mettle tested.
• Kudos to Trevion Williams for figuring it out. Whether the benching did it or not, I don't know if anyone can say for certain, but he's really brought it since then, as has his whole class. All those juniors are playing well relative to their roles right now and they deserve credit for it.
Losses can be worth it when good comes from it, and it would be too big a coincidence that this corner has maybe been turned after the Miami loss and Painter's subsequent callout.
• This is a legitimately good offensive team, as long as it's not turning the ball over. Sure, there's up-side still, but I'm not even sure they're all that much of a work in progress on offense anymore, not with the juniors playing like this and the newcomers (i.e. Edey) being so advanced.
Is Notre Dame a great defensive team? Nope. But Purdue was turning the ball over because great defensive teams were forcing it to. They were turning it over because they were sloppy and disjointed at times.
Purdue slashed its turnovers by two-thirds today — one live-ball turnover! — and came away with 88 points.
Notre Dame doesn't guard anybody, and neither does Iowa, so go up there and see what happens I guess. Luka Garza is a big difference, however.
• Jaden Ivey and Brandon Newman are gonna be tremendous players for Purdue. But they're just not all the way there yet in terms of consistency at both ends of the floor. Ivey's played three college games, and Newman is so far ahead of schedule it's not even funny. Once those dudes catch up, stuff's gonna get interesting, because Stefanovic and Eric Hunter are allowing no daylight between them and their minutes. These are the "tough decisions" Matt Painter can't wait to have to make.
If you're doing that annual thing where you think a player is miserable because he looked unhappy on TV during a game, cool your jets. Ivey knows the deal and is a total pro for his age. He's fine.
• Surrounded by the sort of talent he'll be playing with in his Purdue career, Mason Gillis could not score a point the rest of his career and still be a really high-impact player. That may be overstatement, but pretty clear Purdue may have an ultimate glue-guy type. He'd already be a Mackey Arena favorite if there was, yanno, anyone in Mackey Arena. He's in a rhythm now as a shooter too. Look out.
• Zach Edey's gotta learn to keep that elbow down. Whether you think that was a bad call or not doesn't change that. You can't lead with your elbow or forearm when you engage someone physically. Facial contact is the easiest mark there is for officials.
He'll learn.
No overstating what he's meant to Purdue offensively. The ultimate mismatch and a relatively path to exploiting it.
• Jarring driving through Downtown Indy on the Saturday before Christmas and it feeling like the set of 'The Walking Dead.' Let's get this cursed pandemic behind us, folks.
Have a good night everyone and thanks for reading.
• Eric Hunter gave Purdue same of the best, most complete guard play I've seen at Purdue today, smoothly alternating between scorer and facilitator, making big plays in big moments in both capacities, and clearly showing you why the Boilermakers view him as their leader and some around the program thought he might have been Purdue's best player in the preseason. He was fantastic today. Total command, level head and a clutch streak.
If Purdue gets more of this this season, they're gonna win a bunch of games.
• Give me my choice between a win where I'm just better than my opponent and the game plays out as such and a win where I'm better than my opponent, but stuff happens and I end up losing a lead, then rebuild it and win going away, I'll take the latter every time. Purdue both showed its potential today and got its mettle tested.
• Kudos to Trevion Williams for figuring it out. Whether the benching did it or not, I don't know if anyone can say for certain, but he's really brought it since then, as has his whole class. All those juniors are playing well relative to their roles right now and they deserve credit for it.
Losses can be worth it when good comes from it, and it would be too big a coincidence that this corner has maybe been turned after the Miami loss and Painter's subsequent callout.
• This is a legitimately good offensive team, as long as it's not turning the ball over. Sure, there's up-side still, but I'm not even sure they're all that much of a work in progress on offense anymore, not with the juniors playing like this and the newcomers (i.e. Edey) being so advanced.
Is Notre Dame a great defensive team? Nope. But Purdue was turning the ball over because great defensive teams were forcing it to. They were turning it over because they were sloppy and disjointed at times.
Purdue slashed its turnovers by two-thirds today — one live-ball turnover! — and came away with 88 points.
Notre Dame doesn't guard anybody, and neither does Iowa, so go up there and see what happens I guess. Luka Garza is a big difference, however.
• Jaden Ivey and Brandon Newman are gonna be tremendous players for Purdue. But they're just not all the way there yet in terms of consistency at both ends of the floor. Ivey's played three college games, and Newman is so far ahead of schedule it's not even funny. Once those dudes catch up, stuff's gonna get interesting, because Stefanovic and Eric Hunter are allowing no daylight between them and their minutes. These are the "tough decisions" Matt Painter can't wait to have to make.
If you're doing that annual thing where you think a player is miserable because he looked unhappy on TV during a game, cool your jets. Ivey knows the deal and is a total pro for his age. He's fine.
• Surrounded by the sort of talent he'll be playing with in his Purdue career, Mason Gillis could not score a point the rest of his career and still be a really high-impact player. That may be overstatement, but pretty clear Purdue may have an ultimate glue-guy type. He'd already be a Mackey Arena favorite if there was, yanno, anyone in Mackey Arena. He's in a rhythm now as a shooter too. Look out.
• Zach Edey's gotta learn to keep that elbow down. Whether you think that was a bad call or not doesn't change that. You can't lead with your elbow or forearm when you engage someone physically. Facial contact is the easiest mark there is for officials.
He'll learn.
No overstating what he's meant to Purdue offensively. The ultimate mismatch and a relatively path to exploiting it.
• Jarring driving through Downtown Indy on the Saturday before Christmas and it feeling like the set of 'The Walking Dead.' Let's get this cursed pandemic behind us, folks.
Have a good night everyone and thanks for reading.
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