MILWAUKEE — Greetings from Miwaukee's new Fiserv Forum, or something like that, where Purdue faces Marquette tonight in its first road game of the season, a Gavitt Games battle of two unknowns.
Purdue is obviously a very new team, and far from a finished product, as its loss to Texas just underscored. Marquette is Markus Howard and a veritable cast of thousands for all we know, the suddenly Hauser-less Golden Eagles have just one game of data on the books this season. Are they a good team or just a good player?
Dunno.
We'll get a better idea tonight.
A couple quick First Thoughts on Purdue's latest trip to a city that's been pretty good to it in recent years.
1. Team Defense: This is obviously as daunting an individual-player test as one can face in the college game this season, and while Purdue can take comfort in having a well-equipped defender to throw at Markus Howard in Nojel Eastern, you don't stop a player like Howard without most everyone's attention. Purdue has a decent track record under Matt Painter of being able to disrupt one (singular) great guard, and it have a game plan tonight built around Howard. It doesn't have to stop him; it just has to make things difficult on him, make him inefficient and make sure/hope some rando doesn't make six threes.
The whistle may really matter in this game. Last thing Purdue needs is early fouls that add up and wind up putting Marquette at the line when it shouldn't be at the line. And foul trouble for Eastern (or Eric Hunter) wouldn't be particularly helpful.
Purdue needs to get to Howard's spots promptly, without bumping or reaching.
2. Scrap: Little stuff should matter in a game like this, and Theo John is one of those guys around the basket who ought to be wearing a black T-shirt a size too small with the word 'Security' across his chest. If Purdue can get stops on Howard, garbage putbacks could be backbreakers.
And it's the same principle as with Carsen Edwards last year, what made Purdue good. Every possession you create or retain, that's another at-bat for that player. Matt Haarms, Trevion Williams, Aaron Wheeler and Nojel Eastern are gonna want to control the defensive glass, and everyone's gonna need to get loose balls.
3. Deep Breaths: Purdue will be a good team at some point, I think, and I think most of you would agree. Whether it's there at this point, I don't know. There are a lot of guys in leading roles right now who were bit players, who may have to grow into being leaned on now. Did that show up against Texas? Yeah, probably. Can that show up again tonight? Yeah, maybe.
One more thing: I do think it's important to get Haarms and Williams established on the interior on offense, because I do think that's probably most known element offensively at this point and the highest-percentage offensive avenue it has its disposal. Feeding the post has been a work in progress to this point.
That's it.
Thanks for reading everyone. We'll be back afterwards with our usual coverage and in-game, we'll have updates and thoughts on Twitter at @brianneubert and @goldandblackcom. Please use this thread to discuss the game, unless you're a 50-something prone to toddler-ish tantrums, then go do it another web site.
Thanks.
Purdue is obviously a very new team, and far from a finished product, as its loss to Texas just underscored. Marquette is Markus Howard and a veritable cast of thousands for all we know, the suddenly Hauser-less Golden Eagles have just one game of data on the books this season. Are they a good team or just a good player?
Dunno.
We'll get a better idea tonight.
A couple quick First Thoughts on Purdue's latest trip to a city that's been pretty good to it in recent years.
1. Team Defense: This is obviously as daunting an individual-player test as one can face in the college game this season, and while Purdue can take comfort in having a well-equipped defender to throw at Markus Howard in Nojel Eastern, you don't stop a player like Howard without most everyone's attention. Purdue has a decent track record under Matt Painter of being able to disrupt one (singular) great guard, and it have a game plan tonight built around Howard. It doesn't have to stop him; it just has to make things difficult on him, make him inefficient and make sure/hope some rando doesn't make six threes.
The whistle may really matter in this game. Last thing Purdue needs is early fouls that add up and wind up putting Marquette at the line when it shouldn't be at the line. And foul trouble for Eastern (or Eric Hunter) wouldn't be particularly helpful.
Purdue needs to get to Howard's spots promptly, without bumping or reaching.
2. Scrap: Little stuff should matter in a game like this, and Theo John is one of those guys around the basket who ought to be wearing a black T-shirt a size too small with the word 'Security' across his chest. If Purdue can get stops on Howard, garbage putbacks could be backbreakers.
And it's the same principle as with Carsen Edwards last year, what made Purdue good. Every possession you create or retain, that's another at-bat for that player. Matt Haarms, Trevion Williams, Aaron Wheeler and Nojel Eastern are gonna want to control the defensive glass, and everyone's gonna need to get loose balls.
3. Deep Breaths: Purdue will be a good team at some point, I think, and I think most of you would agree. Whether it's there at this point, I don't know. There are a lot of guys in leading roles right now who were bit players, who may have to grow into being leaned on now. Did that show up against Texas? Yeah, probably. Can that show up again tonight? Yeah, maybe.
One more thing: I do think it's important to get Haarms and Williams established on the interior on offense, because I do think that's probably most known element offensively at this point and the highest-percentage offensive avenue it has its disposal. Feeding the post has been a work in progress to this point.
That's it.
Thanks for reading everyone. We'll be back afterwards with our usual coverage and in-game, we'll have updates and thoughts on Twitter at @brianneubert and @goldandblackcom. Please use this thread to discuss the game, unless you're a 50-something prone to toddler-ish tantrums, then go do it another web site.
Thanks.
