I haven't seen Iowa play since we played, but obviously they've been on a roll.
Obviously some of the issues last game were...
-Turnovers first and foremost. We actually had 14, which is a low number compared to a few of our other games this season. But of the 14, 10 were in the second half.
-We haven't been out rebounded once this season, but Iowa came the closest to. They had 1 fewer than us by the end of the game. We had a +5 advantage at halftime. We were outrebounded in the second half 19-15.
-In the second half, Iowa shot 64%. In the first half, they shot 23%. While we certainly could have done better defensively, there were also several shots perfectly defended that Iowa just made.
-Not finding our interior players. AJ and Isaac combined to shoot 8-10 in the game. They were having their way when they got the ball, but they just didn't get the ball that much.
Going into this game, obviously consistency is key. The previous game was literally 2 complete opposite halves. With the Ohio State game, it's a bit concerning with the 3 point shooting. We also really need a solid game from AJ. He needs to be assertive, but smart. He was rather quiet in the Iowa game earlier in the month and he also had a "meh" game offensively the other night. We need him to be into this game. Iowa is actually #1 in the Big Ten in 3 point FG defense right now - so being able to free up guards will take some good inside play.
In addition, another stat Purdue should always be winning is free throws. Iowa shot more FTs than us. This goes along with rebounding - we HAVE to do good on the boards. Iowa is not a great rebounding team, this is actually 1 of the few stats that Purdue/Iowa are not very similar in - they are middle of the pack in rebounding.
And the obvious one - the one stat that Iowa has a big advantage on us is turnover margin. They are #1, we are 12th in conference games. We obviously can't afford to have an Illinois type of night with 15-16 turnovers.
Overall, a tough match-up. But like I said, I haven't seen Iowa play since.
Obviously some of the issues last game were...
-Turnovers first and foremost. We actually had 14, which is a low number compared to a few of our other games this season. But of the 14, 10 were in the second half.
-We haven't been out rebounded once this season, but Iowa came the closest to. They had 1 fewer than us by the end of the game. We had a +5 advantage at halftime. We were outrebounded in the second half 19-15.
-In the second half, Iowa shot 64%. In the first half, they shot 23%. While we certainly could have done better defensively, there were also several shots perfectly defended that Iowa just made.
-Not finding our interior players. AJ and Isaac combined to shoot 8-10 in the game. They were having their way when they got the ball, but they just didn't get the ball that much.
Going into this game, obviously consistency is key. The previous game was literally 2 complete opposite halves. With the Ohio State game, it's a bit concerning with the 3 point shooting. We also really need a solid game from AJ. He needs to be assertive, but smart. He was rather quiet in the Iowa game earlier in the month and he also had a "meh" game offensively the other night. We need him to be into this game. Iowa is actually #1 in the Big Ten in 3 point FG defense right now - so being able to free up guards will take some good inside play.
In addition, another stat Purdue should always be winning is free throws. Iowa shot more FTs than us. This goes along with rebounding - we HAVE to do good on the boards. Iowa is not a great rebounding team, this is actually 1 of the few stats that Purdue/Iowa are not very similar in - they are middle of the pack in rebounding.
And the obvious one - the one stat that Iowa has a big advantage on us is turnover margin. They are #1, we are 12th in conference games. We obviously can't afford to have an Illinois type of night with 15-16 turnovers.
Overall, a tough match-up. But like I said, I haven't seen Iowa play since.
