of a matchup for us? I've heard several analysts say this like we wouldn't have a chance against them. I haven't watched them at all this year, so I have no context. Do they like to play full court press? That's the only thing I think that could really hurt us, even though we've gotten better at it. At most, we've only seen it for a half, so I guess if WVU played it for a full game it could be bad. Then again, it seems like their own players would get tired and a lot of fouls for trying to play that for a whole game. But maybe it's something else as well?
Is WVU really that bad...
- Thread starter depthcharge623
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It's just an easy answer. They play a very pressure defense/press, which has been a "weakness" of Purdue's and they also have good size. So it's an easy example of a bad match-up for us (our own fans have been saying it before the analysts started to this weekend).
With there being so much talk of them being our 'kryptonite', not sure if that helps us avoid them in our bracket or not.
The best way to negate our bigs is to not let them get the ball. Pressure the ball so much that the ballhandler can't make a good pass to the bigs. Yes, WV does this well. Plus they have enough size to not allow our bigs to be very "free" to make a pass to. The way to break this is to drive around the pressing Defender and penetrate. Something we're not great at.
Granted I think it was a couple of years ago, but didn't the Boilers win @ WVU recently?
It is a little different when you have some time to prepare AND you know the team is going to pressure ALL game long. WVU also can be a little shaky from outside and has a history of giving up leads themselves.
Would be a good game to see I think and also would mean Purdue would be playing the second weekend at least.
It is a little different when you have some time to prepare AND you know the team is going to pressure ALL game long. WVU also can be a little shaky from outside and has a history of giving up leads themselves.
Would be a good game to see I think and also would mean Purdue would be playing the second weekend at least.
They have a trapping defense that could give us fits. They play ten deep and sub a lot.
But they alos turn the ball over as much as they cause turnovers. They get cold from outside as well.
If we do meet. We can slow down their press by defending well and not giving them baskets that allow them to set up. We would need to keep them from getting transition baskets and we would need to take advantage of any that they provide us.
I would like to avoid them if possible. But if we shoot well and play good defense. We can beat them. Our bigs have gotten better at handing the digs in the paint so I don't fear them as much as I did.
So, if it's ALL about matchups, which many have said, and I agree, that it is, then there will be easier and more difficult roads to get where we want to get. All teams may try to press, but rarely will a team change what got them here. Plus, if you are not a pressing team, you won't become one overnight nor will you have the depth to expend that much energy. Sure, if we play well, things will go as well as they can, but to dispute that it doesn't matter who we play flys in the face of what most think.
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