I thought this team was pretty similar to the 2018 team in how Purdue had a 7' plus giant that it liked to work the ball inside out with on offense. Both teams were extremely efficient offensively. But, I also feel both teams were kinda 'figured out' in the final stretch of the season. The '18 team started off like 23 or 24-2 and then lost those 3 games in a row putting up 65 points ior less per game (all were very, very close games though). This losing skid cost Purdue the '18 reg season conf championship. And then this year's squad lost those back to back games @ MSU and @ Wisconsin before sneaking out a close win at home against Indiana. And again, Purdue was limited to the mid 60s in points in all 3 games, and again, that two game skid cost Purdue a share of the conf title.
But, my question is, why does Purdue's offense being played inside-out, become so predictable? With both squads highlighted above, in the final stretch of the year, you could basically tell if Purdue was going to have a good offensive game after the first 5 minutes. The games in which Purdue struggled to score, it was the same thing over and over and over. Dribble the ball down, make few passes along the perimeter, and try to feed Haas/Edey and then just watch them slowly back the ball down, potentially turn the ball over, and if not, put up a difficult contested shot and often times get fouled but not getting the call. Hardly ever, does Purdue kick the ball out from the post, move the ball around the perimeter and try to re-enter to the post for a better look when the 5 has gotten deeper on his defender in the post. Too often, the initial feed turns into a black hole. You know a shot is going to go up whether it's a good one or not.
What lead me to post this, is a clip that just showed up on the front page of Youtube when I logged on just now. Take a look at the 05 Illini and how well they moved the ball. On this single possession, look how many skip passes they make and how many times they feed Augustine down low but he kicks the ball back out to the perimeter to continue running the offense for a better percentage shot. Granted, this was against NW and they were playing zone and likely a pretty shitty one. But, I think you get the point. I'd just like to see less settling for the first shot in Purdue's offensive system, and more taking advantage of the 35 second clock to get the highest quality shot more consistently. This year, if an offensive possession didn't work as planned the first 2 times Purdue tried feeding the post, you could always kick it out to Ivey and then attempt one of those long, desperation 3's. But why try a 27 footer with 15 or more seconds left on the clock or have Zach trying to back down a big from the elbow with the ball? The chance of a turnover is exponentially higher in that case.
Thoughts?
But, my question is, why does Purdue's offense being played inside-out, become so predictable? With both squads highlighted above, in the final stretch of the year, you could basically tell if Purdue was going to have a good offensive game after the first 5 minutes. The games in which Purdue struggled to score, it was the same thing over and over and over. Dribble the ball down, make few passes along the perimeter, and try to feed Haas/Edey and then just watch them slowly back the ball down, potentially turn the ball over, and if not, put up a difficult contested shot and often times get fouled but not getting the call. Hardly ever, does Purdue kick the ball out from the post, move the ball around the perimeter and try to re-enter to the post for a better look when the 5 has gotten deeper on his defender in the post. Too often, the initial feed turns into a black hole. You know a shot is going to go up whether it's a good one or not.
What lead me to post this, is a clip that just showed up on the front page of Youtube when I logged on just now. Take a look at the 05 Illini and how well they moved the ball. On this single possession, look how many skip passes they make and how many times they feed Augustine down low but he kicks the ball back out to the perimeter to continue running the offense for a better percentage shot. Granted, this was against NW and they were playing zone and likely a pretty shitty one. But, I think you get the point. I'd just like to see less settling for the first shot in Purdue's offensive system, and more taking advantage of the 35 second clock to get the highest quality shot more consistently. This year, if an offensive possession didn't work as planned the first 2 times Purdue tried feeding the post, you could always kick it out to Ivey and then attempt one of those long, desperation 3's. But why try a 27 footer with 15 or more seconds left on the clock or have Zach trying to back down a big from the elbow with the ball? The chance of a turnover is exponentially higher in that case.
Thoughts?
