Speedy teams should not scare Purdue......

[TheMogul]

Good coaching and tall teams should.

A.
Teams with a better coach and with size. I know this seems like a dumb statement but Purdue has little movement on offense and our post players just stand on the block and post up their defenders. Hammons and Haas rarely receive the ball on the move or off a screen or cut. This usually isn't a problem because we have good bigs that can back down undersized opponents but when good defensive and tall players are challenging us it makes it much more difficult to get buckets in the paint. This leads to less open looks on the drive and less open 3's. Good coaching can really impact our ability to get the ball and that can have a domino effect on the rest of our play.

B.
Defensively we are a very solid team even if our guards aren't particularly athletic. I know many people believe we are vulnerable to athletic guards but I disagree because even though they give us a little trouble we rarely give up easy transition buckets, our bigs do a good job protecting the rim, and with Swanigan we will be an even better rebounding team so opposing teams will get very few chances against us even if they are fast. Only way I see Purdue losing to a quick team is if Purdue takes too many three pointers which will result in lots of long rebounds and allow teams to have lots of transition baskets.

 

[Heller]

Purdue is going to shoot the three. If Cline not being redshirted says anything it says that.

 

[tjreese]

Good coaching and tall teams should.

A.
Teams with a better coach and with size. I know this seems like a dumb statement but Purdue has little movement on offense and our post players just stand on the block and post up their defenders. Hammons and Haas rarely receive the ball on the move or off a screen or cut. This usually isn't a problem because we have good bigs that can back down undersized opponents but when good defensive and tall players are challenging us it makes it much more difficult to get buckets in the paint. This leads to less open looks on the drive and less open 3's. Good coaching can really impact our ability to get the ball and that can have a domino effect on the rest of our play.

B.
Defensively we are a very solid team even if our guards aren't particularly athletic. I know many people believe we are vulnerable to athletic guards but I disagree because even though they give us a little trouble we rarely give up easy transition buckets, our bigs do a good job protecting the rim, and with Swanigan we will be an even better rebounding team so opposing teams will get very few chances against us even if they are fast. Only way I see Purdue losing to a quick team is if Purdue takes too many three pointers which will result in lots of long rebounds and allow teams to have lots of transition baskets.

This is a key..."Only way I see Purdue losing to a quick team is if Purdue takes too many three pointers which will result in lots of long rebounds and allow teams to have lots of transition baskets." An athletic team at the 3,4 and 5 that face up AND ARE A THREAT and make Purdue defend in space could give Purdue trouble. Lots of things could give Purdue problems on different nights, but I worry about long rebounds due giving Purdue the open look or as you suggested little patience...either way...long boards that start a quick track meet down to the other end...

If Purdue doesn't have much clock due to pressure eating the clock and the post is initially denied and the clock is winding down that could force a quicker shot...which could also be a problem...

 

[BoilerDeac]

Purdue is going to shoot the three. If Cline not being redshirted says anything it says that.

And they should. The three ball is too valuable not to shoot it.

 

[BoilerDeac]

To me, it seems like Purdue is kind of like the Memphis Grizzlies of college basketball, in terms of the style they like to play.

College bball hasn't yet caught up to the NBA, but one would think it's trending towards that - a game where 4 or all 5 guys on the court can handle/shoot the ball. A team that can do that is a team Purdue could struggle against.

Fortunately, I think we are still a few years away from that style being the clear-cut dominant style in college bball. Obviously, it's been touched upon many times, but it's obvious why Caleb sees himself more as a 4...the slow, back to the basket big man might just become a thing of the past very soon...a player like Zach Randolph will probably be few and far between.

With that being said, I don't know if I want an NBA where a player as skilled and as good as Randolph can't be effective. I hope the change in college bball is a slow one.