A closer look back at Purdue's 67-60 win over No. 20 Ohio State on Wednesday night.
DEFENSIVE PROGRESS
Purdue set a tone for the whole game from the outset, with an outstanding defensive possession right away, cutting off the dribble at every turn, helping one another and forcing Ohio State into a long three at the end of the shot clock. Zach Edey was all over the place, Mason Gillis did a nice job sticking with Justis Sueing, Brandon Newman was all over Duane Washington and Eric Hunter totally blew up a handoff as the shot clock dwindled to really drive a stake through that possession's heart.
Newman really went at Washington on defense.
Thought Purdue's defense at the 1 was some of the best it's been this season, Eric Hunter and Isaiah Thompson both. Hunter was really effective in this game, fighting through screens, pressuring the ball and just beating Buckeye guards to their spots. He is a different player than last season.
Big-time effort play: During Purdue's first half run, Ohio State tried to throw a lob in behind Zach Edey, but Mason Gillis came in to help, leapt and used every centimeter of his 6-foot-6 (stop it, people) frame to knock the ball away to take a basket away from the Buckeyes.
Big-time awareness play: After Purdue burned by Zed Key for a pick-and-roll dunk, Eric Hunter was all over it on the back end when Ohio State went right back to it. Hunter was called for a cheap foul, but he was on top of it nonetheless.
HIGH-LEVEL OFFENSIVE EXECUTION
Seemed to me like Purdue was in way more motion offense in this game, but I don't know that for a fact, but regardless Purdue did a really nice job offensively.
Ohio State switched screens all over the floor a lot and denied quite a bit, really made Purdue's guards work. Last year, Purdue wilted against such things.
Some things to highlight ...
• Purdue's off-the-ball screening was pretty good against an opponent where it had to be. The guards seemed to do a nice job with it.
• Trevion Williams destroyed Ohio State's double teams with his passing starting with this play in the first half, where Williams got the ball in the post and Brandon Newman cut off a screen at the elbow from Isaiah Thompson and dove to the rim, banana cut I think they call it. Williams hit him for a bucket. There was no post double on this play and Williams had Duane Washington, a guard on him, and Newman had Justis Sueing on him, a forward, due to switches.
Next time down, Williams posts on Kyle Young, and Ohio State does double, with Musa Jallow coming off Aaron Wheeler, converging on Williams floor side as opposed to the baseline. Justis Sueing is late rotating down to the basket and beat anyway even if he had and Williams hits Wheeler for a layup.
Then, here's just the standard deal where Ohio State doubles from the 4 and Purdue's 4 just heads straight to the rim. Ohio State keeps doubling to the middle of the floor, not to the baseline.
Lastly, Ohio State finally doubles to the baseline. Doesn't matter. Purdue was surgical with this.
Same as Northwestern last year. Little two-man screening action with Williams and Eric Hunter. Instead of coming up to stop the ball, Kyle Young sticks with Williams on the dive, so Hunter has the lane all to himself, freeing him to knock down this jumper.
Finally, this, the crucial bucket by Brandon Newman inside two minutes, when Purdue was up only six.
On a sideline out of bounds play, Eric Hunter throws it in to Trevion Williams, then runs to take a handoff. Williams pulls out of the handoff and dribbles into a ball-screen handoff with Newman, who'd originally shown that he was gonna run baseline, that action they run where he and Stefanovic cross one another.
Instead, Newman comes to the ball, turns the corner and again Ohio State sticks with Williams, opening up the short runner for Newman, though he does have Sueing breathing down his neck after he ducked Aaron Wheeler's screen. Big shot.
COUPLE MORE IMPORTANT NON-SCORING PLAYS FROM AARON WHEELER
• 15:06: Grabbed a physical defensive rebound between two Buckeyes
• 12:03: Wheeler darts to the top of the key to close out on Kyle Young on the catch, then redirects very quickly to help against the dribble after Sueing is able to drive past Edey. Wheeler walls Sueing off, Sueing falls and turns it over. Great team defense by Purdue, because Ethan Morton was waiting in the lane too and Edey recovered to get back in on the action too, but Wheeler made that play.
• 7:20 to play: Sueing drives into Wheeler. Wheeler holds his ground, forcing a fumble, which Wheeler then dives on for a tie-up.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
• Defensively, Ohio State freshman Zed Key did a nice job on Zach Edey, making sure he kept his own body between Edey and the rim. Key's gonna be a really good player for the Buckeyes.
• Purdue played well defensively, but far from perfect, like the BLOB play where Purdue had five guys to guard four, yet only covered three and Ohio State got a basket off it.
Someone's lost here, Newman I think.
• Purdue made an inordinate amount of circus finishes in this game, a couple by Williams and one by Eric Hunter.
Here's the moon ball Williams threw in.
And here's the insane buzzer-beater Williams made later.
• This Week In Young and Eager: That sequence in the second half where Jaden Ivey launched a quick three in transition then after a Zach Edey block, Brandon Newman was out of control in transition, trucked a guy and was called for a charge. Gonna have some of that this season.
• An effort play that should be highlighted: With under nine to play, Trevion Williams passed off at the top to Sasha Stefanovic for a three, then hustled into rebounding position. When the three missed, Kyle Young had the inside track for the rebound, but Williams' pursuit nonetheless forced Young to lose it. Isaiah Thompson collected it and hit Eric Hunter for a three that put Purdue up 14 points, its biggest lead.
DEFENSIVE PROGRESS
Purdue set a tone for the whole game from the outset, with an outstanding defensive possession right away, cutting off the dribble at every turn, helping one another and forcing Ohio State into a long three at the end of the shot clock. Zach Edey was all over the place, Mason Gillis did a nice job sticking with Justis Sueing, Brandon Newman was all over Duane Washington and Eric Hunter totally blew up a handoff as the shot clock dwindled to really drive a stake through that possession's heart.
Newman really went at Washington on defense.
Thought Purdue's defense at the 1 was some of the best it's been this season, Eric Hunter and Isaiah Thompson both. Hunter was really effective in this game, fighting through screens, pressuring the ball and just beating Buckeye guards to their spots. He is a different player than last season.
Big-time effort play: During Purdue's first half run, Ohio State tried to throw a lob in behind Zach Edey, but Mason Gillis came in to help, leapt and used every centimeter of his 6-foot-6 (stop it, people) frame to knock the ball away to take a basket away from the Buckeyes.
Big-time awareness play: After Purdue burned by Zed Key for a pick-and-roll dunk, Eric Hunter was all over it on the back end when Ohio State went right back to it. Hunter was called for a cheap foul, but he was on top of it nonetheless.
HIGH-LEVEL OFFENSIVE EXECUTION
Seemed to me like Purdue was in way more motion offense in this game, but I don't know that for a fact, but regardless Purdue did a really nice job offensively.
Ohio State switched screens all over the floor a lot and denied quite a bit, really made Purdue's guards work. Last year, Purdue wilted against such things.
Some things to highlight ...
• Purdue's off-the-ball screening was pretty good against an opponent where it had to be. The guards seemed to do a nice job with it.
• Trevion Williams destroyed Ohio State's double teams with his passing starting with this play in the first half, where Williams got the ball in the post and Brandon Newman cut off a screen at the elbow from Isaiah Thompson and dove to the rim, banana cut I think they call it. Williams hit him for a bucket. There was no post double on this play and Williams had Duane Washington, a guard on him, and Newman had Justis Sueing on him, a forward, due to switches.
Next time down, Williams posts on Kyle Young, and Ohio State does double, with Musa Jallow coming off Aaron Wheeler, converging on Williams floor side as opposed to the baseline. Justis Sueing is late rotating down to the basket and beat anyway even if he had and Williams hits Wheeler for a layup.
Then, here's just the standard deal where Ohio State doubles from the 4 and Purdue's 4 just heads straight to the rim. Ohio State keeps doubling to the middle of the floor, not to the baseline.
Lastly, Ohio State finally doubles to the baseline. Doesn't matter. Purdue was surgical with this.
Same as Northwestern last year. Little two-man screening action with Williams and Eric Hunter. Instead of coming up to stop the ball, Kyle Young sticks with Williams on the dive, so Hunter has the lane all to himself, freeing him to knock down this jumper.
Finally, this, the crucial bucket by Brandon Newman inside two minutes, when Purdue was up only six.
On a sideline out of bounds play, Eric Hunter throws it in to Trevion Williams, then runs to take a handoff. Williams pulls out of the handoff and dribbles into a ball-screen handoff with Newman, who'd originally shown that he was gonna run baseline, that action they run where he and Stefanovic cross one another.
Instead, Newman comes to the ball, turns the corner and again Ohio State sticks with Williams, opening up the short runner for Newman, though he does have Sueing breathing down his neck after he ducked Aaron Wheeler's screen. Big shot.
COUPLE MORE IMPORTANT NON-SCORING PLAYS FROM AARON WHEELER
• 15:06: Grabbed a physical defensive rebound between two Buckeyes
• 12:03: Wheeler darts to the top of the key to close out on Kyle Young on the catch, then redirects very quickly to help against the dribble after Sueing is able to drive past Edey. Wheeler walls Sueing off, Sueing falls and turns it over. Great team defense by Purdue, because Ethan Morton was waiting in the lane too and Edey recovered to get back in on the action too, but Wheeler made that play.
• 7:20 to play: Sueing drives into Wheeler. Wheeler holds his ground, forcing a fumble, which Wheeler then dives on for a tie-up.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
• Defensively, Ohio State freshman Zed Key did a nice job on Zach Edey, making sure he kept his own body between Edey and the rim. Key's gonna be a really good player for the Buckeyes.
• Purdue played well defensively, but far from perfect, like the BLOB play where Purdue had five guys to guard four, yet only covered three and Ohio State got a basket off it.
Someone's lost here, Newman I think.
• Purdue made an inordinate amount of circus finishes in this game, a couple by Williams and one by Eric Hunter.
Here's the moon ball Williams threw in.
And here's the insane buzzer-beater Williams made later.
• This Week In Young and Eager: That sequence in the second half where Jaden Ivey launched a quick three in transition then after a Zach Edey block, Brandon Newman was out of control in transition, trucked a guy and was called for a charge. Gonna have some of that this season.
• An effort play that should be highlighted: With under nine to play, Trevion Williams passed off at the top to Sasha Stefanovic for a three, then hustled into rebounding position. When the three missed, Kyle Young had the inside track for the rebound, but Williams' pursuit nonetheless forced Young to lose it. Isaiah Thompson collected it and hit Eric Hunter for a three that put Purdue up 14 points, its biggest lead.
