From a 17-1 start to three straight losses, the Purdue basketball season has taken a dark turn after dropping games to UCLA on the road, Illinois at home, and Indiana on the road. Matt Painter was visibly frustrated with his team after the game. Purdue players, Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn mentioned needing […]
From a 17-1 start to three straight losses, the Purdue basketball season has taken a dark turn after dropping games to UCLA on the road, Illinois at home, and Indiana on the road.
Matt Painter was visibly frustrated with his team after the game. Purdue players, Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn mentioned needing to play a full forty minutes and needing to respect players more on the court.
Currently the national title favorite team is on the outside looking in at the Big Ten race after starting 7-0 in conference play.
Nebraska, Michigan, Michigan State all stand ahead of Purdue with just one loss while Purdue sits in crisis.
At the crux of the issue, Purdue’s defense has been dismantled.
Against UCLA, it was Donavan Dent going for 23 points and 13 assists including a final assist on a blown pick and pop coverage that left Tyler Bilodeau wide open for a game winning three.
Against Illinois, Keaton Wagler put on a generational performance, scoring 46 points, going 9 of 11 from three and 13 of 17 overall.
In some ways, those outlier performances masked looked more like asterisks in an other wise decent Purdue performance.
But Indiana wasn’t that. Purdue simply didn’t meet the moment or execution needed to beat a team that doesn’t have the talent or size of Purdue. Purdue didn’t take IU serious, despite the rivalry and two game losing streak, and now Purdue is three losses deep into conference play.
It now heads on the road to Maryland where it feels like a must win on Sunday.
Let’s take a look at the Terrapins.
Purdue 17-4 (7-3) at Maryland 8-12 (1-8)
Feel the Payne
Pharrel Payne is a familiar name in the Big Ten and he has been Buzz Williams best player this season. The big man is averaging 17.5 points a game on 62% shooting from the field to go along with 7.2 rebounds a game.
Payne is a physical, skilled big man but is also turnover prone. Purdue has the bodies to handle Payne but he is one of the better bigs in the conference.
If anything, Purdue might welcome a more traditional big. It has struggled in the last few games with stretch bigs and offenses that operate on the outside. Purdue’s two big lineup has struggled to stay with shooters on the perimeters and some of Purdue’s best play has been with Jack Benter playing as a much smaller four and going to just one big line ups.
Right now, Purdue is struggling being able to play all its best players at the best time and finding the right combination for offense/defense. A true center might make it a little easier for Purdue to match up against Maryland.
The buzz is still building
It is Buzz Williams first season with Maryland and his frenetic, defensive identity still needs to get established. Maryland has not been a very good team. Offenses have shot very well against Maryland. The Terrapins are one of the worst teams in the country defending the three point line and haven’t held up much better inside the perimeter.
Maryland isn’t forcing turnovers either.
Maryland also gives up a lot of points on assists. Over 60% of the field goals against Maryland are scored on assists. That’s a good sign for Purdue. Purdue still is elite on the offensive end and obviously Braden Smith is as good as it gets when exposing teams when they overhelp or get beat off the drive.
Smith’s assists numbers have cooled a bit as Purdue’s offense has struggled in three of its last four games. Maryland should be medicine for an offense that could use some easy basket. IU in particular was really good at interrupting and getting into Purdue’s sets while limiting Smith’s ability to create looks for others. Smith had zero assists in the first half against the Hoosiers.
Maryland is ripe for the picking for an offense with shooters. Smith should have an edge in his matchups and for what Payne offers inside, he’s a slower defender on the edge. Pulling him from the hoop and getting him into pick and roll action should leave open lanes, shooters, and dunkers for Smith.
If Purdue can get going early and knock Maryland’s crowd out of it, this could be a get right game for an offense that’s lost a bit of its luster after being an all-time efficient unit to start the season.
Guards to watch
If a guard is going to go off for Maryland, it’s probably David Colt who is averaging over 15 points a game while shooting 38% from three. Darius Adams is Maryland’s third double digit scorer and will be designated as the player to leave open on the perimeter. He’s knocking down just over 25% of his three point attempts.
Elijah Sanders is a dangerous wing/forward who was once mentioned as a potential defensive four target for Purdue. He started his career at Maryland, transferred to Virginia and then spent two seasons at San Diego State before returning to the Terrapins.
Maryland is trying to reimagine itself in Williams vision. That means length, athleticism, and choas all over the floor. It doesn’t quite have the horses for it yet, but it is a team that should play its best ball as the season progresses. Right now, its defense looks ripe for the picking and its offense lacks the elite punch, explaining its existence at the bottom of the Big Ten.
But after Purdue’s last three games, it can’t afford to take anything for granted. It needs to go on the road and send a message, maybe most importantly to itself.
Category: General Sports
