Purdue basketball couldn’t wait until November — or even August — to find out what happens when the shots don’t fall.
In their 79-48 victory over Calgary on Tuesday, the Boilermakers made merely 25% of their 3-point attempts. Call that a regression to the mean after shooting over 40% in their first two victories in Canada.
To avoid a truly embarassing stumble, Purdue relied on a dynamic it will likely need to return to during Big Ten play in the coming season. While this team still has several skilled offensive players and shooters scattered across any given lineup, it does not project as a machine of offensive effiecieny like last year’s squad.
It does, though, look like one which can dictate terms defensively more consistently and authoritatively than it did the past couple of seasons.
Calgary saw what that looked like in some stretches Tuesday.
Antione West Jr. remains a backcourt nuisance on defense, collecting four steals before the end of the first quarter. For the night, Purdue scored more than a quarter of its points (20) off turnovers. Sunday night against Trinity Western, almost a third of its points came off takeaways (27 of 82).
Assistant coach P.J. Thompson identified West as the team’s best on-ball defender while the Toledo Whitmer product was locking down teammates in practice in his redshirt season. It’s not a surprise he’s shown an ability to take the ball away from his man and use his agility to cut into passing lanes and start fast breaks.
Four other Boilers contributed steals against Calgary. These are plus matchups, no doubt. The Canadian college teams equate to good Division II or NAIA competition — the sort of teams Purdue would play in a preseason exhibition at Mackey Arena, or perhaps a buy game.
Still, the fundamentals and intensity displayed on a given play are more important than the outcome. Calgary missed some wide-open 3s which dragged down their own 4 of 23 performance. Yet this was also another example of Purdue’s guards and big men combining to frustrate an undermanned opponent for long stretches. Calgary scored only two points in the first six-plus minutes of the second quarter, for instance.
Speaking of those big men, Daniel Jacobsen re-emphasized his role as rim protector with four blocks. He had some company in the rejection department, though.
Raleigh Burgess started at center and blocked a back-door drive for a potential dunk on Calgary’s first possession. Before the end of the quarter he also swatted a floater out of the air. He brings a different body type and athleticism to that spot, and if he can still get a paw on shots while Jacobsen rotates out, it’s a big bonus for this defense.
Jacobsen may get as many blocks in one night as C.J. Cox and Gicarri Harris combine for this season. Both guards recorded one in Tuesday’s third quarter, though. Harris went up to deny a 3-point attempt. Cox came behind a play to swat away a layup attempt.
Purdue will, quite simply, have more defensive-minded players on the court this season than it has in several years. Some of the elements of team defense are still coming together — hence the need for this trip. The freshmen are still grasping concepts and off-ball responsibilities and awareness. Refinement can come over time.
Instinct and mindset don’t typically comeand go, though. Some of that is already showing up in July, and could be central to this team’s identity through to March.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball leans on defense as shots go cold, showcasing a new identity in Canada
Reporting by Nathan Baird, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nathan Baird, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
