Express: Wrap Video and Takeaways--Wisconsin
Our post-game analysis following third-ranked third-ranked Purdue’s 78-70 Senior Day win over Wisconsin Sunday in Mackey Area.
THREE-POINT MARKSMANSHIP
It was expected that Purdue would be a better three-point shooting team than last season. How could it not be, quite honestly?
But improvement could have been modest and still make a huge difference. What Purdue has gotten instead of incremental gain has been transformational strength.
Purdue’s shooting 41.1 percent on the season. It went from a 32.2-percent team last season that couldn’t make a shot to save its life in the NCAA Tournament — and looked broken because of it — to one of the best three-point teams in America, now sitting at No. 2 nationally by percentage.
But the broader numbers are one thing, but there’s so much more to it.
Purdue’s had very few, if any, bottoming-out games, certainly not to extent that could have cost it a loss.
The Boilermakers have shown themselves to have a fairly high floor shooting threes. At no point this season have they made less than a quarter of their threes. That may not sound like a compliment, but in a roundabout sort of way, avoiding game-changing runs of brick-laying is part of being a good shooting team. It is what ended Purdue’s season last year.
Purdue’s deep. Everyone who shoots threes shoots no worse than a solid percentage. Its best shooter, Fletcher Loyer, is pushing 49 percent in Big Ten play. Its highest-volume shooter, Lance Jones, is shooting 38 percent. Its biggest shooting threats in ball-screen offense, Braden Smith and Mason Gillis, shoot 40 and 48 percent respectively.
Further, Purdue has been clutch. Look no further than the past two second halves — 8-of-10 at Illinois and 6-of-11 vs. Wisconsin. Big shots, too. Braden Smith and Lance Jones at Wisconsin and Fletcher Loyer and Caleb Furst — you saw that coming, right? — against Wisconsin. That’s four different guys. And that says nothing of Gillis’ big shots lately.
There are a lot of differences between Purdue now and Purdue a year ago. This is the biggest, but a product too of others, notably Smith’s emergence, Jones’ addition, Edey’s improvement and Purdue’s collective experience now. It’s all connected.
A PURDUE CONCERN
This game really wasn’t ever really in doubt, but a quick glance at the box score shows why it was close there for a while.
What’s the common denominator with Purdue’s three losses this season? Turnovers, but more specifically, opponents’ scoring off them. The average from those three games was 20 points off turnovers.
Today: 17 for Wisconsin.
Purdue played with its food at times Sunday and had to shoot its way out of some uncomfortable spots because of it.
Taking care of the basketball has been Purdue’s hottest button all season and the temperature gets ramped all the way now that single-elimination season is here.
BIG CONTRIBUTIONS FROM UNEXPECTED SOURCES
Fletcher Loyer’s four-point play was one of the biggest plays of the game, maybe the biggest. You know what made it possible? Myles Colvin‘s steal. That’s the same Colvin who hasn’t been playing much, if at all, lately.
That three Furst made from the corner reminded of those cold-blooded triples he nailed as a freshman against North Carolina and Texas. It was only his 11th attempt of the season. Being Zach Edey’s backup can be stifling, but Furst delivered in a big way today.
Purdue needs everybody. Positive things happening for some of its lesser-role players right now can’t possibly be a bad thing.
