Upon Further Review: Purdue's tough win vs. Marquette

Tuesday night was a big one for Purdue, as the Boilermakers rallied during the final 10 minutes for a big win over Marquette in Mackey Arena. Here, GoldandBlack.com takes It usual look back at the film to point out some of the finer points and overlooked details from the 75-70 win.

GETTING ZACH EDEY GOING

Purdue did a much better job starting the second half getting the ball inside to Zach Edey due to some apparent tweaks they made to their entry operation.

First off, you’ll see here in this first-half possession, that Marquette opens by fully fronting Edey with Oso Ighodaro, who isn’t as big as Edey but is tall, long and athletic. Once the ball moves to the middle of the floor, Mason Gillis‘ man drops off on him to help against that Main Street 4-to-5 entry Purdue loves.

Now, next time down, you’ll see Purdue gets the entry it wants to Edey in the middle of the floor, but half the guys on the floor for Marquette are positioned around him to take away his drop step to the basket, so he has to get rid of the ball quick. Purdue scores off this because Fletcher Loyer is a tough shot-maker, but this is actually kind of a ridiculous possession for Purdue, and hard to look at this as a defensive fail by Marquette.

Here, Purdue kind of lucks into another ugly basket after a bad decision on the contested entry after Marquette had forced a tough angle. Edey gets a dunk, but this possession docks Purdue considerable style points haha.

Purdue flat out missed Edey a bunch of times in the first half, too.

To open the second half now, Purdue makes concerted effort to manage angles, this BLOB set being an example. Can’t really help here.

THE HIGH BALL SCREEN

Wouldn’t have thought coming into this season that Purdue would really be that kind of team, but it’s run some quick hitters with Zach Edey setting a high pick and then Braden Smith or David Jenkins getting downhill, to score or facilitate (you’ll recall Smith hitting Edey for a dunk against Austin Peay)

Here’s Smith getting all the way to the the basket. The roll is ineffective because the lane’s too crowded for Edey to be an option, but Smith does have Ethan Morton parked in the corner as an outlet after his man comes down to bluff help. Mason Gillis is wide open at the other corner, as well, because Fletcher Loyer‘s sacrificial cut to the top of the arc as the indirect guy brings two dudes with him and opens up the lane.

Now here’s Jenkins jump-stopping and hitting this turnaround two that he and Brandon Newman love so much.

Here, Smith uses Edey’s high ball screen for a pull-up three. I think this is Smith’s real comfort-zone sort of shot right here, so a look Purdue may take when it can it all season.

Purdue’s productivity off the simplest offensive basketball was just off the charts. Here, David Jenkins assists on this open three for Brandon Newman.

Just astronomical productivity off this.

DEFENSIVE PROGRESS

Incredible help here by Braden Smith. Trey Kaufman-Renn is going to be vulnerable to the dribble against spacing teams like Marquette and here Marquette has the matchup it wants with TKR not only isolated, but also having to close out hard on David Joplin. He’s all set up to get beat off the bounce, but Smith erases the play.

MISC

Just want to point this out, because here’s a great example of Purdue really executing on offense against Marquette at its most intense in half-court defense. This Caleb Furst three doesn’t go, but it’s a pick-and-pop sort of look that Purdue wants for Furst and comes in the face of Marquette really fighting Purdue on hand-offs. Good stuff here.

• Here’s Fletcher Loyer playing the Sasha Stefanovic role beautifully, drawing eyeballs with his movement without the ball and being the foundation of the misdirection that gets David Jenkins this hilariously open shot. It’s so important for guys in that role to run hard through the set and Loyer does that.

Inevitably, people are gonna try to pick on Purdue’s size and inexperience in the backcourt. Great example here as Marquette puts Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer in a switching situation for 6-7 David Joplin.

In fairness, Marquette comes right back and gets this same three off David Jenkins and Brian Waddell moments later. Guys just needed to stay attached to him.

• Just a special play by Caleb Furst to erase a play on the action Marquette had been twisting the knife on Purdue with.

I’d forgotten about this supreme-effort play by Furst just seconds later, as well. What a sequence.

• Lost in all that happened thereafter was how Trey Kaufman-Renn was right at the start of Purdue’s run.