Upon Further Review: Purdue’s win over Iowa
Following each Purdue basketball game this season — or at least most — GoldandBlack.com will take a closer look back at some finer points in our long-standing Upon Further Review series. Today, the Boilermakers’ 87-68 win over Iowa.
All right, kids, after taking way too much time watching this game hours after I should have, but couldn’t, I’m now too tired and coughing way too much to really blow this out, so we’ll try to keep it brief.
REBOUNDING THREES
So I stopped watching with around 12 minutes left. At that time, Purdue had 74 points.
To that point, I had Purdue having attempted 18 threes, half of which it rebounded, assuming I’m reading these notes on my phone right. The second and third chances led directly to 17 points. I am counting a foul Edey drew that kept possession with Purdue, on which it scored.
Imagine you’re Iowa and you can’t and don’t really want to bang with Purdue and this stuff happens. (Sorry for the blips in the clips, the clip blips, if you will.)
What’s funny about this — and maybe you physicists can chime in — is that aren’t longer shots supposed to produce longer rebounds? Don’t longer rebounds negate Purdue’s size advantage on the glass? These aren’t dangling-on-the-rim rebounds. A lot of this was just effort, big people rebounding outside their area.
THE HEDGE AGAIN
We wrote in-depth after Hawaii about how much has opened up for Purdue now that opponents have to treat Braden Smith as a scorer first.
There’s a lot of 2019 offense coming out from this team right now. This is Ryan Cline to Matt Haarms against Villanova. The big comes out to hedge and holds on — Iowa did a lot of full-blown switching — and holds on until Edey can bury the little fellow now guarding him. The chef’s kiss here is the pass fake/ball transfer from Smith that diverts help defender Tony Perkins’ eyes. As he starts to raise, Edey slips in, insofar as a Carnival cruise ship can “slip” into anything.
So here’s that shot Purdue is getting at will whenever a defense hedges. Purdue sets its ball screen pretty high expanding the defense, Smith gets downhill, Iowa sticks with Edey and Smith is good enough to make this pass. Notice that Purdue seems to have changed the angle of this from Northwestern, when the “indirect” — I.e the guy who comes in behind — was stationed in the corner. (Could also just be a different play or response to how Iowa was defending.)
Note: Should Iowa’s help guy be able to take away this shot on the close-out, there’s an easy quick entry to Edey, with no … help guy.
Keep in mind, I don’t know how much off-the-ball stuff like this Jones did at SIU, but you’re seeing a real connection between he and Smith and a better feel from Jones in knowing when to dribble.
This is great example of what the hedge can do to the back-end corner of a defense. It’s also a great seal by Zach Edey, a good decision by Myles Colvin and a defensive effort that would put Kirk Ferentz in the morgue.
Opponents have hedged the 2 man on dribble handoffs, too. Again, there’s a lot of 2019 coming out here. Now, this is Ryan Cline to Matt Haarms vs. Villanova. Fletcher Loyer just kills this switch.
MISC
• Big-time passing game — big-time game, period — from Ethan Morton. I didn’t clip anything because this is overkill as is and if you have your volume on, you’ve heard enough of me coughing.
• Look at this defensive possession by Edey, starting with the switch onto the guard and finishing with this fluid blockout.
CRUSHING THE PRESSING AND TRAPPING
I did not tabulate total scoring on possessions in which Iowa applied backcourt pressure of some kind, but Synergy had Purdue with 17 points on such possessions and at around 1.3 points per. It’s a subjective tabulation so I can’t really vouch for it, but I do not remember any turnovers, nor did I find any, nor do I recall much disruption, even at the points in the game when Iowa needed to ramp things up.
Purdue was damn near flawless. This two-dribble possession belongs in an instructional video.
Why was Purdue so good?
Well, two things in one here. It spread Iowa out and moved well side to side as well as north and south, but also killed Iowa with this specific, often-overlooked diagonal advance, made here by Braden Smith but made throughout the game by a number of different players.
Now, this can be a dangerous pass, but there were no issues for Purdue in this one.
Purdue’s 4 men were helpful in the middle of the floor
As it’s been all season, Lance Jones‘ burst is a game-changer. Look who the defense can’t account for while it is throwing numbers at people behind the play.
Here, Purdue just goes quicker than Iowa can set up.
Couple other things to make note of …
• Iowa doesn’t have much experience or athleticism or length, so they are not as well equipped as they have been before. They may struggle some this season.
• Iowa didn’t score as much as it would have liked and thus didn’t get as many chances to set up. Also, Purdue’s physicality and speed may have had them running on fumes when they needed reserves bad.
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