Upon Further Review: Purdue’s win over Rutgers

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 third-ranked Boilermakers’ 96-68 win over Rutgers.

PDF: Purdue-Rutgers stats

(Note: I did not watch the entire game. Seemed pointless given the score.)

PURDUE BALL-SCREEN OFFENSE

A few turnovers aside, this was another masterclass from Braden Smith in terms or orchestrating Purdue’s offense against different defensive looks, part of a game in which Purdue was pretty good reading and reacting, whether it was Rutgers mixing up ball-screen defenses, trapping, going zone, whatever.

This is savant-level stuff on the first possession of the game.

Rutgers is running Cliff Omoruyi at Smith and holding the big there. Notice how Smith takes that one extra dribble to pull Cliff out one more step to make sure he can’t get back to Zach Edey. Smith now has the attention of three guys on the same side of the floor, and gets the ball out of his hands before anyone actually traps him. That one dribble really changed the balance of the floor and sets up this easy entry for Fletcher Loyer to Zach Edey in a switch. Cliff does kinda get back but that’s Aundre Hyatt that Edey actually has posted up.

Smith just punishes Rutgers with his east-west dribbling. Again, he just flips the floor and knocks out all Rutgers’ help with this screen-rescreen with Edey.

Having a point guard who can make these shots is not normal, either. This is like Chris Paul Light and totally knocks out Rutgers’ ability to load up on him turning the corner.

This is an absolutely amazing pass, maybe the best you’ve seen all season (and there have been a lot). But it’s also set up by Smith again taking that one extra fan-out dribble to isolate Cliff. Smith also times this perfectly to allow Fletcher Loyer‘s gravity to clear out the lane. I have no idea what the term is, but this criss-cross action between Loyer and Edey gave Rutgers fits.

This was a sight to behold off a baseline inbound, the ultimate entrapment to get Omoruyi away from Edey and an easy dunk. You can’t run this stuff unless if you have multiple guards who can really dribble, pass and think.

Just remember, too, the best plays in these actions are often the simplest, giving the ball up quickly once a defense has committed.

This is a complex play but the most important pass was the first one made by Smith to just get the ball moving just as the trap arrives, allowing Purdue to then play 4-on-3.

REBOUNDING

So it seemed like Purdue had a defensive rebounding problem to start the game. Kinda, I guess.

Two of those offensive rebounds come on this play, though, which shouldn’t have happened, as Cliff clearly pushed Edey in the back on the first shot.

Closer look …

Didn’t matter one bit but just thought I’d point out.

MISC

• One of the offensive possessions of the year and a clear reminder of the real offensive value Ethan Morton provides because this is a fabulous play, one of three made by Purdue during this sequence.

• I don’t think Rutgers ever ran that BLOB play it killed Purdue with in Piscataway to Gavin Griffiths, where it ran him off a side screen into a pull-up jumper. This was the closest it came, I guess, and a nice job by Fletcher Loyer forcing the turnover.

• Most people probably missed this but this is a hell of a short-roll pass by Trey Kaufman-Renn, thinking on his feet, seeing the big picture and keeping his balance. Not as simple a play as it might look for a big guy who’s rarely in these settings.

• Great defense here from Camden Heide, who did much more in this game than just score.

• Why do shots — tough shots, mind you — like this work against Purdue?

Because, again, once the ball reaches the elbow area, that triggers Purdue to switch (“veer”), for Edey to take the ball, but he’s dropping back and in no position to close out if you can turn and shoot a fadeaway.

But if these are the types of shots someone has to make against Purdue, more power to them, as far as Purdue is concerned.

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