Purdue Grabs Season Opening Win 90-73 over Texas A&M-CC

The Boilers turned it over 16 times but close the game strong for a 17 point victory

The Purdue Boilermakers started each of the halves against the Islanders of Texas A&M-CC with turnovers and mistakes but were able to finish incredibly strong for a 90-73 victory in their season opener. It was a very different kind of look from the Boilers without Zach Edey patrolling the paint on both ends of the floor but there were a lot of positives to take from starting the season 1-0 against a quality mid-major opponent.

First, I want to confront the issues that plagued Purdue in this game because that is likely what most are going to dwell on. Let’s just go ahead and get them out of the way right now so we can finish strong with the positives. The turnovers are a concern, not because of the number of them, but because of the kinds of turnovers Purdue was having. Yes, 16 turnovers is too much but ten of those came from the two best players in Smith (6) and TKR (4). Clean up half of those and Purdue is at their average from where they were last year of 11.8. The bigger issue is the 19 points off turnovers and how much it allowed A&M-CC to get out into transition with 18 fast break points. Those two players are simply too good and too experienced to allow that to happen on a consistent basis, especially when they will be shouldering the brunt of the scoring responsibility.

Just as ugly as the 16 turnovers were, Purdue found a way to make that pale in comparison to the 17-27 effort from the free throw line. However, 5 of those misses can be attributed to Will Berg who again struggled a bit as he adjusts to increased minute load. He did go 2-2 for 5pts but only grabbed 1 rebound in 8 minutes of work. The numbers don’t tell the entire story as the rest of the team would go on to make 16-21 (76%), most notably Daniel Jacobsen’s 5-7 effort.

However, the most concerning issue was that of the guard play against a team who’s objective it was to force Braden backwards off the ball screen action that Purdue loves to run. Last season in those instances, Edey would often go for an immediate rescreen to free Smith up and allowing him to attack into the paint and force teams into defensive rotations. That did not come from Berg or Jacobsen and it often left Smith on an island with no where to go with the ball. It wasn’t until late in the game with the lead at just three points that Smith appeared to finally take command on the offensive side of the ball and look more purposefully for his shot and to attack the paint. In fact, in those final 8 minutes Smith had 7 points, 3 assists, and just 1 turnover with a minute left. He and Purdue were at their best when he was attacking the defense and being more aggressive.

Texas A&M-CC is a quality opponent, especially for a team looking to find a new identity with three significant losses in Edey, Jones, and Gillis from last year. The defense, although prone to fouling, was able to harass Purdue’s guards and wings and make the offense stagnant at times. Opposing teams that are familiar with the Boilers will continue to take advantage of that like Northwestern, Rutgers, and Nebraska who have had more success recently than any other teams during Purdue’s recent run of success.

Now, what about all of those positives because there are a lot to speak about. Most notably, the play of Daniel Jacobsen should make Purdue fans very happy. The 7’4 freshman looked like he belonged out on the floor and flashed a number of different skills he brings to the floor for the Boilers. At 7’4 and incredibly athletic, Jacobsen provides the best interior presence to block and alter shots. His state line of 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks in 25 minutes of play should make Purdue fans thrilled given the hole left by Zach Edey. He also showed a good ability to run the floor and get easy buckets off dump passes from Edey and Loyer both.

Another welcome sight was the microwave scoring ability on full display by Myles Colvin. Colvin, who was the fifth substitution for the Boilers in the first half at the 12:22 mark, quickly found his rhythm by hitting four straight threes on his way to 14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and just 1 turnover in 17 minutes of play. What was most noticeable after that was his attention to detail and effort on the defensive end and that is where his next step needs to come from. The shot making ability and high ceiling to defend anyone from primary ball handlers, to elite scoring wings, to power forwards makes him valuable for the Boilers still searching for lineup combinations.

The big moment for the Boilers came just before halftime as CC was struggling to keep pace with a suddenly efficient and transition offense from Purdue. As they attempted a put back, Jacobsen blocked the attempt and it went directly to Myles Colvin. The sophomore did the rest as he scooped up the loose ball, dribbled quickly down court, and slammed it home for an emphatic dunk and a cap on his great first half.

There are obviously a number of other aspects I could easily point out in the second half that were frustrating. Allowing a mid-major to make a big run in the second half to outscore you by 13 and just grind the game down is frustrating to see from a set of guards who have played so much basketball. However, that team last night may very well be an NCAA Tourney team and returned a lot of what they had last season from a 21-12 campaign.

The Boilers, on the other hand, are still trying to solidly figure out what their identity is. We saw it at times at a very high level with Purdue getting out into transition led by their two guards and two bigs who can get up and down with them. When Purdue is running in transition, they are a scary and incredibly fun team to watch, so strap in and enjoy the ride!