The takeaways from Purdue at Marquette; Kam Jones, Fairleigh Dickinson flashbacks, and more

MILWAUKEE, WI – No. 6 ranked Purdue came into the Fiserv Forum to play a true road game against No. 15 ranked Marquette. Purdue’s upset win last week over then No. 2 ranked Alabama brought a lot of hype to this game. It was the only top-25 matchup on the Tuesday night slate of games and that brought a lot of eyes along with it.

Early in the season, these types of games help paint the picture. A lot of the early season, pre-MTE games we see are buy games. Blowout wins for the high-major teams so the lower-level schools can get their payout. When you get to see good versus good and who comes out on top, you get some answers.

A pair of teams ranked in the top 15, both coming of high-major wins, go head-to-head in their fifth games of the season. On3 was locked in, so let’s discuss some of the storylines from the game.

Kam Jones a legit player of the year candidate

Typically, every player of the year type needs a signature game, a breakout performance on the national stage that propels them to the top of the national conversation. Kam Jones already had a lot of eyes on him coming into this game. However, Marquette was the underdog. Purdue is coming off a win over then No. 2 ranked Alabama and the Boilermakers jumped to No. 6 in the latest rankings.

Jones, the 6-foot-4 senior, was coming off a 28-point showing against a scrappy Maryland team. Jones averaged 17.2 points last season, shooting 40.6 percent from three, and leading the top-15 ranked Golden Eagles in scoring. This season, Shaka Smart’s team graduated its second and third leading scorers from last season’s team to the NBA Draft. Not only has Jones had to pick up the scoring load, but also the creation and initiation burdens of the team.

So far, this season, Jones is working at a 25.9 percent usage rate and making plays with a 33.1 player efficiency rating. In the heralded matchup with Purdue, Jones secured Marquette’s first triple-double since Dwyane Wade in 2003. Jones finished with 17 points, 13, rebounds, and 10 assists. While he was 0-3 from three, he was 7-12 from the field. Jones was not only efficient, but he was dynamic. And he was not dynamic in a forceful way either, he moved the ball when nothing was there for him and he took what the defense gave him. All in all, it was clear Jones was the best player on the floor, and Purdue consistently had no answer for him. The senior guard is now averaging 22.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and shooting 46.2 percent from three.

Trey Kaufman-Renn is not Zach Edey, and that is ok

Zach Edey was the most dominant player in college basketball for the past two seasons. As a 7-foot-4 player with touch, toughness, and feel, there was a reason he went in the lottery of the NBA Draft and started his first game he suited up for the Memphis Grizzlies. Edey is unique, a unicorn of sorts in today’s game.

Trey Kaufman-Renn is not that, he is not a unicorn, but that is ok. He does not need to be in order for Purdue to live up to the lofty expectations their run to the national championship game last season set. Kaufman-Renn is a solid big man. A 6-foot-9 junior who started all 39 games last season, alongside Edey. He has stepped into a featured role this year for Purdue and asked to finish a lot of the plays in and around the paint. And he has looked comfortable in that role.

Kaufman-Renn has a nice touch and is capable of finishing with both hands around the basket. He is at his best as a roll man, or sneaking in behind the defense for an easy layup. He has a good feel for getting into open areas playing off the ball and he has good hands. Kaufman-Renn does not bring the rim-protecting or rebounding presence that Edey did, but he is more mobile, especially on the offensive end of the floor. He is going to have to carve out his own identity, and Purdue is going to have to change a lot of what they did over the last couple of years, but the 6-foot-9 junior has experience and he is a talented player.

Fairleigh Dickinson flashbacks

Two seasons ago, when Zach Edey won his first national player of the year award, Purdue started two freshmen in their backcourt, Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer. That year, Purdue exited in the first round of the NCAA Tournament when 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson upset the No. 1-seed Boilermakers. It was shown throughout the game that Smith and Loyer had trouble with the length and athleticism of the FDU backcourt. That game, the Boilermakers turned it over 16 times, seven came from Smith and three from Loyer.

Last year, Purdue rectified their troubles and brought in Lance Jones, a 6-foot-1 graduate transfer from Southern Illinois. Jones had 113 starts coming into last season and started all 39 games he played for Purdue. Jones not only took on the opposing team’s top perimeter assignment on the defensive end, but he acted as Purdue’s secondary ball handler. He and Smith were both able to get them into offense and initiate the play throughout the course of a game.

After a run to the national title game, and a second National Player of the Year honor for Edey, both Jones and Edey have graduated. Last night, Marquette brought similar pressure to what Fairleigh Dickinson did two seasons ago. A lot of the aggressiveness with length and athleticism, which was especially noticeable in the half-court. Purdue turned it over 15 times against Marquette with countless other deflections. Purdue struggled to get into a comfortable offensive set and they were forced to take a lot of the shots that Marquette wanted them to take. It will be interesting to see what adjustments are made for this Boilermaker team moving forward.

Marquette vs. Purdue, this and that

• Ben Gold and David Joplin bring an interesting look for this season’s Marquette team. They allow unique variations for the offense with their ability to shoot, drive, or move the ball. Marquette runs different forms of five-out, pick and roll/pop, and inverted looks throughout the course of the game. The Golden Eagles attempted 26 threes on the night, 12 of them were from their starting four and five. While neither has the passing ability of Oso Ighodaro (last year’s starting five), both stretch the floor better.

• Stevie Mitchell has made a career of making winning plays. Whatever it is that the team needs, the 6-foot-3 senior has made a career of getting it done. He is a premier point-of-attack defender, starting each of his previous 69 games coming into this season guarding the opposing team’s top perimeter threat. This year, Mitchell has been asked to take on more of an offensive role. He is averaging 13.6 points and shooting at a 56.8 percent clip. He simply elevates the play of those around him.

• Purdue got to the free-throw line 18 times, and 14 of those attempts came from their frontcourt players, Trey Kaufman-Renn (2-4), Caleb Furst (4-8), and Cam Heide (2-2). Two scenarios where Purdue was able to find some success were with Braden Smith in the high pick-and-roll and when they ran big-to-big/high-low actions. When these types of players were successful, the lead pass got to the recipient and they were able to go straight into a shot. When Purdue was able to get their front-court players close to the basket and on the move, they found mismatches they could exploit. The issue came when Marquette rotated over and the initial shot was not there. The kick-out pass or the relocation dribble would routinely be deflected. The Purdue backcourt also struggled at times with the entry passes. On a night where there were not a lot of positive takeaways, this was something it will be interesting to see if they build on.