Purdue hopes to recapture defensive edge as Big Ten home stretch arrives
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Back-to-back losses — a rarity for a program as accomplished as Purdue has been the past several years, come with disappointment, but also an inescapable reminder of what the Boilermakers have been at their peak this season.
Purdue’s Big Ten title hopes took a hit Saturday in a 94-84 loss in Mackey Arena to Wisconsin. The Boilermakers were positioned — and still are — to make a championship push because of defense as much as anything.
The defense that so effectively forced turnovers, generated ever-present help and covered up some natural limitations in Purdue’s personnel was shredded by Wisconsin, perhaps the best offensive team in the Big Ten, squandering a stellar offensive performance from the Boilermakers.
Purdue’s defense is built to be compact, but Wisconsin didn’t allow it to be, because of its ability to shoot at a Big Ten-best clip from every position on the floor.
“They put us in a bind,” assistant coach Paul Lusk said. “Give them a lot of credit. We simply got spaced out and the ball got to the paint because, No. 1, we weren’t very good on the ball. They’ve got really good drivers, but we just didn’t do what we needed to do on the defensive end.”
Being spread out by three-point threats put Purdue in the exact position it schemes its way out of by design: Exposed to drives. Wisconsin took full and merciless advantage, making all but two of its 22 two-point shots, drawing 21 fouls that led to 18-of-24 foul shooting, barely turning the ball over and scoring every time its had the ball in the final minutes, when the Boilermakers still had a chance.
It was about the dribble, an area where Purdue made marked progress right around the resumption of Big Ten play in January. Scheme mattered, but execution within that scheme mattered more, specifically in stopping the dribble.
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Wisconsin was stellar on offense this past weekend, but Purdue also looked far too often like its November-and-December self. Its closeouts weren’t as effective or purposeful as they’ve been for weeks and the middle of the floor was far too accessible. Purdue’s systematic and technical approaches are designed to not just stop the ball, but funnel it away from the paint.
“We’ve just got to communicate more, guard our man and just have more defensive pride as a team,” said freshman Gicarri Harris, whose improvement on the ball, along with that of classmate CJ Cox, changed Purdue for the better in January.
“We know what we did wrong. We just have to own it, get back on the court and correct our mistakes.”
It was everybody, though.
Matt Painter said he invoked to his team the names of John Wall and Derrick Rose, that it would have been more palatable if it was elite quickness blowing by defenders. With respect to Wisconsin and its veteran savvy and offensive skill, it was not.
“I wish it was one guy, or I wish it was two guys, but it was all our guys,” Painter said, “and we collectively have to do a better job.”
“I thought we had more concentration issues than physical issues.”
