Boilermaker Basketball Exhibition Preview: Purdue vs. Truman State

Purdue makes its 2022-2023 Mackey Arena debut Wednesday night when it hosts Truman State for the Boilermakers’ one and only exhibition game prior to the season opener vs. Milwaukee Tuesday. Here, GoldandBlack.com breaks down the matchup.

THE GAME: PURDUE VS. TRUMAN STATE

Where: Mackey Arena (West Lafayette, Ind.)

When: 7 p.m. ET

TV: B1G+

Radio: Purdue Sports Network (WAZY locally)

In-game updates: GoldandBlack.com | Twitter @brianneubert

ABOUT THE TEAMS

Purdue: Roster | Schedule | Stats

Truman State: Roster | Schedule | Stats

PROJECTED PURDUE LINEUPS

Starters

Center — Zach Edey (Junior)

Purdue’s centerpiece player, Edey’s a preseason All-Big Ten pick and a safe bet to be one of the most productive and physically dominant players in college basketball.

Forward — Mason Gillis (Junior)

The veteran is one of Purdue’s most experienced players, a leader and an extremely productive player on low volume. He scored six points on one field goal attempt vs. Cincinnati and complements Edey almost ideally, while his tenacity and physical demeanor can be needed constants for this new-look team.

Guard — Braden Smith (Freshman)

No way around it: The freshman point guard will have much asked of him this season and will be one of the Boilermakers’ most important players because of it.

Guard — Fletcher Loyer (Freshman)

Like his classmate, Loyer has established himself as a starter to open his Purdue career and will bear a great deal of responsibility. He’s one of the most gifted offensive players Matt Painter’s recruited in the backcourt, extremely skilled and savvy.

Guard/Forward — Ethan Morton (Junior)

After serving as a plug-and-play utility man in a limited role last season, Morton’s minutes may nearly triple this season. He can give Purdue a little of everything.

Rotational Reserves

Forward/Center — Caleb Furst (Sophomore)

Furst will see more minutes at the center position this season and that could bring out more of his skill set than playing exclusively the 4 did last season. His matchups will often be more favorable and his strengths more pronounced. He’ll give Purdue some lineup and style malleability it didn’t have last season.

Forward/Center — Trey Kaufman-Renn (Redshirt Freshman)

Much of the same applies to Kaufman-Renn, though Purdue will want to get him touches in the post whereas Furst would thrive more out of the high post and beyond the arc. The high-low possibilities here are intriguing.

Guard — Brandon Newman (Junior)

Newman didn’t start against Cincinnati but he played more minutes than anyone. If he plays well and with the sort of poise and wisdom you’d want from an experienced player, he will be on the floor.

Guard — David Jenkins Jr. (Senior)

The veteran newcomer is more of a shot-maker than a playmaker but he’ll fit into Purdue’s point guard platoon when Smith’s on the bench. His charisma can be a plus for the Boilermakers, as might be his experience and his physical nature at guard.

Guard/Forward — Brian Waddell (Redshirt Freshman)

Waddell’s been set back more than once now by injury and will probably ease into this season for that reason.

Guard/Forward — Camden Heide (Freshman)

The rookie missed most of his senior season at prep school, then most of the summer, then a bunch of preseason practices. He could be a candidate to redshirt, mostly for that reason.

Note: Freshman center Will Berg will redshirt this season.

ON TRUMAN STATE

• The Bulldogs are coached by former Iowa guard Jeff Horner.

• Truman State just played at Horner’s alma mater, a 118-72 result at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Purdue expects Horner’s team to shoot a lot of threes. They were 9-of-25 at Iowa and led by 6-foot-5 wing Elijah Hazekamp’s 15 points. He was a 45-percent shooter last season.

Truman State attempted an average of two dozen threes per game last season and made just under 40 percent.

THREE KEYS FOR PURDUE

Ball Security	Defensive Discipline	Play Fast
Purdue shouldn’t have issues against Truman State, but this team has to take care of the basketball to have a chance against good teams.	One of Purdue’s many defensive focuses this season: Protect the rim. That means being solid against dribble penetration and sound in help. Nothing new, but improvement is needed.	This may be a chance to push the tempo a bit. Things are rarely easy for Zach Edey against these overmatched front lines, but maybe changing ends with some pace can sidestep those quagmires. And you’ll want to see Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Caleb Furst in the open floor here and there.

LIGHTNING-ROUND TAKES

• Let’s see what Caleb Furst and Trey Kaufman-Renn can do together. No sense in having to ride Zach Edey too hard in a game like this. Establishing combinations is going to matter big-time for Purdue in November, and the Furst-Kaufman-Renn pairing tops that list.

• Don’t judge Ethan Morton by his scoring this season. He’ll have more opportunities, sure, but what you saw from him last season should be his M.O. this season. Solid defense, good decision-making, sharp passing and decision-making, occasional shot-making and overall substance. He’s just doing it over more minutes now.

• Game experience matters for these true freshmen, of course, but it seems like Brian Waddell seems like he could really benefit from working up a sweat in a game like this and getting some re-assurance that his body is OK and he can be the same player he was before tearing his ACL about a year ago at this time.

PREDICTION: PURDUE 97, TRUMAN STATE 67

It’s all about the process for Purdue in November, about development. Starts now.