Takeaways from Purdue’s 73-58 loss at Indiana
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Our post-game analysis following Purdue’s 73-58 loss Sunday at Indiana.
THE LACK OF POISE IS STUNNING
Purdue was in a situation Sunday where it needed to play like the desperate team. Its Big Ten title hopes were fading, but there’s plenty to play for otherwise, on top of the urgency to snap a losing streak that has to feel foreign to a core that played for a national title last season.
But it was IU, a disappointing team this season, now with a lame-duck coach, who played like the desperate team, and it shook Purdue, which then collapsed under the weight of its own turnovers and poor executions — read: attention to detail — at both ends of the floor.
The hard reality — the obvious one actually — is that Purdue ought to be better than this. Experience is supposed to matter in college basketball, especially in moments like the ones that have kneecapped the Boilermakers in these four losses. Experience — and experience together — is supposed to manifest itself in composure, poise, focus, sharpness, etc.
Something is missing here and these sorts of needs always relate most to the people with the balls in their hands the most, on this team Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn, each of whom needed to be Purdue’s stability guys today and weren’t, forcing plays at times that weren’t there and accounting for nine of their teams’s 16 turnovers.
Purdue is just not playing up to its experience right now. It’s hard to explain, probably for everybody.
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Just have to get it righted for March.
DEFENSIVE ISSUES ARE OFFENSIVE ISSUES, AGAIN
Purdue is good. It is.
It is not good when these turnovers occur the way they do.
Here’s the thing: Purdue sucker-punched people in January with its defensive scheme and its effort within that scheme. It forced turnovers and covered up elements that Purdue has to mask by any means necessary. The Boilermakers’ lack of size has been a four-alarm fire during this losing streak.
Purdue simply has to give its defense a chance to overachieve. That’s not happening right now.
ONE REAL POSITIVE
This was the game you’ve been waiting for from Myles Colvin, who scored 11 off the bench made three threes for the second time in three games, though neither went down as wins.
But beyond that, Colvin really rebounded and did a really nice job when matched on Mackenzie Mbako, who was a total non-factor coming off the bench after scoring 25 in Mackey Arena.
Colvin’s play was a huge part of Purdue’s run at both ends of the floor in the first half and a great sign for Purdue if he can sustain things.
