Takeaways from Purdue’s 75-66 loss at Michigan State

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Our post-game analysis following seventh-ranked Purdue’s 75-66 loss Tuesday night at Michigan State.

DEFENSIVE ISSUES, AGAIN

The biggest issue at Michigan State was really turnovers, but 1A to 1B was the Boilermakers’ inability to stop pick-and-roll, as the Spartans’ cast of big men took turns hanging on the rim off lob dunks.

Purdue was pretty good in January affecting ball-handlers. The past two games have been bloodbaths in that regard, especially after halftime.

Wisconsin was 20-of-22 on two-point shots; Michigan State was 24-of-35, most of it coming at the rim, either in transition or back-door actions. The Badgers shot 74 percent in the second half; the Spartans shot 68. Purdue could stop neither of them in the game’s final minutes.

Purdue’s defensive success of last month and into early February has subsided as opponents have figured it out. That said, knowing what to do and doing it are different things and one of the elements that transformed Purdue earlier this winter was the pressure its guards and wings were putting on opponents. It wasn’t all that long ago that the Boilermakers demolished Michigan in Mackey Arena largely because its guards just overwhelmed their visitors. Whether that’s the result of a long season taking a toll, for younger players in particular, or opponents just being better, who knows, but there are advantages to be earned against Purdue’s system by those patient and prepared enough to get them. The counter for Purdue is to take out the passer. It hasn’t been happening of late, so when Braden Smith ends up matched on a big at the rim, it’s a fire that is no longer getting put out immediately, nor are big men rolling to the basket unchecked.

As for Tuesday night, Purdue’s guards didn’t do their part on the ball — and it was all of ’em — and so the passes were easier than the dunks.

This was an emphasis after the Wisconsin game.

OFFENSIVE ISSUES ARE DEFENSIVE ISSUES

Truth be told, 12 turnovers isn’t a great number, but it’s not a terrible one another. It just looks way worse than it was because Michigan State scored off pretty much all of ’em. Had Purdue traveled more instead of committing live-ball giveaways, this game might have played out differently.

But the point: Purdue is really scoring. Its issues are not offensive, though surely Purdue would love to be getting to the foul line more and would love to see Camden Heide and Myles Colvin making more threes — there were moments for each tonight when they seemed tentative, which can’t be good — and getting out in transition more. Opponents have done a good job lately keeping Purdue out of transition.

The biggest issue is that Purdue can’t make runs when the turnover blitz of January has largely dried up and stops otherwise have been harder to come by. They have been figured out defensively, so that’s just the deal now, notably the guys on the ball. The Boilermakers aren’t just going to pick up a shot-blocker or dominant defensive rebounder in-season. The portal hasn’t gotten that nuts … yet.

But the offense has been OK, largely because of Trey Kaufman-Renn, who’s on a tear and dominated physically on offense against an opponent that always turns the post into an Octagon.

Might be coincidence, but Purdue was up five when he picked up that strange second foul. After, the turnovers started anew and Michigan State made its run before halftime. This has happened before.

Look, Purdue got 33 minutes out of the Big Ten’s leading scorer and Matt Painter deftly managed him, but at the time the coming in and out started, the Boilermakers had their legs under them. They were playing well.

Did that second foul matter more than the box score might suggest? Kaufman-Renn is a great player — a great player — and great players having to leave games for reasons beyond mere rest, that’s never a good thing, even if they’re only out briefly. It can break a team’s momentum.

ON POISE

Look, it’s natural for competitive people to become frustrated, but Purdue is showing it at times, which is fine as long as cooler heads prevail. It would be a jump in logic to tie Purdue’s turnover issue — again, 12 isn’t a terrible number — but it stands to reason to suggest it could be an occupational hazard.

Purdue is a very confident team and generally fairly stoic, so seeing these moments of them being demonstrative the way they’ve been at moments lately has been a bit more noticeable.