Takeaways: Purdue win over Maryland
Our post-game analysis following eighth-ranked Purdue’s 83-78 Big Ten win over Maryland Sunday in Mackey Arena.
THE BEST OF BRADEN SMITH
This was every bit of an All-America performance from Purdue’s Braden Smith, borderline superhero-level play when he Boilermakers needed him most, the very definition of rising to an occasion. Maryland was another in the line of full-court-pressuring teams, a pressure point, no pun intended, for Purdue this season.
So Smith had to deal with all that came with that, without much relief to be had. For the second time in three games, Smith played 40 minutes vs a hard defense to play against.
His response: 24 points, 10 assists and just one turnover that may not have even been his fault.
It was Smith who turned Maryland’s size against, popping off ball screens and making threes over dropping defenders and pulling up in transition for shots Maryland hadn’t yet positioned itself to take away.
When Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 10 points straight for Purdue to turn the game on its side, it was Smith making plays for him, then doing it himself by scoring nine points between the 5:49 mark and 1:56.
Smith is everyone’s focal point defensively now, but when one of college basketball’s elite gamers rose up Sunday, Maryland was powerless to stop him.
A DYNAMIC DUO AGAIN
Smith was the star, TKR a close second, but Purdue doesn’t win this game without the critical contributions from the emergent tandem of Myles Colvin and Camden Heide, whose collective winning value has really come to bear this season.
Colvin generated a pair of first-half putbacks when points were really hard to come by for Purdue, then closed the game out with defensive rebounds, again. He finished with seven rebounds, so many of them in the final few minutes.
Heide was a difference-maker, not only battling with true big men, but blocking a pair of shots and closing the door on Maryland with a series of dagger plays on offense. He finished with 15 points, seven of which came in the final three minutes.
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HAVING TO OVERACHIEVE
All the credit to Purdue for overcoming, but this game reminded that there are things to overcome beyond what’s mentioned above.
Its issues against pressure should remind everyone how transformative and needed Lance Jones was last season, because he made it really difficult to press Purdue.
Right now, Purdue’s lack of pure ball-handlers and speed and quickness is showing up, and seems on pace to be a portal need this spring again.
Gicarri Harris and CJ Cox are freshmen and it is starting to show. Cox, in particular, is showing to be more of a scoring guard than pure ball-handler. He’s had a rough go of things in some of these high-pressure games, which should improve with experience but this doesn’t look like a natural thing for him.
If people are going to dedicate multiple bodies to Braden Smith, Purdue has to have others who can pick up the slack and make opponents pay.
The Big Ten is historically not a heavy pressure league, but the league is changing as its complexion does and all its rosters do and this likely won’t be the last time we discuss this matter,.
