Upon Further Review: Team A&M-CC

Following each Purdue basketball game this season — or at least most — GoldandBlack.com will take a closer look back at some finer points in our long-standing Upon Further Review series. Today, the 14th-ranked Boilermakers’ 90-73 season-opening win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

PDF: Purdue-Corpus Christi stats

More: Analysis | Wrap Video | Stat Blast | Gallery | Pod | Final Thoughts

(Video clips via BTN)

BRADEN SMITH

Braden Smith opened his junior season with a stark reminder of his place in the national pecking order among point guards, handing out 15 assists and surgically dismantling most everything Corpus Christi tried against him.

A little more than a week after scoring 31 against Creighton’s drop-coverage defense, Smith weaponized the Islanders’ hard hedges, pressing and trapping and made the right plays most every time. There were six turnovers, but in the context of usage and the circumstances of some of those turnovers — i.e. not entirely his fault — there’s no reason to think that’s going to be a normal thing.

Simple plays.

While making a lot of simple plays to give Purdue advantages elsewhere on the floor, Smith also made some improv plays, somewhere between shooting and passing. Instantaneous decisions.

Nice inbound play here from Purdue giving Smith the option to shoot or try to hit the big man on the roll.

This play is really high-end savvy, as Smith looks off the defender drawn to Camden Heide, allowing the alleyway between roll man Raleigh Burgess and indirect Heide to widen and more Myles Colvin to fan out into shooting position.

Don’t take these passes for granted. They’re not normal.

Now, late in the game, CC changed its defensive approach and as soon as that second defender began turning his shoulders away from Smith, he took advantage.

These were important buckets.

PURDUE PROBLEMS

Purdue scored 90 and was fairly efficient doing so, but it did not execute great offensively on the whole. First game, remember.

Screening and passing left a bit to be desired and contributed to the 16 turnovers that made this game close and made Purdue’s work-in-progress defense look worse than it may have actually been. Whether this is a change or merely Edey’s void, I don’t know, but Purdue’s bigs bailed out of their screens pretty quick for the most part whereas last season Edey would just keep screening people over and over until Smith committed to what he wanted to do.

Unforced turnover here, seemed like, but a stronger cross screen there could have made the pass a bit cleaner by freeing Colvin up a bit more.

The game started with this moving screen on TKR, but Gicarri Harris might have run too wide of the screen. Remember, Purdue’s got freshmen out there.

Corpus Christi is a pretty aggressive defensive team built to force turnovers, and they did have success doing that against Purdue. Its physical nature did really impact the Boilermaker offense.

This sort of thing below just has to be tighter and the screen more impactful.

There were of course highlights. Purdue needed this shot bad, and pulled off complex screening action perfectly to get it, starting with the back-to-back screens to free Smith, then the flare screen to open up Loyer. Nice job, Camden Heide.

DEFENSIVE NUANCE

So this appears to be how Purdue is going to double the post this season, coming from the baseline/back side as opposed to collapsing down from the front.

Corpus Christi adjusted on the fly here, by pulling the 4 man out and over, exposing the post defender, Daniel Jacobsen, to his man going baseline.

Much of Purdue’s problems defensively — other than the biggest, turnovers — stemmed from just what coaches have said: Assignments, communication, etc. Again, Purdue has freshmen out there and TKR taking on more defensive responsibility, which may require some leeway.

Purdue has to stop the ball here behind CJ Cox, who is very aggressive getting up in point guards’ business.

Harris is defending here like he has help over his left shoulder. He does not, as Berg is out pretty far, leaning toward the screener.

Here, Harris is a step behind covering the dive to the rim after Purdue has to help on the baseline. Again, Purdue has freshmen out there.

Again, there were highlights. Just need them consistently.

This is perfect, starting with Heide’s help D in the post.

A key late stop here, defended well, though this guy let Purdue off the hook by not kicking out to the corner..

Additionally, CJ Cox is a real pain in the you-know-what. He was all over this and didn’t really take any risks in so doing. Harris’ impact on the ball was felt too.

TKR USAGE

Make note of this seemingly routine offensive machination, because it does really set TKR up to do some things, as he slips this screen turning toward the basket with the option to straight-line drive inside the shifting defender, dribble to the middle to set up his spin move or drop step, or pass to a number of options he now has his shoulders turned toward. He has three options here, with only one Corpus Christi defender on their side of the floor.

MISC

• Excellent design and execution on this BLOB play, criss-crossing Colvin and Berg in a way that opens up one or the other, in this case Berg.

• Plays like this are Heide’s ticket.

• Hell of an offensive luxury to have two right-handed guards who can shooting like this moving to their left.