Upon Further Review—Win in Seattle

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 17th-ranked Boilermakers’ 69-58 win at Washington.

PDF: Purdue-Washington stats

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(Video clips via BTN)

TRIMMING THE HEDGES

You might remember Wilhelm Breidenbach, the bearded and bespectacled big man who used to play at Nebraska, where he’d occasionally have to guard Zach Edey.

Well, now he’s at Washington, and on this night, he was the centerpiece of the Huskies’ plan to contain Braden Smith. Conversely, then, he was the centerpiece of Purdue’s offensive attack.

U-Dub used the big man to hedge ball screens as hard and high as Purdue has seen all season.

The job then is for Smith to occupy two guys, ideally stretch the defense out as far as possible, then get the ball out to let his teammates play 4-on-3.

Perfect.

They are putting this guy in a really tough spot here, especially on a slick floor.

Smith just dribbles out of it here, then gets a good look for TKR after a reach-in foul goes uncalled.

When the Huskies went to their backup big, Smith roasted him, too.

Smith is an absolute master at twisting and turning defenses to create advantages.

This was one of the plays of the night, as he pulls the hedge out to Spokane, setting up this give-and-go with Furst.

This is a play you run when you just want to attack a specific defender: Breidenbach here.

During a rough second half, Breidenback seems to wave a white flag here.

PURDUE DEFENSE

Purdue is not really a pressure-based defense philosophically, but it is getting to a place where it tries so hard in what it does that it may look like it. The cohesiveness Purdue is playing within its help concepts might be giving free rein to be more aggressive on the perimeter, bigs, guards and wings alike.

Here, pretty much everything is contested. kudos to Washington for ultimately navigating it, but it can’t finish.

The Boilermakers’ turnover-generation numbers of late are credible and relevant. They’re forcing these turnovers, not just benefiting from offenses screwing up, and that’s an important distinction.

Purdue did a solid job coaxing Washington into doing things it can’t do, or it shouldn’t be doing, like Great Osobor dribbling in space or, ahem, shooting threes, his 5-of-5 being a total fluke and a deal where Purdue wouldn’t change a thing if it played U-Dub again tomorrow.

Or this, making Breidenbach dribble and pass. This is Purdue’s big 40 feet from the basket applying pressure. Just an atrocious decision by their big guy, but one Caleb Furst forced by speeding him up and making him uncomfortable.

Everybody, IMO, was at least solid on defense. Myles Colvin was really good on the ball, Camden Heide did a good job best we could tell, Furst was a difference-maker and Loyer and Kaufman-Renn were good. The freshman guards applied pressure and rebounded.

But Braden Smith is a terror.

I’m not sure what his job description actually is on defense right now other than “go do stuff.” He’s “guarding” one of the other team’s non-assets, freeing him to roam, switch, help and just pick his spots to attack. It’s a departure of sorts from Matt Painter’s unwavering mantra of everyone staying in their lanes on defense as to not disrupt the whole. But in this case the disruption lies in the disruption.

Smith often switched onto bigs, which Washington needed to attack. It tried but failed, because of this honey badger stuff.

Smith, who needs significant fuel to play at his hummingbird pace on offense, is playing really hard on D.

Furst creates this turnover — might’a got away with one — Smith finishes it.

As awful as this metaphor might be, Smith is becoming that defensive lineman in football no one can block. Look at this: He cuts off 250-pound (um) Great Osobor off his dribble lane, then recovers to take away the slip and force another turnover.

Smith has been a passing-lane terror.

Along with Smith, Furst has changed Purdue on defense. His switchability on defense is really showing up, as is his effort.

Furst’s quick feet really make him perfect for what Purdue is doing right — applying more pressure on opposing bigs away from the basket, switching (as always) 1 through 4 and constantly providing shadow help in the lane. He seems a step ahead of everything.

MORE ON THE HIGH EDGE

These are fouls. Had these been called against Texas A&M, Purdue might have gotten that one in the win column.

Why Smith doesn’t get these calls is anyone’s guess, but he does just keep chugging instead of doing the old Boo Buie/Yogi Ferrell headshot act. Maybe he should.

TREY KAUFMAN-RENN

Today’s obligatory “don’t take it for granted” comment applies to Trey Kaufman-Renn and how good he is but how little credit he seems to get for it.

Purdue made a point to finish the first half with him and start the second with him and him bracketing halftime with buckets was huge for the Boilermakers.

He out-quicks one defender, then outphysicals another.

Who does this remind you of?

Purdue ran a lot of oldies but goodies for TKR, which Washington should have known were coming after seeing all this last March. You’ve seen this play 2,984 times the past few seasons.

Washington’s response was to try holding Fletcher Loyer, which was called a few times and helped get Zoom Diallo in foul trouble.

MISC

• If you don’t enjoy watching this offensive possession, you hate basketball.