3 Thoughts From Purdue's 102-63 Win Over Vancouver Select Team
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Purdue's trip to Canada began on Saturday night with an impressive win over the Vancouver Selects. The Boilermakers won the game 102-63 to open the four-game trip.
Five Boilers scored in double figures, led by Antione West Jr. and Gicarri Harris, who both dropped in 20 points. True freshmen Luke Ertel and Jacob Webber both added 11 points and center Daniel Jacobsen added 10.
Because it's the first game of an early summer trip, we're not going to go overboard in our analysis of Saturday night's game in Vancouver. However, there are a few observations to point out from Purdue's first contest in Canada.
Boilers played with pace
Regardless of who is playing point guard, Purdue looks like a team that wants to continue pushing the pace offensively. The Boilers were quick to get the ball into transition after collecting defensive rebounds. At times, they pushed the tempo even after made baskets.
As you might expect, there was a bit of sloppiness throughout the night. There were moments when Purdue found itself moving too quickly, resulting in a turnover, a trap situation, or a rushed shot. That wasn't a theme throughout the night, but it happened often enough to notice.
Because of the athletes Purdue has on the floor, it can afford to push the tempo and attempt to catch opponents napping. The guards just have to minimize the mistakes and carelessness with the basketball.
The perimeter defense was aggressive
Defensively, Purdue looked more aggressive around the perimeter than it did last season. The Boilermakers have some really good perimeter defenders in Omer Mayer, C.J. Cox, Harris and West. They also get help on switches from bigs Jack Benter, Caden Pierce, Raleigh Burgess and Jacobsen.
The on-ball defense was aggressive throughout the game, forcing Vancouver into turnovers that led to quick, easy baskets. Purdue did struggle at times on the inside and rotations were also slow at different junctures, but that's to be expected at this stage in the year.
We don't want to overreact after one game, but Purdue looks like a team that can cause problems on the perimeter. Everyone has active hands and is capable of forcing steals and getting out into transition for easy buckets.
Falling in love with the three
Matt Painter has plenty of confidence in his guys to knock down shots from the perimeter. Whether it was through a set or guys taking their defenders one-on-one, Purdue fell in love with the three-point line.
The Boilermakers converted on 15 shots from behind the three-point line and attempted (approximately) 41. That's not a great percentage, but it was serviceable for this team's first game together.
Mayer and West were the two who seemed to take advantage of the one-on-one situations most. Both guys demonstrated the ability to break down their defenders and create open looks for themselves from distance. Ertel was also able to create for himself to an extent.
Cox, Harris and Webber were primarily hitting shots in rhythm as a result of good ball movement or screening actions.
Purdue did an excellent job of working the ball into the post, especially early. The Boilers got the ball into the hands of Jacobsen, who started the game well on the interior. They didn't completely abandon that, but they did pull the trigger more frequently behind the arc as the game progressed.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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