5 Thoughts From Purdue's 79-48 Win Over Calgary
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Purdue improved to 3-0 in its trip through Canada on Tuesday, this time taking down the University of Calgary 79-48. It was a balanced offensive attack for the Boilermakers, with only three guys reaching double figures.
Antione West Jr. stayed hot on this trip, scoring 14 points and collecting four steals in Tuesday night's win. Omer Mayer and Gicarri Harris each scored 11, C.J. Cox had eight, Daniel Jacobsen had eight points, six rebounds and four blocks, and Caden Pierce added six points and nine boards.
Here are a few thoughts from Purdue's victory over Calgary to improve to 3-0 on this trip.
The good and the bad with the bigs
Let's start with the defensive end. Raleigh Burgess started for the first time on this trip and did an excellent job on that end of the floor. He blocked two shots in the first five minutes and was an excellent perimeter defender. Jacobsen was also a monster defensively, blocking four shots and altering others with his length.
Yes, it's a small sample size, but this was arguably the best Purdue's bigs looked defensively during this Canada trip.
Burgess did struggle offensively, though. He finished 2-of-7 from the floor and was turned away at the rim a few times. When he gets the ball down low in good position, he has to be able to finish.
Jacobsen had very little trouble when he got the ball down low, though. As he's done in the first three games, the 7-foot-4 center has been decisive with the ball in his hands. When he got the ball in good post position, he couldn't be stopped.
Defensive communication is still a work in progress
The pressure that Purdue's guards can put on opponents is a strength of the defense. It was particularly impressive from West, who was responsible for four steals in the first four minutes of the contest. The on-ball pressure forced several Calgary turnovers.
Off-ball defense is still an area where this team can grow. Too many times on Tuesday, guys were out of position, allowing Calgary to get open looks. Much of that comes down to communication, making sure everyone is in the right spot.
With Purdue's varied lineups and wholesale substitutions, it's expected that communication can be a little off this early in the year. It's one area where the Boilers are going to have to improve.
Ertel maintains his poise
Ertel's most impressive quality is his poise. He had a bit of a frustrating day on Tuesday, but it never really affected his mentality. That's an important trait for a point guard.
Throughout this trip, Ertel has had some ugly turnovers and has rushed at times. He's had some typical freshman moments. On Tuesday, he struggled with his shot, but he remained aggressive and continued to take open looks when they came his way.
Ertel also found ways to impact the game in other areas. He was aggressive on the defensive end, pushed the tempo when the opportunities were there and crashed the glass hard.
Rebounding was better in the second half
After Purdue's win over Trinity Western on Sunday, Matt Painter talked about Purdue's inconsistency on the glass. He wanted his team to fight harder on the glass and bring more physicality when it came to rebounding.
The Boilers didn't get the message in the first half. They only outrebounded Calgary 22-18 in the first half, with the Dinos really taking the fight to Purdue in that department.
Purdue's mentality changed in the second half. The Boilermakers were much quicker to the basketball, especially on the offensive glass. Jack Benter, Burgess, Jacobsen and Pierce were much more effective on the boards in the final 20 minutes.
Purdue won the rebound battle 46-34. Still, this team has to be able to compete on the glass for 40 minutes, not just pick and choose its moments.
Who are you when shots aren't falling?
Through the first two games, Purdue was a team that depended heavily on the three-point shot. It made 15 in the opener against the Vancouver Selects and 14 against Trinity Western. Those triples didn't fall against Calgary.
As a team, Purdue finished just 7-of-28 from behind the three-point line, its worst night from behind the arc of the trip. In games when the Boilers aren't getting shots to fall, they have to find other ways to stay in games.
Grabbing 13 offensive rebounds, scoring 34 points in the paint, getting to the free-throw line 22 times and finishing with 20 points off turnovers certainly helps.
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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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