Forcing Turnovers Becoming Strength of Purdue's Defense
Forcing turnovers hasn't been a characteristic of Purdue's defense for years, yet Matt Painter's team has thrived during the six-game winning streak by creating chaos on that end of the court. The Boilermakers put the pressure on Washington Wednesday night, forcing the Huskies into 17 turnovers by the end of the game.
Despite a poor shooting night from 3-point range, Purdue's ability to create extra possessions on the defensive end helped spark a big second half performance and defeating Washington 69-58.
It marked the fifth time in the last six games that Purdue has forced its opponent into a double-digit turnover total. During this winning streak, the Boilers are forcing 14.2 turnovers per game.
So, what's the reason behind the change?
"I think switching four ways helps with that a lot," senior forward Caleb Furst said after Wednesday's game. "Especially when you switch up and pressure. Some of those guys, if they're not the primary ball-handler, it makes it a little bit harder on them."
Painter has tinkered with his staring lineup and rotations throughout the first half of the season. In the last five games, he's put Furst and freshman CJ Cox into the starting rotation, joining Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn.
That change seems to have sparked something on the defensive end.
"Lineups lately, we've been able to switch four ways and get up in the gaps more rather than having to be under our man," Loyer said. "In that stretch where we were losing some games, we just decided that we've got to be better just doing our job. That also includes defending."
In the last five Big Ten games, Purdue's spicy defense has resulted in a huge advantage in the "points off turnovers." The Boilermakers have outscored their last five opponents (Minnesota, Northwestern, Rutgers, Nebraska and Washington) 88-36 in that column — or an average of 17.6-7.2 per game.
Starting to see why Purdue has an average margin of victory of 20.6 points per game in its last five conference games?
The lineup changes might be making a difference defensively, but Painter said he's also seeing more activity on that end of the court. He's giving a lot of credit to the guys wearing the uniform.
"I just think the activity, our hands, just being active, understanding what we're doing, what we're trying to do. Whether that's ball screens or whether that's post-ups or drives. Just trying to keep the ball out of the middle as much as we can," he said.
"It's not 100%, it's not fool-proof, it's not magic. I would say the magic is in the players and their activity. That's who deserves the credit."
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FURST CREDITS LUSK FOR RECENT SUCCESS: Caleb Furst has had a huge impact on Purdue's success in recent weeks. The senior forward credited Boilermakers assistant Paul Lusk with some extra motivation. CLICK HERE
WHAT PAINTER SAID: Purdue had to scrap and claw, but it picked up a road win over Washington on Wednesday night. Here's what coach Matt Painter said after the victory. CLICK HERE
PURDUE BEATS WASHINGTON: Purdue's veteran starters kicked it into high gear in the second half of Wednesday's game against Washington, outscoring Washington 47-28 and earning a sixth straight win. CLICK HERE
