'Underappreciated' Purdue Basketball Defense Turning a Corner in NCAA Tournament Run

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — There wasn't any doubt that a deep NCAA Tournament run for Purdue basketball would be spearheaded by its potent and highly-efficient offense.

But in the first weekend of March Madness, the Boilermakers have stonewalled their opponents in stretches. In back-to-back matchups, they held their opponent to at least 15 straight missed shot attempts.

In each game, Purdue capitalized by taking double-digit leads that looked to be insurmountable. The pieces have been there for this team to lock in on the defensive end of the court, and it's seeing the effort pay off at the right time.

"I think we're in a good spot right now. It can get better, and we have a chance to get better because we won last weekend," Purdue senior guard Eric Hunter Jr. said of the team's defense. "So just keep giving ourselves more and more chances to improve and get better at stuff is of big importance for us."

In the team's first-round matchup against Yale on Friday, March 18, the No. 14-seeded Bulldogs put up a fight in the first half by shooting nearly 50% from the field. The Boilermakers eventually took a 46-33 lead into halftime thanks to a 14-19 mark from the free-throw line.

Purdue hasn't always been adept at holding onto its leads, letting turnovers and poor shooting selection to let opponents back into the game. But that wasn't the case against Yale.

The Boilermakers only let the Bulldogs get to within nine points coming out of the break, but led by double-digits the majority of the way. The team took control of the game early in the second half as Yale missed 15 straight shots.

Purdue led 63-39 before giving up another basket, and the 24-point lead wasn't even the largest of the game. Yale shot just 37% from the field by the end of the contest.

It replicated the stout defensive effort on Sunday against Texas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line. The Longhorns jumped to a six-point lead in the first half before the Boilermakers hunkered down.

They watched as Texas went on to miss 16 straight field-goal attempts, and Purdue went on a 20-0 run to take a 28-14 lead with 6:08 before halftime. The Longhorns would trail by six points at the half, but free-throw shooting was the deciding factor in the game.

Texas attempted 25 more shots than Purdue in the game but made just 40% of those opportunities while the Boilermakers had 46 cracks at the foul line.

In both matchups, the team dominated the glass and forced difficult shot attempts. Success on defense fueled a capable transition offense led by sophomore guard Jaden Ivey, Purdue's leading scorer.

"I feel like, especially the last month, people have kind of been talking about our defense. Our defense is a really big flaw of this team," Purdue sophomore center Zach Edey said. "I feel like we really picked it up, especially over these last few games, we've really been good at making teams take those tough shots at the end of the shot clock. Making teams take those contested twos, those floaters, and then boxing out and getting those rebounds."

This defensive resurgence within the Boilermakers program stems back to an 82-58 beatdown on the road at the hands of Michigan back on Feb. 10. It was a sour taste in their mouths, but they haven't let a performance like that rear its ugly head again.

"I think our defense, honestly, has been underappreciated, especially this last month or so," Edey said. "After we give up that game to Michigan, I feel like our defense has been really solid."

While it may not have been a defense that carries this year's iteration of the Purdue basketball team through March Madness, it's been one that serves as a complement to one of the most dangerous offenses in the nation.

Coach Matt Painter has harped on the team's defensive struggles all season, and the team may not have reached a point where he can be fully satisfied just yet. But with two wins under their belts and a Sweet 16 matchup with Saint Peter's on the horizon, the Boilermakers have given themselves an opportunity to continue improving.

"It's really just been a lot of effort, a lot of buy-in from a lot of guys," Edey said. "We always had the pieces, we've always had the athleticism to be really good on the defensive end. We just hadn't put it together fully until recently."

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