No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 15 Queens Breakdown: 3 Ways Boilers Can Beat Royals
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ST. LOUIS — With a great run in the Big Ten Tournament, Purdue put itself in position to have an extended stay in the NCAA Tournament. But the seeding process is over and all that matters now is winning games. The No. 2-seeded Boilermakers will play No. 15 seed Queens in a first-round matchup in St. Louis on Friday night.
Purdue knows better than anyone not to judge an opponent by its seed number. Queens is a team that can score a lot of points and has several high-quality shooters on the roster. So, how can the Boilermakers ensure a victory to start their March Madness journey?
Here are a few keys for Purdue to beat Queens on Friday night and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Establish Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn early
Purdue is going to have a size and skill advantage in the frontcourt against Queens. Getting the ball into the paint and allowing Cluff and Kaufman-Renn to get into a rhythm offensively will be a huge advantage for the Boilermakers.
Cluff and Kaufman-Renn were both dominant down low for Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament, combining to average 32.6 points and 16.5 rebounds per game. Queens doesn't have anyone down low who can match that level of production.
The Royals do have a few guys who might be able to provide some resistance, specifically 6-foot-9 forwards Avantae Parker and Maban Jabriel and 6-foot-10 forward Gus Larson. But those three are still no match for the combination of Cluff and Kaufman-Renn because of their physical style of play.
Force Queens to shoot over the defense
Queens scores a lot of points and shoots a high percentage from the floor. The Royals average 84.9 points per game and shoot 48.2% from the floor. Six different players are averaging double figures, and this is a team that averages more than 28 three-point attempts per game.
Teams that take a lot of shots from the perimeter have given Purdue some difficulty at times this season. If Queens gets hot from behind the arc, it could present some challenges to the Boilermakers' defense. That's why communicating is going to be a major key.
Purdue doesn't have to force a lot of turnovers to win this game; it has to provide resistance on jump shots, though. If the Boilers don't get lost on rotations, don't allow Queens to get into the paint and get a hand in the face of the shooters, it's a recipe for success on the defensive end.
Queens also struggles on the glass, so cleaning up the defensive boards to end possessions is also important, but that's a major key for Purdue in every game.
Attack the paint and get to the free-throw line
It's not a shocking development to say Purdue is a team that doesn't get to the free-throw line often. The Boilermakers are averaging just 17.1 free throw attempts per game this season, a mark that ranks 324th nationally.
Purdue does have a way to make that an advantage on Friday, though. Queens is a team that fouls ... a lot. The Royals average 19.9 fouls per game (344th nationally). Their opponents are shooting 23.7 free throws per contest (330th). If Purdue attacks with its post players and Braden Smith drives into the paint, it should give the Boilermakers opportunities to get to the charity stripe.
Queens doesn't have a ton of depth, so getting the Royals into foul trouble would also benefit Purdue. If the Boilermakers can draw fouls on Parker (he averages 3.5 per game), it will give them an even larger advantage in the post.
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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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