Put up-Gonzaga — Purdue’s Matt Painter, Braden Smith and Lance Jones
HONOLULU — Second-ranked Purdue scored a serious win Monday afternoon over Gonzaga, advancing within the résumé-boosting winner’s bracket on the Maui Invitational.
Its reward: A matchup with No. 7 Tennessee, as these two applications proceed one thing of a serendipidous relationship, a string of video games stuffed with thrillers. Most not too long ago, the Vols bested Purdue in extra time on the Battle 4 Atlantis in 2017, then the Boilermakers received an all-time-great OT recreation within the 2019 NCAA Match in Louisville, the Ryan Cline Sport. Method again, Purdue received a one-point recreation vs. Tennessee in 2009.
DETAILS: Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023 | 8 p.m. ET | TV: ESPN (Dan Shuman, Jay Bilas, Angel Grey) | Radio: Purdue Radio Community
PURDUE (4-0): ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
TENNESSEE (4-0): ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
THREE THINGS ABOUT PURDUE
• Purdue hasn’t misplaced a recreation in November for the reason that COVID 12 months, a 2020 loss to Clemson in Florida as a part of what was purported to be the Cancun Problem. The win streak stands at 18.
• It’s too early for these items to be predictive over the entire season, however Purdue’s at present third nationally in offensive effectivity per KenPom, and fifth on protection.
• Zach Edey is averaging three-and-a-half blocked pictures per recreation by means of 4 contests and taking pictures 83 % on the foul line on a median of 10 makes an attempt per recreation.
• Myles Colvin is 9-of-14 from three to open his school profession.
• Purdue opponents have grabbed 12 or extra offensive rebounds in three of 4 video games this season. The Boilermakers need to do a greater job on the defensive glass, the glass, interval.
• Gonzaga received 19 factors off Purdue’s 14 turnovers, the vast majority of which had been of the dreaded live-ball selection. That was Purdue’s defensive problem greater than something vs. the Bulldogs.
• Braden Smith‘s effectivity and aggressive affect have been off the charts this season. He’s taking pictures 56 %, 46 % from three, forcing little or no, and carrying a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio on high-volume utilization. He’s rebounding, being disruptive on D — 9 steals, 5 in opposition to Gonzaga — and every thing else you would need in a degree guard.
A FEW THINGS ABOUT THIS GAME
• Identified for its toughness and protection, Tennessee might be bodily and disruptive and athletic. It is a recreation the place Purdue might be glad to have performed that Arkansas exhibition.
• Dalton Knecht is Tennessee’s star, a 6-foot-6 multi-level scorer who’s averaging 19 factors per recreation and might be Purdue’s trickiest matchup of the season up to now. Who guards him?
He combines with Jordan-Josiah James to present the Vols two massive, versatile guards who can leverage their measurement in opposition to smaller backups and actually hit the glass.
• Jonas Aidoo, who’s 6-foot-11, 240 kilos, could also be the most effective massive Zach Edey has seen on the younger season. He went for 14 and 11 vs. Syracuse.
| REBOUNDING | TURNOVERS | EARLY THREES |
| This class ought to be a power for Purdue in opposition to nearly everybody, however the Boilermakers have been weak. It was lucky Gonzaga didn’t make any pictures off second and third possibilities within the second half. However thisshould be a basic play-hard kind of mission for Purdue. | Tennessee goes to be actually, actually disruptive, bodily and aggressive. Purdue was too unfastened with the ball in opposition to Gonzaga, struggling to make clear catches at instances. The live-ball giveaways are land mines for Purdue. They’re the trail to defeat. | We would simply write this each recreation this season. However it’s simply so vital for Purdue to not solely make threes to maintain defenses sincere however to do it early on to to do it early on to ship opponents warning pictures. |
Purdue hasn’t actually needed to play in a slugfest but. This may be it. The little issues loom actually giant on this recreation. Most notably, the rebounding and turnover columns, as a result of the subsequent time it’s straightforward to execute offensively vs. Tennessee would be the first time.
