Purdue Scouting Report

[Rico444]

Well, they did win that game by 19 points - so 10 or 11 might do.

But Creighton is very unique in the way they run their offense, and although Purdue implements some of the same concepts, I don't think it requires nearly the same fluency guarding off the ball. What they run is probably more similar to what the Warriors run for Klay and Steph than it is Purdue.

That game was also in an extremely tough road environment which makes a big difference.

 

[GoUconn7961]

Let's be honest - Edey will get his points.
I think/know our guards can beat him down the floor. I think Clingan can too. He's never really had to run a full 40 minutes.
The Huskies need a solid defensive effort to deny him the ball. Castle and crew will be all over them.
The x factor is how the refs are going to call the game and the adjustments needed once that's determined.

 

[gtcam]

It all comes down to two things:
1. The refs letting them play, and
2. Out rebounding Purdue

 

[DaMuttzNutt]

I would like to see our guards press the dribble penetrate and find the mid range game. Bring Edey away from the basket or kill it from would line distance. That will soften up the outside for cleaner looks. If we can start hitting early from midrange it will spell DOOM for PURDUE

Run run RUN!

Let Edey get his 25/10, contest their 3 point shots, get long rebounds and RUN

 

[ctbro1999]

Edey has some of the best conditioning I've seen for a guy his size. He could play 40 minutes every game and not show any fatigue

But Clingan and Samson are some of the most agile guys I've seen at 6'10 and 7'2. Wonder if the gameplan will be to slow it down and run our stuff since it's gotten us this far, or to tell Clingan and Samson to RUN every time we get a board to force Edey to either chase them or give up dunks

NC St was bothering Braden Smith with their defense. I don't think he's ever seen a defender like Steph Castle. The best way to stop Edey from dominating is to make sure he can't get the ball. UConn needs to make sure they are making life hell for Purdue's ballhandlers

I think this is a game where Samson's athleticism can really come into play during the times he's spelling Cling Kong. Every time we get a board, have Samson sprinting down the floor and make Edey chase him. Even if we eventually just settle into our 1/2 court offense, making Edey huff it down the floor on defense should wear on him (how much, I'm not sure). On defense though, we'll almost certainly have to double down on Edey as Samson won't be able to stop Edey from backing him down.

When Clingan's on the floor, Edey will also have to work extra hard on both ends. It's not like he'll be able to conserve energy if Clingan is in.

 

[DaMuttzNutt]

I think this is a game where Samson's athleticism can really come into play during the times he's spelling Cling Kong. Every time we get a board, have Samson sprinting down the floor and make Edey chase him. Even if we eventually just settle into our 1/2 court offense, making Edey huff it down the floor on defense should wear on him (how much, I'm not sure). On defense though, we'll almost certainly have to double down on Edey as Samson won't be able to stop Edey from backing him down.

When Clingan's on the floor, Edey will also have to work extra hard on both ends. It's not like he'll be able to conserve energy if Clingan is in.

Is there a chance we see Jaylin in to spell Ak and provide help on doubling down when Donovan is on the bench? If that's the case, I am excited for the young man because he makes plays (big hops for rebounds and active length to cause problems)

 

[ctbro1999]

Is there a chance we see Jaylin in to spell Ak and provide help on doubling down when Donovan is on the bench? If that's the case, I am excited for the young man because he makes plays (big hops for rebounds and active length to cause problems)

I'm sure that's something Danny will consider. Also wonder if he'll try to have Samson front Edey and deny from the front (his hops are insane). I think it's at least worth a try, though if we get burned a couple times doing that it'll be wise to rip that page of the playbook and toss it in the trash.

 

[gsmooth]

I think this game is going to be won or lost on the glass. Edey's a stud and he's gonna get his, hopefully not from the line, but giving him and Purdue 2nd and 3rd chances could be a disaster. Box out, rebound, rinse, repeat, and we will have an excellent shot.

very true because the best time to shoot a 3 pointer is off of an offensive rebound and I have seen Purdue make most of their 3s off of kick outs from Edey in the post and off of passes from an offensive rebound.

 

[alphasigko]

IMO DC and SJ keeping out of foul trouble is THE KEY, the rest should take care of itself.

 

[gsmooth]

That game was also in an extremely tough road environment which makes a big difference.

And off of UConn's emotional win in Hartford against Marquette (2 top 5 teams at the time). Then UConn had to take a long flight to Omaha. It was a perfect storm in Creighton's favor.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

It all comes down to two things:
1. The refs letting them play, and
2. Out rebounding Purdue

I would add Clingan not fouling to that list. Very few of the calls Edey draws are not legit fouls. I think there’s a different question about the leeway Edey gets clearing space on the offensive end.

 

[ctbro1999]

I would add Clingan not fouling to that list. Very few of the calls Edey draws are not legit fouls. I think there’s a different question about the leeway Edey gets clearing space on the offensive end.

I hope the refs realize that there will be nearly 600 pounds of men slamming into each other for a good part of the night and they let them play and swallow the whistle except for the obvious fouls.

 

[jibsey]

Is there a chance we see Jaylin in to spell Ak and provide help on doubling down when Donovan is on the bench? If that's the case, I am excited for the young man because he makes plays (big hops for rebounds and active length to cause problems)

Against their big forward? Yeah, especially if Alex picks up too many fouls.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I hope the refs realize that there will be nearly 600 pounds of men slamming into each other for a good part of the night and they let them play and swallow the whistle except for the obvious fouls.

Refs largely let the teams play in both semifinals. I would expect the same here. Still, DC has been much better but he and SJ have for sure been prone to foul trouble and Edey puts a ton of pressure on bigs.

The nice part is it’s Edey’s size, not his game that creates foul trouble. His post game is very effective because he has good touch and gets great looks/positioning, but it’s limited. He's going over the left shoulder with a hook shot and he’s going to throw some drop steps in if you get out of position. That’s pretty much it. He’s not going to be pump faking and drawing Clingan into jumping early. I think Clingan can afford to pretty much stay on the ground and just have a hand in the face on the hooks.

 

[DaMuttzNutt]

Against their big forward? Yeah, especially if Alex picks up too many fouls.

Their big 4 will be stretched outside when on defense regardless of its JS or AK. I feel good about our ability to get offensive rebounds tonight.

 

[UConnSwag11]

I see a lot of matchup problems for Purdue because we're going to play Edey straight up when the big man is in there. Clingan has been great about not fouling for a while now, if the refs don't take him out of the game Purdue is going to have trouble keeping up with us.

Comes down to how we limit their guards and wings, and the refereeing

 

[upstater]

Well, they did win that game by 19 points - so 10 or 11 might do.

But Creighton is very unique in the way they run their offense, and although Purdue implements some of the same concepts, I don't think it requires nearly the same fluency guarding off the ball. What they run is probably more similar to what the Warriors run for Klay and Steph than it is Purdue.

UConn focused on shutting down Schierman and got burned by great shooting nights from the rest of the Creighton kids.

 

[Phoenixhusky]

Edey does not run the court well when I watched him.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I like our matchup. On offense, Edey is not going to enjoy chasing Clingan or Johnson down the court after Newton gets the outlet. Both Clingan and Johnson present tough decisions for Edey in the halfcourt because they are so quick in their attack of the dump off pass.

We should be able to shoot over their guards but we have to hit 3’s. Dribble penetration is less effective against Purdue’s defense.

Our height on the perimeter will give their shooters trouble, and we have 10 fouls for Edey. Quick rotations on defense are key.

Edey is good though, and we need a plan B in case he takes the game over.

 

[Karmacop]

On offense, I wonder if Cam is the key. If they try running us off the three point line, that will funnel them into the lane where Edey waits to block them. Out of all our guards, Cam has shown that he has a great mid-range game, where he can get his man on his back, but not try to score at the basket and instead pull out a bag of tricks at the free throw line. That might be needed more than usual in this game.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

On offense, I wonder if Cam is the key. If they try running us off the three point line, that will funnel them into the lane where Edey waits to block them. Out of all our guards, Cam has shown that he has a great mid-range game, where he can get his man on his back, but not try to score at the basket and instead pull out a bag of tricks at the free throw line. That might be needed more than usual in this game.

Castle also had a very nice finishing package in the lane and has the size and athleticism of o get a decent look. Will be interesting to see how worried Purdue is about the big man on drives into the paint and how much Edey cheats over to DC/SJ.

 

[GiladKatzDeli]

1.) You’re not going to block a hook shot from a 7’4” player (so don’t try to and potentially get into foul trouble).
2.) Win the rebounding battle
3.) Lock down everybody other than Edey
4.) Just try to slow Edey, he’ll score, just make him earn it.
5.) We can’t lose if we score points, if we score 75+ I like our chances.

 

[Dogdeacon]

They are shockingly bad at passing to Edey when he’s not being fronted and is being guarded by a 6’8 guy. But I doubt we see much fronting. Edey is just too big and would seal off Clingan too far from the basket imo.

Feel like Samson has to front Edey as he’s giving up 60lbs+. When they throw over SJ The weak side help has to get there before the ball is caught or it’s good night.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Purdue has shortened its tourney rotation to 7 players with Gillis (PF) and Heide (SF) the only guys getting minutes off the bench and I don’t think Heide will play at all tomorrow unless they get into foul trouble.

Purdue plays 3 guards (Braden, Jones, and Loyer). They are all great shooters and passers but they are short and slight (Smith and Jones are only 6 foot). Our 3 guards are all bigger and stronger so switch everything on the perimeter. No open 3s.

Kaufman-Ren (6’9 230) is bigger and stronger than Karaban but isn’t much of a scoring threat and only averages 15mpg. Gillis is a stretch PF that plays starters minutes off the bench (20mpg) but at 6’6 he’s a more favorable matchup for Karaban.

We can’t double Edey. Clingan needs to play him straight up without fouling. I don’t care if Edey scores 25 because he will have to work harder than he’s ever had to to get those points against Clingan. It’s finding open 3 pt shooters out of a double team that will kill is.

The most important stat of the night will be Clingans minutes. If he hits 30 minutes by staying out of foul trouble we win.

Realistically Clingan isn’t playing 30, we need 23-28 quality minutes. DC’s weakness if fouling & Eden’s strength is drawing fouls. Clingan is going to have to deal with that AND UConn’s plan B is absolutely vital. Unfortunately it is Something near even money that Huskies have to play half the game without Clingan.

 

[Lefty2one]

The biggest area of interest to me is Purdue's defense and how effective their drop coverage will be. We want to make Edey move and tire him out and draw fouls. He's less agile than Kalkbrenner and plays an even more exaggerated drop coverage than most bigs. Spencer and Steph love the floaters that should be open all night but you don't want to fall in love with that shot. Curious if our guards will be able to draw Edey and find Clingan/Samson. Edey literally stands at the rim for possessions at a time. Our interior passing/extra passing is a thing of beauty sometimes. Elsewhere, our guards have a size and athleticism advantage which generally means great things for us. Teams with similar athleticism to our backcourt can give us problems but we aren't dealing with that tonight. The fact that Purdue's perimeter players are both smaller AND less athletic is a great sign for us.

The other is how we guard Edey when Samson is in there. Clingan will go for 30-32 minutes tonight so we'll only need small bursts from Samson but I will be surprised if we try to play him straight up. Purdue can go on a quick run without Clingan, like many other opponents have in recent games. I was surprised at how effective Middlebrooks was in stretches at pushing out Edey's catch. Samson isn't nearly that strong so maybe we hedge/dig similar to NC State but I'd rather give up Edey twos than let their shooters hit threes. Let Samson get five fouls in 8-9 minutes of burn and hope Edey makes 6/10 FT.

Barring Clingan foul trouble, I expect us to win comfortably. The refs have let teams play all tournament except against Purdue. The generous calls Edey gets are a thing that can happen to us. I cannot recall a behemoth so protected by the refs; typically it's the opposite.