Purdue Basketball: Big men power Boilermakers past Arizona State

By Carmine Carcieri | Dec 6, 2016

Mar 1, 2016; Lincoln, NE, USA; Purdue Boilermakers center Isaac Haas (44) laughs during the final moments of the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Purdue won 81-62. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports /

Arizona State couldn’t handle Purdue basketball’s size and strength in the paint.

If you are just watching Purdue for the first time, their strengths and weaknesses are very obvious every time they take the floor. The Boilermakers have one of the best front lines in college basketball, but they also have the tendency to turn the basketball over.

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Those strengths and weaknesses didn’t change on Tuesday night at the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. However, the Boilermakers were so dominate in the paint and their bigs had such a profound impact on the game that it didn’t even matter that they turned the ball over 15 times.

Purdue was all over Arizona State from the tip-off, as they beat the Sun Devils 97-64 to improve to 7-2 on the season. The Boilermakers had six players finish in double figures, Vincent Edwards (16 points), Isaac Haas (16 points), Ryan Cline (15 points), Basil Smotherman (13 points), Carsen Edwards (12 points) and Dakota Mathias (12 points).

It was all about Haas, Caleb Swanigan and Vince Edwards though. The Boilermakers out-rebounded Arizona State by 16, had 16 second chance points and scored 42 total points in the paint.

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And the bigs didn’t just take command of the glass and the painted area, they also opened up the floor for Purdue’s sharp shooters. Arizona State consistently tried to double team Haas and Swanigan when they caught the ball on the low block. This resulted in wide open teammates on the perimeter.

Purdue’s passing was so superb (26 assists on 38 made field goals) that they swung the ball quickly enough around the perimeter to find spot-up shooters on the weak side with no defenders in the area. This was the main reason why Purdue shot 56 percent from beyond the arc.

Arizona State knew what they were getting into. Bobby Hurley opted to start the Sun Devils’ tallest player, freshman Jethro Tshisumpa, in order to try to counteract the Boilermakers’ advantage in the paint.

Tshisumpa, who stands at 6’10”, couldn’t answer the challenge by himself, and freshman Ramon Vila (6’9″) and Obinna Oleka (6’8″) were no match for Haas (7’2″) and Swanigan (6’9″).

Villanova and Louisville provided the blueprint for defeating the Boilermakers earlier this season. The Wildcats held Purdue’s front court trio in check until the last four minutes of the game and the Cardinals’ length and athleticism limited Purdue’s opportunities in the painted area.

However, that’s easier said than done. Not every team is capable of stopping Purdue’s bigs in the way that two top 15 teams were able to. You must have the proper personnel, experience, coaching and poise, and that combination is difficult to find.

Arizona State isn’t going to be very good in the SEC this season (they are still young), but this was still an impressive win for the Boilermakers. Their perimeter shooting (and offense in general) looks lethal, Vince Edwards is thriving in his newfound bench role and the Boilermakers are also solid defensively, just as they always are under Matt Painter.

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It would be surprising if Purdue didn’t finish in the top four of the Big Ten standings. They aren’t flashy, but their bigs are almost unstoppable when they get into a groove.

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