Purdue vs Marquette: 3 key storylines for 2019 Gavitt Games matchup

2) Who can Purdue rely on for offense?

This was the major question I had for the Boilermakers, which is a given considering how much offense Edwards provided them on a consistent basis. There are talented players on this Purdue team, but someone as to establish themselves as a true go-to guy, and that can take some time.

Senior guard Jahaad Proctor – who took over the No. 3 jersey from Edwards – looked like he could be that guy after scoring 26 points in their season-opening win over Green Bay, yet he was limited to just 12 points in the loss to Texas. No starter scored more than that, either, as Sasha Stefanovic led them with 14 points off the bench

Matt Haarms is a defensive presence (4.0 blocks per game) but hasn’t emerged as a consistent offensive threat yet. The same goes for Nojel Eastern. Sophomore Eric Hunter Jr. looks to have the capability, yet it doesn’t seem like he’s there quite yet either.

Now, Purdue is good enough – especially defensively – to compete with Marquette. We saw that against the Longhorns (another team in that fringe top 25 range) as they went back and forth for the better part of 35 minutes.

This question led to problems for the Boilermakers down the stretch, however. They only made two field goals in the final four minutes against Texas and they both came in the final 11 seconds when the Longhorns were simply trying not the foul. On the flip side, Texas went on a 9-0 run in the final minutes that ended up winning them the game.

Not having a reliable go-to offensive threat is not going to kill Purdue throughout the course of the game, but it could play a major factor if the game is close coming down the stretch as expected. Plus, establishing this player (or players) is a must for the Boilermakers moving forward.