Purdue Basketball: 3 keys for Boilermakers to defeat No. 18 North Carolina

Which Version of Jaden Ivey Will Purdue Get?

Jaden Ivey is a heck of a talent who could potentially be a lottery pick in the next NBA Draft. He’s an explosive scorer who excels at getting to the rim and hitting big shots. That being said, he sometimes can play in an erratic and inefficient way that hinders winning. He has grown a lot in the last several months, but if he is to be the go-to guy on a National Championship contender, that is an area that needs improvement.

Ivey is averaging 15.3 points per game on the young season, but it hasn’t been a consistent 15.3 points per game. He scored 11 points on 36.4% shooting in Purdue’s opener, then exploded for an ultra-efficient 27 points on 76.9% shooting, before putting up only 8 points on 25.0% shooting in Purdue’s most recent game. While obviously none of those games’ outcomes hung in the balance at any time, it is still slightly concerning to see that kind of inconsistency out of your star.

Another part of that equation is taking care of the ball. With more weight on his shoulders and the ball in his hands more, Ivey will have to do a better job not turning the ball over. He has 10 turnovers so far to go along with only 10 assists. To take his game to the next level, that AST:TO ratio will need to get closer to 2:1 instead of 1:1. Ivey can clearly create shots for himself, but can he start setting up his teammates for easy looks is the next question.

The Ivey-Love matchup will be one of the more intriguing guard battles that college basketball will see this season. The sophomore who limits his mistakes more and can harness his aggressiveness into positive plays will give his team the upper hand. Ivey could control this game, but he also could let it slip away from his team if he is careless with the ball or his shot selection. Which version of him Purdue gets on Saturday will go a long way in determining the outcome of this game.