Carrell: Ruminations on Purdue’s exhibition win over Northwestern Ohio
By KEITH CARRELL
ISL Correspondent
No. 23 Purdue defeated Northwestern Ohio 92-43 on Sunday. Here are my ruminations:
First thoughts on Caleb Swanigan:
The debut of “Biggie” was mostly positive, and it’s easy to see why he was so highly recruited as a ready-to-play-now power forward. Swanigan led the team in minutes and had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. It’s still early in the season and his basketball career, but he should be able to produce regularly, and I would expect him to lead the team in rebounds this year because he has a natural nose for the ball. The few areas where he’ll need to improve (and I’m nitpicking) are learning to defend without fouling and not being too quick to help on defense at the risk of leaving his man open. Both of those areas were effort mistakes, which is very promising for his future. If he continues to play like he did against Northwestern Ohio and grow, Purdue fans will love the way he plays (though it may be a short stay in college).
Offensive philosophy has changed:
Head Coach Matt Painter is known for his motion offense and desire to feed the bigs, but has typically done so from a very patient/methodical approach. From the tip against Northwestern Ohio, it was very clear that the theme this year is aggressiveness; actively looking for the first opportunity to score and attacking. This is a welcome change, especially considering the maturity level of this team. The big surprise from that philosophy, though, was the unselfishness of the team, having assisted on 31 of the 33 made field goals.
Issues inbounding the ball:
Much to Purdue fans’ chagrin, the pressured inbounds play -especially on the baseline – still remains a point of concern as it has for most of Painter’s tenure. The one bright spot here was when Ryan Cline was the inbounder, with his self-confidence to make any pass and superb vision.
Transition defense was inconsistent:
The offense was much more aggressive, but the defense was slow to get back when Northwestern Ohio pushed the ball. That lackadaisical approach will need to change moving forward, and it was much better in the second half than the first.
Emphasis on boxing out is needed:
While Swanigan stood out as a natural rebounder, the team as a whole often failed to box out their opponents. I would expect this to be corrected quickly as the team continues to play together, understanding where their teammates will be.
The quandary on whether to redshirt Ryan Cline:
Cline did a lot of things well against UNOH – namely his ball handling, superior vision, and ability to complete the pass – but he also was trigger happy from long range and could be relegated to minimal playing time due to team depth. This could go either way, but my guess is he’ll be active with Basil Smotherman and Grant Weatherford already having been publicly announced to redshirt this season.
Depth of bigs:
A.J. Hammons remains in the doghouse for unknown reasons, as he did not play in the scrimmage against Dayton or this exhibition, but Painter said he might play in the regular-season opener. Hammons was in uniform and went through pre-game warmups with the team. If he doesn’t play, though, the team should be fine in the short term with terrific starts from Swanigan, Isaac Haas, and Vince Edwards; even Jacquil Taylor looked to mesh well alongside Swanigan when the team opts to play a smaller lineup.
Quick hits:
Rapheal Davis went down with a lower body injury in the first half, but was able to play in the second half and appeared to be okay… The team free throw ability looked to improved, making 85% (17-20)… Purdue had 31 assists and 9 turnovers while forcing 23 UNOH turnovers… Purdue won the exhibition 92-43… Next game: 11/13 v North Carolina A&T.
