Game 4- at Purdue - Sunday Nov. 16th @ 7:30 pm

[clarkwgriswold]

You asked for it, so here's an early Purdue thread.

 

The Zips head to West Lafayette this Sunday to face the Boilermakers.  The Boilermakers are one of the season favorites in the Big Ten and currently at the top of most polls.  They are guard led by senior guards Fletcher Loyer (22.5 ppg) and Brendan Smith (13 ppg and 10 apg) through their two wins so far over Evansville and Oakland.  They face Alabama Thursday.

 

Here are some season previews for the Boilermakers:

https://www.btpowerhouse.com/purdue/27903/2025-26-purdue-boilermakers-basketball-season-preview

https://www.hammerandrails.com/mens-basketball/56394/purdue-basketball-season-predictions-staff-roundtable

https://bustingbrackets.com/purdue-2025-26-season-preview-for-the-boilermakers-basketball

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/24680

 

I caution you all, DO NOT OVERLOOK PENN STATE- SHENAGO!

[Illini Zip]

I plan to watch that Purdue vs Alabama game and do a little scouting.
 

I’m really excited to see how we choose to match up with them. Do we put in Barre to lean on their big centers or do we play our regular, smaller lineup and try to run on them. 

[ZipsFan31]

Purdue’s system has a weakness and it’s athleticism. When they lost to a 16 seed with Zach Edey I believe FDU’s Center  was 6’7. 
 

I think you beat them with athletic pressure and hope you shoot better than them.  still a long shot to win. But I like this match up more than Arizona last year. 

[Let'sGoZips94]

2 hours ago, ZipsFan31 said:

Purdue’s system has a weakness and it’s athleticism. When they lost to a 16 seed with Zach Edey I believe FDU’s Center  was 6’7. 
 

I think you beat them with athletic pressure and hope you shoot better than them.  still a long shot to win. But I like this match up more than Arizona last year. 

 

This post nails it. Purdue has and always will lack athleticism should they continue to clog the lane with unathletic giants. 

 

Barre will be used to eat fouls I presume, and I think we'll see a lot of Barre vs PSUS to get him more acclimated to what we'll need from him vs Purdue. The same can be said for Brisco as well. Purdue will probably attack inside often, so we'll be rotating the front court shifts often to keep fresh legs and limited foul trouble. 

 

Amani and Evan need to be strong and confident. Dribble drives will be our best friend whether it leads to a kick out 3 or attacking the basket. Getting their giants in foul trouble would be nice. 

 

This is a March-type game and guards win in March. Ultimately that's what will dictate our success. Do our guards protect the ball, knock down ships, and facilitate well?

 

Lastly - Big Stank is our not-so-secret weapon. He's a matchup nightmare and showed a lot if ability to get to the hoop and make the right decision vs Princeton. Need him to be big. 

 

I cannot wait for this one. We are playing with house money with the start we've had so far to the season. 

[kreed5120]

I would expect to see us play more zone and send hard double teams to force Purdue bigs to pick up their dribble. We'll then have to rotate as best as we can on the perimeter.

 

The reality is they will end up with some wide open looks, but we need to pray they have an off shooting night. That's kind of our only hope.

 

Edit: I don't have much hope for a win, but if we can stay competitive for a full 40 minutes, I'll mark it down as a positive performance.

Edited 4 hours ago by kreed5120

[Illini Zip]

I hope our defense travels for this one. It has been impressive the first 2 games. There isn’t a large size discrepancy except for at center (depending on who is playing the 5). It is a road game, so I expect plenty of fouls called on us. And we will see Tavari and Young stuck trying to guard a 7 foot center after a defensive switch. Not much you can do about that. Better than giving up an open 3. Groce has never played much zone. Only as a change of pace tactic. I would prefer fronting the bigs to deny entry and pester the hell out of the ball handlers so they can’t dump easy lob passes over the top. I too would be happy with a competitive game for 40 minutes and in a sense we are playing with house money. 

[tpsjugglerdude]

Purdue hasn't lost a home nonconference game since Nov 2019 to Texas. This will definitely be a challenge against the #2 team in the country. I hope to see us play strong till the end. 

[MDZip]

We have NO CHANCE to upset the #1 team in the nation. 😉 No. 1 Houston leapfrogs Purdue in AP Top 25 poll.

[clarkwgriswold]

I think the Zips will have a problem with Oscar Cluff, the 6'11" Aussie transfer from South Dakota State.  He was one of only two players in the country to average at least 17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting at least 59.0 percent from the field a year ago.  The Zips depth and speed can be effective on the perimeter but it will be tough to handle Cluff.  They also have a 7'4" sophomore that plays some.