MBB Duke vs. Purdue Pre-Game Thread

[DavidBenAkiva]

I just found out that my mom, dad, and I should get tickets to go see Duke in West Lafayette, Indiana next Tuesday. I am REALLY excited (with all respect to Duquesne) about this game! Here's my first thoughts about the game:

Obviously, the key matchup in the game is a going to be a pair of 6-8 blondes: Robbie Hummel (from my hometown of Valparaiso) and Kyle Singler. After watching a couple of Purdue games, Singler has the obvious advantage in size while Hummel is a quick deadeye shooter from long range. Both of them can handle, rebound, and pass very well. It's scary how close their stats are this year:

Singler 16.7 pts 6.8 rbs 3.2 asts 36.4% 3pts
Hummel 15.0 pts 6.0 rbs 2.8 asts 50.0% 3pts

Through 6 games, Singler has taken 46 free throw attempts to Hummel's 17 (in 5 games). Singler plays more on the interior and drives to the basket. Many consider Hummel to be the favorite to win the Big 1(1)0 player of the year, while it doesn't seem that Singler gets as much national attention. It should be a really good matchup.

If Hummel is their best player, then E'Twaun Moore is not far behind. He leads the team in scoring at 15.6 pts, is at or near the top on the team with 3.8 asts, and rebounds very well for a gaurd. He reminds me a lot of Brandon Roy, minus 2 inches. It should be a really good matchup with Jon Scheyer.

The third highly-touted sophomore from Purdue is 6'10" 215 lb. C JaJuan Johnson. Despite his height and length, he hasn't really rebounded very well down low so far this year. He has doubled his scoring from a year ago so far, averaging around 10 pts per game. Zoubek should present Purdue with quite a challange since they don't seem to have anybody to body up on him. Johnson may be able to block some shots and front Z, and backup Nemanja Calasan adds some bulk down low (6'9" 247 lbs). In all honesty, Hummel, Johnson, and Calasan are the only guys with any size and weight to them. Zoubek, Singler, Thomas, and Miles Plumlee may all be able to take advantage down low.

The strength of Purdue comes from defense. Chris Kramer is a guard that doesn't score much, but he plays a lot of minutes and is a real hard-nosed player. If they don't put Kramer on Henderson, he will guard Scheyer. My guess is Kramer will guard Henderson and will try to take advanatage of his quick hands since Gerald doens't handle the ball as well. Junior Keaton Grant is the point guard, and he's tall for his position. He should make life a little difficult for Nolan Smith.

The other rotation players are 6'6" senior guard Marcus Green and the speedy 5'9" freshman point guard Lewis Jackson. Despite winning their games fairly easily so far this season, they only go 8 deep, so Duke should have a bench advantage at nearly all positions. David McClure seems like he will be able to defend Hummel well, Lance Thomas and Miles Plumlee add frontcourt depth, and Paulus, Elliot Williams, and Martynas Pocius all bring something to the table.

On paper, Duke has the obvious athletic and talent advantage. They have more size, more depth, and more scoring ability. If Duke decides to run, they may turn the ball over a lot, but they might wear down Purdue by the end of the game. If they play a more disciplined half court game, they should be able to drive to the lane and get Johnson and Calasan into foul trouble. If that happens, they won't have anyone to put in their place.

It should be really interesting to see how they handle Blake Griffen and Oklahoma tomorrow in the finals for the NIT season tip-off. Hummel and Moore are excellent players, but I question if they have enough depth to play a bigger, stronger team a whole 40 minutes. Boston College, who lost by 7 to Purdue tonight, doesn't look like a very good team, but they do have size. They had the rebounding edge against Purdue. Purdue is a jump shooting team, but they will be playing on their home nets.

I've heard tickets are going for $300 - $800 each, so I know that the crowd will be into it. I think that Duke should win, but it will be the first true road game of the year against a really good team. I'll say Duke wins 77 - 68.

Time flies like an arrow
Fruit flies like a banana

[Cavlaw]

I'm thinking about driving down for this; Purdue's athletic site shows tickets still available for $100.

[shadowfax336]

Didn't we learn anything from the RI game about taking them 1 at a time?

[Newton_14]

Didn't we learn anything from the RI game about taking them 1 at a time?

You read my mind... We did this prior to the RI game and it nearly came back to haunt us.. the most important game on the schedule as of right now is tommorrow against the dukes...

[CameronCrazy'11]

Didn't we learn anything from the RI game about taking them 1 at a time?

Whether "we" look past Duquesne or not doesn't matter at all. We are fans discussing this on an internet message board. As long as the coaches and players are taking every game seriously, we're fine. However, I see no reason why we can't discuss the game after next.

[nyr484]

I was thinking that since Purdue lost to Oklahoma, this next game becomes kind of a lose-lose for Duke (from the media's perspective)... If Duke wins, well, nice win, but Oklahoma just beat them. If Duke loses, then we are not as good as Oklahoma or Purdue. I don't necessarily agree with this statement, especially since Duke will be playing Purdue at their place while Oklahoma played Purdue on a neutral court. It's just something I was thinking about. Anybody else have any thoughts on this?

[BlueintheFace]

Is Duke the only team in the ACC-Big10 challenge that is still undefeated since the beginning?

[Indoor66]

Is Duke the only team in the ACC-Big10 challenge that is still undefeated since the beginning?

I believe that is correct. IRRC, Duke is the only undefeated team in the challenge.

[phaedrus]

Thanks, ESPN, for once again scheduling us in the 9 pm slot following a 7 pm game. How much of the first half do you think we'll see this time?

[lifelongdevil]

and thank you to undergrad calculus teachers scheduling the end of semester exam the next day

[Jim3k]

and thank you to undergrad calculus teachers scheduling the end of semester exam the next day

Study for the exam. Record the game.

Heresy , I know.

[juise]

and thank you to undergrad calculus teachers scheduling the end of semester exam the next day

At least it's not a home game... a 2-2.5 hour commitment in your room (or commons) is not so bad. You'll never miss those hours of sleep.

[Cavlaw]

I was thinking that since Purdue lost to Oklahoma, this next game becomes kind of a lose-lose for Duke (from the media's perspective)... If Duke wins, well, nice win, but Oklahoma just beat them. If Duke loses, then we are not as good as Oklahoma or Purdue. I don't necessarily agree with this statement, especially since Duke will be playing Purdue at their place while Oklahoma played Purdue on a neutral court. It's just something I was thinking about. Anybody else have any thoughts on this?

Hmm, I can honestly say that's not a concern I have.

[davekay1971]

First of all, thanks for the breakdown on Purdue. The only game of their's that I've seen is part of the Oklahoma game, so that this was very helpful.

Win or lose, this is a fantastic game for us. Purdue is definitely a capable team. Playing in their house, with the team and their fans completely amped up, will be invaluable experience for us, particularly for Williams and (if he sees the court) Plumlee. Obviously I hope we win (how nice would it be, although highly improbable, for us to go undefeated in a year that the all-knowing media is predicted said glory for the 'Holes?), but, as long as we play well, I'll be happy just for the experience this gives us heading toward what Jumbo would call Phase III.

[roywhite]

Win or lose, this is a fantastic game for us. Purdue is definitely a capable team. Playing in their house, with the team and their fans completely amped up, will be invaluable experience for us, particularly for Williams and (if he sees the court) Plumlee.

This game has extra meaning for the Plumlees. Their home town of Warsaw, IN is less than 100 miles from West Lafayette, and Mrs. Plumlee played basketball at Purdue.

[Ders24]

Apparently the students there are going to have their first camp out for the game.

[Carlos]

Purdue has two huge advantages over Duke in this one in that it's a home game for them and that they've already played another ranked team in their OT loss to Oklahoma.

I think people are underselling Purdue's athleticism. Their backcourt rotation matches up pretty well with Duke. I'm actually betting on Kramer covering Scheyer rather than Henderson because I think Gerald could take advantage of Kramer by posting him and because I think Scheyer is more key to Duke's offense.

On the other end of the floor the question is how well Scheyer can defend Moore who IMO is the best player on the Boilermakers.

I like the Hummel matchup with Singler and agree with the OP that Singler is the more physical of the two players. One area to watch though is the other big matchup as JaJuan Johnson may prove too be too mobile for Zoubek. OTOH, Zoubek is a good matchup against Calasan, the other post player for Purdue. With Johnson we may see more of Lance out there and it will be interesting to see if he can continue his offensive progress against bigger players.

[Saratoga2]

Duke this year is a very good team that has shown determination when faced with a tough situation. The team is developing nicely and will give a good account of itself. Purdue is also a very good team who has some strengths that we haven't as yet faced this season. It should be a good game, and I will be rooting for our guys but not too down if they lose. We will lose games this year and it will not be the end of the earth and will not diminish the accomplishments of our players and coaches. Go Duke

[PURDUE7]

I gotta agree with Carlos. While DUKE gets better recruits than PURDUE I think the BOILERS can match athletes with almost any team.
Not sure why anyone would worry what the media thinks about this game...win or lose for either team its a learning experience.
What scares every PURDUE fan is a repeat of 46-5 FT in the OK game.

I have seen every PURDUE game for 30+ years and watch a ton of ACC on ESPN.
I think PURDUE and DUKE are really alike. They both play pressure D and look to draw and kick, high pick and roll to get into the lane. Not many true post players for either team. Great guards and wing players.

Hummel: He is kinda like a point forward. Great outside shooter with a nice pull up jumper. Almost never takes it to the rack...hopefully he learns.

Moore: Not a great athlete but very long. Has great extension on his jumper. Is kinda herky jerky(pretty sure I have never spelled that before) but seems to be able to get into the lane at will. Average D and solid on the boards. Pretty comparable to Sheyer in size, build and athleticism.

Kramer: A strong safety playing hoops. He is a BUZZ SAW on D! Solid handle who is strong with the ball. Very average to below average outside shooter. Not a pure PG....average passer.

JJ: Skinny 6'10" good shot blocker. Below average catching the ball and rebounding. Average face up game....almost no post moves to worry about. A year and 20 pounds away from being a really good player.

Grant: Will stick the open 3. Good D and solid combo guard skills.

Green: He may be listed as a guard but basically plays the 4 at PURDUE. Good athlete but not a great ball handler or decision maker with the ball. Can stick the open 3 and get garbage points.

Calasan: Strong player who plays like he is 6'5". Not a great finisher. Can stick and will take the open 3. He had 20 against SOONERS so maybe he is putting it together...PURDUE fans doubt this but hope we are wrong.

Jackson: Might be 5'8" but is a jet. Not a jet like Jason Terry(Mavericks PG) who is not fast and calls himself Jason the Jet....sorry I had to get that out. Lewjack as he has been called is really quick. He actually made a few 3's in the SOONER game. Not sure he is that good of an outside shooter. He is young and I think a big game like this one will be hard on him.

These things I know for sure.
1. PURDUE will play extremely hard.
2. The crowd will be fired up.
3. Duke is gonna be the best opponent so far...I guess I am hating on the SOONERS but still think the FT edge and Hummel fouling out killed PURDUE.
4. PURDUE is 8 deep so fouls could be important. I don't think they will get tired.

P.S. I gotta ask. Do BLUE DEVIL fans hate Vitale? I think he alone brings a lot of DUKE HATE on you guys. If Knight, Coach K or Dean Smith make a quick stop...you know where Dicky V's nose ends up!

[roywhite]

P.S. I gotta ask. Do BLUE DEVIL fans hate Vitale? I think he alone brings a lot of DUKE HATE on you guys. If Knight, Coach K or Dean Smith make a quick stop...you know where Dicky V's nose ends up!

Thanks for a great writeup, and certainly looking forward to a great game.

As to Vitale, do you hate a puppy dog that continually shows you affection? Dickie V loves hoops, loves programs that do it the "right way"", but talks too much. He is what he is.