MBB: Duke v Purdue Pre-Game and In-Game Thread (Nov 27, 3:30pm, ABC)

[JBDuke]

Duke takes on Purdue in the championship game for the Legacy side of the Phil Knight tournament. The game is on ABC at 3:30 pm ET Sunday afternoon

[crdaul]

How will we handle Andre the giant?

[DukieInBrasil]

How will we handle Andre the giant?

Zags tried to front Edey with a 6'9 earthbound Timme and got burned. If Duke also tries to front Edey with Lively, i think Dereck will fare much better due to being 3 inches taller with a longer wingspan than Timme, plus he's much more bouncy than Timme, or Edey. I don't think Lively can handle playing between Edey and the basket. The most important thing will be making it difficult for Edey to get the ball, and if he does get it, at least make it as far from the basket as possible. Getting him in foul trouble would be nice.
The problem with fronting their C is that it could leave the lane open for easy layups, so Duke will need a plan for that.

[UrinalCake]

Agree that fronting the big dude is probably the way to go, if we allow an easy entry pass then there's not much Lively or anyone can do to stop him in the post. It's tough because Edey is such a huge target to throw over top and Purdue does a good job of clearing everybody else out of the lane so it's tough to bring weakside help and on top of that their other big guy can shoot. One advantage we may have over Gonzaga is that Lively can really run the floor so if we can get out on the break and beat him down the court then maybe we can generate some easy points and also wear down the big man.

[SkyBrickey]

Flip and Ryan will also get their chances to guard him. Flip could also be really effective at fronting him. We are young but we’ve got a great trio of big men to make life tough on him.

[MChambers]

Zags tried to front Edey with a 6'9 earthbound Timme and got burned. If Duke also tries to front Edey with Lively, i think Dereck will fare much better due to being 3 inches taller with a longer wingspan than Timme, plus he's much more bouncy than Timme, or Edey. I don't think Lively can handle playing between Edey and the basket. The most important thing will be making it difficult for Edey to get the ball, and if he does get it, at least make it as far from the basket as possible. Getting him in foul trouble would be nice.
The problem with fronting their C is that it could leave the lane open for easy layups, so Duke will need a plan for that.

I agree with this. Also, Duke's perimeter needs to put a lot of pressure on Purdue's guards. Duke's size on the perimeter may help with making the pass more difficult.

[DavidBenAkiva]

This is going to be a very interesting matchup. Like me, I bet you were surprised when you woke up this morning to see that Purdue took down Gonzaga. Sunday will begin the first of 3 games against B1G teams with an ACC opener against BC coming next weekend. The Boilermakers, like Michigan State, were thought to be a middle-of-the-pack team before the season. Now, they have the chance to vault themselves into the top 10.

Edey is obviously the focal point for Purdue. He's just so big at 7'4" and 285. More than that, he's also fairly skilled at that height and has a clear understanding of angles and positioning. He rolls and seals his man in the deep post very well. He sets huge screens for teammates. You could be forgiven for comparing him to Yao Ming. Yao had a much better face-up game. Edey is more like Ryan Young but is comfortable with little hooks and flip shots around over his left shoulder. In addition to being a skilled scorer, he is also a tenacious rebounder. His conditioning has gotten to the point that he is capable of logging 30+ minutes per game. He is going to be a load to defend.

Besides Edey, Purdue is not particularly tall. The backup C is 6'10" SO Caleb Furst, a stretch 4/5 in the mold of Kyle Filipowski - reasonably athletic for his size with good skills and shooting touch. Furst, the former Mr. Basketball in Indiana, is only averaging about 16 MPG behind Edey. Another young big man, 6'9" FR Trey Kaufman-Renn, also gets a few minutes and is another stretch 4/5 type. The other "big man" that starts alongside Edey is 6'6" JR Mason Gillis. He's a tough and physical player that will do a lot of the dirty work.

Point guard was a real concern for Purdue in the offseason. Not only did SO sensation Jaden Ivey leave for the NBA Draft Lottery, but the two other point guards on the roster, Eric Hunter, Jr., and Isaiah Thompson, elected to transfer. Head Coach Matt Painter has been quiet in the transfer portal during his time as head coach. Still, it was a mild shock that he didn't go out and get a PG in the portal. Instead, a pair of freshman and returning Point-Forward Ethan Morton, have taken on the role without much of a hiccup. The star for Purdue on Friday night against Gonzaga was 6'0" FR G Braden Smith, who scored 14 points and dished out 7 assists, including one very nifty no-look behind-the-back drop-off to Edey on the break. Smith has helped to answer the questions about PG play so far. He scored 20 pts against Marquette earlier in the year and has made 8 of 16 3-point FG attempts. Another FR G, 6'5" Fletcher Loyer, has also stepped up in a big way. Whereas Smith is more a playmaker and will drive with the ball, Loyer is more of a high-volume scorer and 3-point specialist. Smith and Loyer are backed up by one of the few Purdue transfers, 6'2" SR G David Jenkins, Jr, who began his career at South Dakota State in 2017-18 before stops at UNLV, Utah, and now West Lafeyette. Jenkins is a gunner and career 41.3% 3-point shooter. He was a featured scorer earlier in his long college career but has taken on a reserve role as he has ascended to high-major teams.

On the wings, the Valparaiso, Indiana (home of yours truly as well as Robbie Hummell and Jeff Smardzija, among others) native 6'5" F Brandon Newman, starts. He's a versatile and effective player without standing out too much in any one area. Like many Purdue players, Newman took a redshirt year and is in his third season and fourth year in college. Newman shares the wings with the aforementioned Ethan Morton. The latter has been serving as a playmaker for the Boilermakers without looking for his own shot very often. The 6'7" FR Brian Waddell will also see some playing time in the 9-10 man rotation that Painter runs.

Purdue runs one of the slowest tempo styles in college basketball, befitting a team that frequently features a gigantic person at the C position (i.e., AJ Hammons, Isaac Haas, the late Caleb Swanigan, Trevion Williams, and now Zach Edey). Painter likes to surround these huge humans with gunners. This team has players that can shoot, like Jenkins, Smith, and Loyer. As a team, Purdue has only been so-so in that area, hitting 33.3% from 3 on the young season. Like Duke, I expect Purdue to get better shooting the ball with a roster featuring a number of new players and those in new roles. If Furst is hitting outside shots, that poses a challenge as defenses try to gamble with playing Edey one-on-one. Another concern for Duke is the ability of Purdue to get decent looks for Edey around the rim as well as opportunities on the offensive glass and at the line. Edey and Smith have been excellent at getting to the FT line. The big man can make his FT shots, too, and has hit 75% from the charity stripe so far.

Duke is going to be bigger 1-4 than Purdue. Can that size advantage overcome the big man advantage the Purdue posses down low? This is another game where Jeremy Roach is going to have to decisively win the PG battle for Duke to walk away with a pre-season trophy. Does the Duke that played tough defense against a potent Xavier team show up on Sunday?

[dukelifer]

This is going to be a very interesting matchup. Like me, I bet you were surprised when you woke up this morning to see that Purdue took down Gonzaga. Sunday will begin the first of 3 games against B1G teams with an ACC opener against BC coming next weekend. The Boilermakers, like Michigan State, were thought to be a middle-of-the-pack team before the season. Now, they have the chance to vault themselves into the top 10.

Edey is obviously the focal point for Purdue. He's just so big at 7'4" and 285. More than that, he's also fairly skilled at that height and has a clear understanding of angles and positioning. He rolls and seals his man in the deep post very well. He sets huge screens for teammates. You could be forgiven for comparing him to Yao Ming. Yao had a much better face-up game. Edey is more like Ryan Young but is comfortable with little hooks and flip shots around over his left shoulder. In addition to being a skilled scorer, he is also a tenacious rebounder. His conditioning has gotten to the point that he is capable of logging 30+ minutes per game. He is going to be a load to defend.

Besides Edey, Purdue is not particularly tall. The backup C is 6'10" SO Caleb Furst, a stretch 4/5 in the mold of Kyle Filipowski - reasonably athletic for his size with good skills and shooting touch. Furst, the former Mr. Basketball in Indiana, is only averaging about 16 MPG behind Edey. Another young big man, 6'9" FR Trey Kaufman-Renn, also gets a few minutes and is another stretch 4/5 type. The other "big man" that starts alongside Edey is 6'6" JR Mason Gillis. He's a tough and physical player that will do a lot of the dirty work.

Point guard was a real concern for Purdue in the offseason. Not only did SO sensation Jaden Ivey leave for the NBA Draft Lottery, but the two other point guards on the roster, Eric Hunter, Jr., and Isaiah Thompson, elected to transfer. Head Coach Matt Painter has been quiet in the transfer portal during his time as head coach. Still, it was a mild shock that he didn't go out and get a PG in the portal. Instead, a pair of freshman and returning Point-Forward Ethan Morton, have taken on the role without much of a hiccup. The star for Purdue on Friday night against Gonzaga was 6'0" FR G Braden Smith, who scored 14 points and dished out 7 assists, including one very nifty no-look behind-the-back drop-off to Edey on the break. Smith has helped to answer the questions about PG play so far. He scored 20 pts against Marquette earlier in the year and has made 8 of 16 3-point FG attempts. Another FR G, 6'5" Fletcher Loyer, has also stepped up in a big way. Whereas Smith is more a playmaker and will drive with the ball, Loyer is more of a high-volume scorer and 3-point specialist. Smith and Loyer are backed up by one of the few Purdue transfers, 6'2" SR G David Jenkins, Jr, who began his career at South Dakota State in 2017-18 before stops at UNLV, Utah, and now West Lafeyette. Jenkins is a gunner and career 41.3% 3-point shooter. He was a featured scorer earlier in his long college career but has taken on a reserve role as he has ascended to high-major teams.

On the wings, the Valparaiso, Indiana (home of yours truly as well as Robbie Hummell and Jeff Smardzija, among others) native 6'5" F Brandon Newman, starts. He's a versatile and effective player without standing out too much in any one area. Like many Purdue players, Newman took a redshirt year and is in his third season and fourth year in college. Newman shares the wings with the aforementioned Ethan Morton. The latter has been serving as a playmaker for the Boilermakers without looking for his own shot very often. The 6'7" FR Brian Waddell will also see some playing time in the 9-10 man rotation that Painter runs.

Purdue runs one of the slowest tempo styles in college basketball, befitting a team that frequently features a gigantic person at the C position (i.e., AJ Hammons, Isaac Haas, the late Caleb Swanigan, Trevion Williams, and now Zach Edey). Painter likes to surround these huge humans with gunners. This team has players that can shoot, like Jenkins, Smith, and Loyer. As a team, Purdue has only been so-so in that area, hitting 33.3% from 3 on the young season. Like Duke, I expect Purdue to get better shooting the ball with a roster featuring a number of new players and those in new roles. If Furst is hitting outside shots, that poses a challenge as defenses try to gamble with playing Edey one-on-one. Another concern for Duke is the ability of Purdue to get decent looks for Edey around the rim as well as opportunities on the offensive glass and at the line. Edey and Smith have been excellent at getting to the FT line. The big man can make his FT shots, too, and has hit 75% from the charity stripe so far.

Duke is going to be bigger 1-4 than Purdue. Can that size advantage overcome the big man advantage the Purdue posses down low? This is another game where Jeremy Roach is going to have to decisively win the PG battle for Duke to walk away with a pre-season trophy. Does the Duke that played tough defense against a potent Xavier team show up on Sunday?

Helpful that Young and Grandison have played against them. Will be two somewhat tired teams. Might even see a little of Reeves

[DavidBenAkiva]

Helpful that Young and Grandison have played against them. Will be two somewhat tired teams. Might even see a little of Reeves

There are a couple of interesting dynamics in this one. The fatigue issue could be something. I also think there's a bit of a hangover factor for Purdue after the big emotional win over Gonzaga. Then again, who doesn't get up to play Duke?

There's a trophy on the line in this one. I hope Duke is going to be fired up to win it.

[MChambers]

If the name Loyer is familiar, it's probably because Fletcher Loyer is the younger brother of Foster Loyer, former MSU guard and now one of Davidson's top players as a super senior. Fletcher is taller than Foster, however. Both can really shoot the 3.

[DoubleBlue]

If the name Loyer is familiar, it's probably because Fletcher Loyer is the younger brother of Foster Loyer, former MSU guard and now one of Davidson's top players as a super senior. Fletcher is taller than Foster, however. Both can really shoot the 3.

I'll remember that if I ever need a Loyer.

[DavidBenAkiva]

If the name Loyer is familiar, it's probably because Fletcher Loyer is the younger brother of Foster Loyer, former MSU guard and now one of Davidson's top players as a super senior. Fletcher is taller than Foster, however. Both can really shoot the 3.

Foster Loyer was put in the unfortunate position of being in one of the greatest Duke basketball shots of all time.

[tommy]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Purdue play a lot of zone against us. For one, if they try to play man, and we go with Kyle at the 5, then Edey is going to have to play him on the perimeter. That is unlikely to go well for them, and would pull him out from under the basket for defensive rebounding purposes. I'm sure they'd rather park him in the middle of the lane and have him in rebounding position.

For two, we have not convinced anyone that we are a good three point shooting team overall, at least not yet. They should make us prove we can make them at a high enough rate to force them to change strategies.

[UrinalCake]

Helpful that Young and Grandison have played against them. Will be two somewhat tired teams. Might even see a little of Reeves

I know there's a day off in between but it's still three games in four days. The fact that our Friday game was played eight hours before theirs may help out a bit. I was wondering about Reeves too, either in case Lively gets into foul trouble or if we just want to play the running game and have him or Lively sprint down the court every time to tire out Edey.

[DukieInBrasil]

Helpful that Young and Grandison have played against them. Will be two somewhat tired teams. Might even see a little of Reeves

I know there's a day off in between but it's still three games in four days. The fact that our Friday game was played eight hours before theirs may help out a bit. I was wondering about Reeves too, either in case Lively gets into foul trouble or if we just want to play the running game and have him or Lively sprint down the court every time to tire out Edey.

Reeves is also tall and long, and although not as springy as Lively, springier than Edey, so he could end up serving a very similar role, with 5 fouls to give.

[CasualObserver]

Hopefully, Duke's backcourt defense will be the toughest Purdue has encountered and can guard Purdue's guards close enough to make it tough for them to get open looks (and open passes down low) but not close enough to pick up too many fouls. It looked pretty good in this regard against Xavier. I suspect we will see a lot of high ball PNR....so hopefully that is being practiced....I can't imagine Duke can switch.

While Edey averages 30 mins and therefore must have decent stamina, it is aided by their pace. I like the idea of running him if we can get defensive boards.

[heyman25]

Hopefully, Duke's backcourt defense will be the toughest Purdue has encountered and can guard Purdue's guards close enough to make it tough for them to get open looks (and open passes down low) but not close enough to pick up too many fouls. It looked pretty good in this regard against Xavier. I suspect we will see a lot of high ball PNR...so hopefully that is being practiced...I can't imagine Duke can switch.

While Edey averages 30 mins and therefore must have decent stamina, it is aided by their pace. I like the idea of running him if we can get defensive boards.

We could use a great team effort. Roach needs another masterful game. Unpredictable Tyrese might play well and Blakes might make better offense than last game. Flip needs too be aggressive,but stay in control on those dribble drives. We will need great play on defense from Lively, Filipowski, and Young down low. Mitchell needs to be alert too.I like our chances,solid defense,putbacks , carry over better shooting. Grandison Big 10 may get more PT.This is a big game for this young team.

[buddy]

Zags tried to front Edey with a 6'9 earthbound Timme and got burned. If Duke also tries to front Edey with Lively, i think Dereck will fare much better due to being 3 inches taller with a longer wingspan than Timme, plus he's much more bouncy than Timme, or Edey. I don't think Lively can handle playing between Edey and the basket. The most important thing will be making it difficult for Edey to get the ball, and if he does get it, at least make it as far from the basket as possible. Getting him in foul trouble would be nice.
The problem with fronting their C is that it could leave the lane open for easy layups, so Duke will need a plan for that.

I hope you are right, but so far I have not seen anything that tells me Lively could handle Edney, or almost anyone.

[Dr. Maturin]

We've locked in a good weekend. Two MBB wins, a massive football win, plus the UNC synchronized double collapse yesterday. A PK85 title would be icing on the cake.

I like the variety of opponents Duke is playing early in the season. That has to be a good thing. Matt Painter is one of the great offensive tacticians in CBB. Defensively, they're usually not quite as strong. The talk will of course be about Zach Edey, who is one of the toughest matchups in the sport. How do you deal with him? Make him guard. I'd be curious to see some minutes with Flip at the 5 and Edey having to defend him on the perimeter.

Ultimately, Edey is going to get his. Hopefully our guards can outplay their two freshmen guards and that can be the difference.

[DukieInBrasil]

Just wanted to point out that Jaylen has already scored almost twice as many points already this year than he scored all of last year, more steals than last year, and has the same number of assists and rebounds as last year. He has carved out a real role on this team. He has exceeded my expectations so far.