For a second straight season, Purdue went into Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston with a No. 1 next to its name.
And for a second straight season, they exited with a loss, shocked yet again by Northwestern in a game script that looked all too familiar to the late-season struggles that doomed the Boilermakers last year.
It didn’t matter that Purdue won the rebounding battle by a massive 52–27 margin. It didn’t matter that defending National Player of the Year Zach Edey put up 35 points and 14 rebounds. And it didn’t matter that the Boilermakers took more than 40 free throws. Purdue’s guards were exploited defensively, the team turned the ball over in key moments and shot just 5–19 from three. The same recipe that burned the Boilermakers last year against Fairleigh Dickinson (and Northwestern, and Maryland, and the rest of that late-season swoon) got them again. And with that comes a reminder of the dark side of this Purdue basketball team, the same one that can beat three top-15 teams in three days in Maui can also get beat by inferior competition in one-off situations. That’s the flaw in how Purdue is built. While the ramifications of Friday’s loss are relatively minor beyond likely losing the No. 1 moniker, the blueprint laid in Evanston goes well beyond one game.
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“We’re not fooled by what people are doing to us. We understand what they’re doing and we understand how to attack it. It’s just a beautiful game when the ball goes in and the game stinks when it doesn’t.”
That was Purdue coach Matt Painter in August, during an offseason conversation with Sports Illustrated. At this point, it’s not exactly a secret how to beat Purdue. Edey will get his (Northwestern coach Chris Collins called him the most dominant player he has ever seen play college basketball), but the other four players on the floor have to step up. All 7,039 fans in attendance knew in the game’s biggest moments where the ball was going. Sometimes, you can’t stop it (see Edey’s bucket off a lobbed out-of-bounds play in the final seconds of regulation). But the predictability of it doomed Purdue in overtime, with four turnovers in the five-minute period including a decisive one when Northwestern reserve big Blake Preston poked away an entry pass from Fletcher Loyer meant for Edey. In games like this, when Purdue’s shooters don’t keep defenses honest, the already-immense pressure on Edey to save the day rachets up another notch, to a level that doesn’t feel sustainable across six games in March.
Also of concern for Painter postgame was his side’s defensive woes. Painter has often referenced his previous teams’ issues dealing with small, quick guards. The trio of 6’ 2” Boo Buie, 6’ 3” Ty Berry and 6’ 4” Ryan Langborg gave the Boilermakers’ defense fits Friday, combining for 72 of Northwestern’s 92 points. No matter who Purdue put on Buie, the Boilermakers couldn’t keep the all-Big Ten guard in front of them. He scored multiple huge buckets late in the game with little to no help: No ball screen, no fancy set, just clear out and trust that he’s better than the guy guarding him. Buie is one of the nation’s best guards, but Purdue’s inability to slow down any aspect of the Wildcats’ three-headed backcourt monster is a concerning sign.
“We’ve got to find some guards that can be two-way players, not just offensive players,” Painter said postgame. “If your best guy gets 35 and 14 and you outrebound them by 25, I’d like to think you should win… We didn’t have enough intestinal fortitude or whatever word you might want to use to get stops.”
All this is an afterthought if Purdue makes its open threes. Fifteen turnovers and a combined 39 points from Tyler Kolek and Kam Jones weren’t enough for Marquette to upset the Boilermakers in Hawaii last week because Purdue shot 10–21 from three. Purdue was vulnerable the night before against Tennessee thanks to 16 turnovers and 19 missed free throws, but the Vols shot a miserable 8–30 from distance. Correct Purdue’s 5–19 to an 8–19 or Northwestern’s 10–20 to a 7–20 and we’re talking about Purdue’s gritty road win in Evanston to bolster an already-excellent résumé. There should be no major panic button pressed because of this game.
But make no mistake: There’s a blueprint to beat Purdue. It takes a lot of things to go right (such is life against the nation’s best player), but the Boilermakers are ripe for the beating in matchups like this. Even with substantial growth from sophomore point guard Braden Smith and the defensive lift transfer Lance Jones has provided, there was quite the aura of déjà vu in the Evanston air Friday night. The name on the front of the jersey was Northwestern, but this type of performance is always looming around the corner for Purdue, and fear of it will cause a lot of people to pick against what may well be the nation’s best team when filling out their brackets.
Consider Friday a reality check. Someone other than Edey will have to win Purdue a game or two in the NCAA tournament for the Boilermakers to complete an improbable redemption arc. And with the calendar now flipped to December, we still don’t know if the Purdue supporting cast has it in them.
