After coming off a Big 10 Regular and Tournament title, the Purdue Boilermakers disappointed the college world. Losing to 16th Seed FDU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Purdue needs to redeem themselves and prove they can win in the NCAA Tournament.
With all the leading scorers returning, including Naismith Player of the Year Zach Edey, the Boilermakers have high expectations. So, what should we expect from Purdue? How Strong is their non-conference schedule? What do they need to improve?
Purdue Boilermakers: Revenge Season
Their Non-Conference Schedule
Non-Conference schedules are vital for college basketball teams. Scheduling well creates an opportunity for teams to compete on a national stage and improve as they get into their conference schedule. Purdue looks to play a daunting schedule in the Non-Conference.
Some of their games include Xavier on November 13th, Alabama on December 9th, Arizona on December 16th and the Maui Invitational. A difficult schedule indeed, the Maui Invitational includes teams such as Gonzaga, Duke, Kansas, and Marquette. Purdue will face a challenging schedule to prepare for success later in March.
How Purdue Prepares in the Summer?
Purdue is using the summer time effectively to prepare for this upcoming season. The Boilermakers are having an intrasquad scrimmage on August 10th before heading for an 11-day trip to Europe. For Purdue, a trip is going to be good for them to play some games. In preparing practices for the summer, the team is working on developing good defensive habits. The trip will help chemistry, enhance confidence for younger guys, and give Edey opportunities to work on other areas of his game.
Improvements for Purdue Next Season
Limiting Turnovers
If there was one area that plagued the Boilermakers, it was turnovers. Purdue struggled with breaking the press. Edey and the younger guards turned the ball over at a higher rate than coach Matt Painter. They suffered 16 turnovers as a team in that NCAA Tournament loss to FDU. Edey led the Boilermakers with 77 turnovers.
The team needs to improve this area, especially against pressing opponents. Edey needs to make quicker decisions in the post and limit his turnovers to make him a harder player to double-team.
Loyer and Smith Need to Take the Next Step for Purdue
The supporting cast needs to make strides this upcoming season. Players like Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith are asked to make a significant step this season. Loyer and Smith must shoot better from the floor and produce better in big games. More specifically, Loyer needs to produce better, as he shot 6/30 in his last five games from the floor.
Smith needs to be better against the press, as he had seven turnovers in that loss to FDU. As a point guard, he needs to grasp a better command of the offense to get the Boilermakers to the next level. Smith did have an excellent year, but his weakness was the press, as it sped up his game and made him cough up the ball more often.
Perimeter Shooting
Perimeter shooting is an essential area of improvement for this upcoming season. Purdue only shot 32.2% from three, 11th in the Big 10 Conference. Edey demands a lot of attention in the paint because of his dominance, but double teams allow shooters to get open shots. Purdue’s supporting cast must make more three-point shots at a better percentage. It will open up driving lanes and give Edey more room to operate in the post. If Purdue wants a better offense this upcoming season, they have to get into the top 5 for three-point field goal percentage in the Big 10.
Expectations for Purdue
Purdue is a team that will be highly ranked going into this season. They return arguably the best player in NCAA basketball and the core of their scoring load from a year ago. However, they need to address their weaknesses, and there cannot be confidence in their national championship contention unless they address their weak points. They should be favored to win the Big 10, but a good tourney run is all that matters for the Boilermakers. This year is a revenge season.
