Purdue vs. Xavier

[Apollo11]

Not much talk on this board about the upcoming game.

I have to say that I think it'll be a great game. Purdue is a very physical team and they (usually) play pretty tenacious man to man pressure defense. Purdue has won through not turning the ball over, creating turnovers, outside shooting, decent foul shooting and depth. We have a very balanced team and we play disciplined basketball. The primary scorers are Grant, Hummel and Moore, although Green and Martin are also threats. Calasan is a euro forward, who can play inside and outside, and can cause problems if he gets hot (which isn't often). Our young 6-10 big man, Johnson, is coming off a career game against Baylor, where here showed some glimpses of big man greatness. Our leader is Chris Kramer, B10 DPOY, who is our shut down stopper. He might be on Lavender, or he might be on Burrell. He did a good job slowing down IU's Gordon, and he basically shut down MSU's Nietzal.

I understand that Xavier runs a "sag line" defense, which sounds cool, and I think is designed to stop penetration. I wouldn't think this is a big match-up issue for us, because we run a motion offense, so you'll see the ball circulating on the top of the key, lots of passing trying to bounce pass the ball inside or to the corners for open looks.

If you play man defense, Purdue will probably force some of your forwards out away from the hoop, as our front court has alot of "tweeners" , guys who can play a 2 or a 3, or a 3 or a 4. Johnson is like a 4/5, but we have no true 4 or true 5.

I would expect Xavier to try to match up Lavender on Keaton Grant, as Grant is a bit of a turnstile on defense when faced with penetrating guards.

I've heard the ESPN folks say that Lavender hasn't looked the same since injuring his ankle a few weeks ago. I don't know how true that is, but it would explain your let down in the A10 tourney.

The one thing I would say is that the Boilers will not be effected by their youth. These guys have been playing together for years, that is unusual. Hummel and Grant have been playing together since they were 6. Indiana kids, as a general rule, have good basketball instincts. They have performed, and won, in high pressure big games this season, and I wouldn't expect anything different tomorrow. Literally, they haven't played like freshman since the opening of the conference season.

In conclusion, I would say that Painter's teams have been defined by passion and tenacity, and I would expect more of the same tomorrow. We're the underdog, hopefully we'll play with that underdog spirit, like we have all season.

Here's to a clean game tomorrow, if you win, i'll be routing for the Musketeers the rest of the way. Xavier's a proud school, and you, like Purdue, probably deserve better luck then they have received over the years.

[cincycanesfan]

Nice analysis of the game, and thanks for the kind words. I have only seen Purdue play twice this year, but their athleticism impressed me. Luckily we have a lot of guys that can guard multiple roles too, guys like Brown, Anderson and Jackson can guard up to three positions, and Lavender and Burrell should be able to put good pressure on the point.

Enjoy the game, and Go X!

[bluegrass]

It seems like most experts are giving X the edge because of Purdue's youth.Hopefully that will be the difference in a close game.