By Matt St. Charles
From the moment Darian DeVries took the job of being Indiana’s head basketball coach, he knew Tuesday night’s game would be circled on every calendar in Bloomington. Purdue was the preseason No. 1 team in the country and currently sits at No. 4. Getting to hoist the Boilermakers in his first crack at them is a big opportunity for DeVries, and the whole team of new Hoosiers.
“It’s something that from your first day on the job, you understand the rivalry,” DeVries said. “When you’re around college sports, you understand all the different rivalries across the country, and there are a lot of good ones. This is certainly one of those that is a pretty special rivalry, and we’re excited for my first opportunity, and our team’s first opportunity to be a part of it.”
At a glance, that opportunity could prove to be a very tough one.
Purdue has been a juggernaut all season–up until this past week. The Boilermakers rank second in KenPom’s offensive efficiency (129.2), 30th in defensive efficiency (99.3). They land eighth in total KenPom net rating (29.91) and 10th in the NET with a 6-3 Quad 1 record.
Other notable stats include Purdue being first in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.21), third in assists per game (20.4), eighth in field goal percentage (.513), and 10th in both effective field goal percentage (.586) and lowest turnovers per game (9.2).
All that efficiency comes downwind of the elite point guard play of Braden Smith.
“They have great players across the board,” he added. “The main facilitator that gets it all started is obviously [Smith], and he’s as good as there is in the country in terms of playing pick-and-roll, making reads, and finding ways to exploit your coverage…All their parts fit really well together. They’re able to play off him. They can go inside and outside, but a lot of their catch-and-shoots are what you’d want them to be–they’re catch-and-shoots. He’s able to generate attention, get guys pulled over because there’s a post-up opportunity, or you have to stop the drive, and now they’re playing advantage basketball.
“It’s incredibly difficult,” DeVries added when asked about defending Smith. “You watch every game he’s played this year, and everybody finds it difficult. Nobody has really been able to slow him down. He has a great feel for where the ball needs to go, understands coverages, and can playmake from it. Even though he’s not overly tall, he can get to his spots, elevate, and finish over defenders. He has a unique knack for late decision-making passes, and it stretches your defense in every way.”
When someone does put Smith in a bind, an open look is missed, or the shot clock is dwindling down, the Purdue bigs are able to back him up and wash away any unfavorable situations.
“Their interior is really good,” DeVries said. “They have a four and a five that are big and take up space. They can finish inside, they’re lob threats, and they’re elite offensive rebounders–two of the best in the country. Even when you get them to miss, you still have to clean it up. They know where they want to get their angles and space. It’s a very balanced team. Braden has the ball a lot, but everybody understands their roles, and their bigs are a big part of that.”
For as well as Purdue has played since November, it’s trending in the wrong direction in the last week. Losing back-to-back games for the first time this season, the Boilermakers lost at UCLA and to Illinois. Against the Bruins, they held a 67-61 lead with under two minutes remaining. They also led Illinois 73-68 at the final media timeout.
Meanwhile, the Hoosiers ended a four-game slide with an 82-59 win at Rutgers in which they seemed to rediscover some of the identity that made them effective early in the season.
“I think in general, I liked our activity at both ends of the floor,” DeVries said. “Our ability to get stops and then get out and play in transition a little bit, and then our ability to keep the floor spaced and find shooters–certainly making shots is a big part of that, too. Everything looks a little better there. But overall, I thought it was a pretty complete performance at a place a lot of people have struggled. We were able to control it from start to finish and come away with a comfortable win.”
While a comfortable win feels unlikely on Tuesday, control will certainly play a huge factor. Purdue ranks 285th in the country in pace, creating just 65.2 possessions per 40 minutes. It loves to slow the game down, execute out of the halfcourt, and be more efficient than you to get the win. Indiana had just five turnovers on Friday against Rutgers, and it’ll have to value the basketball to that same effect to stay in this game.
Purdue has won three of the last four meetings and 16 of the last 21, but the 222nd matchup will be the first to feature DeVries. The game is the halfway point of Big Ten play, and he’s hoping his team can recreate its previously found success against its biggest rival.
“It’s consistency from game to game and even within a 40-minute game,” DeVries said. “Even in some of our losses, there have been really good stretches for 25 or 30 minutes. But it’s a 40-minute game, and being able to sustain that over the course of a high-level game is something we’re still striving for. I believe it’s there.”