Preview: Purdue
The Essentials
WHAT | Michigan v. Purdue |
---|---|
WHERE | West Lafayette, IN |
WHEN | 4:00PM EST January 23rd, 2010 |
THE LINE | Michigan +11.5* |
TELEVISION | Big Ten Network |
*Line provided by online sports betting site Sportsbetting.com.
Michigan
Since I didn't recap the Wisconsin game in it's own post, a brief overview: It was good and then it sucked. And as much as I don't like to whine about the refs, I thought this game (as with most at the Kohl Center) was officiated... sketchily. Moving on...
Though the tournament has been a hardly-realistic dream since much, much earlier this season, the Wolverines would have been back in the picture had they beaten Wisconsin. They didn't, so each game becomes a must-win to keep the dream alive. Unfortunately, that means they'll have to beat some really good teams. Having Wisconsin on the ropes in the Kohl Center is a good sign they can get it done, but now it's time to finish.
DeShawn Sims was a beast against Wisconsin for 25ish minutes, in no small part because they were missing Jon Leuer. It won't be as easy against a fully-heathy Purdue team, and he's going to need some help to get the job done. Manny Harris was having some success Purdue last year before his questionable ejection, and Michigan's shooters will have to be on their game as well.
Update: HAHA J/K MANNY IS SUSPENDED
Purdue
The Boilermakers started the season on fire, racing out to a 14-0 start before losing consecutive games to Puronsin, Ohio State, and Northwestern. They stopped the slide on Tuesday against Illinois, and sit at 15-3 on the season.
Purdue is led by a few guys who aren't quite stars on the Evan Turner-Manny Harris level, but are well-known nationally, and a few of them should play in the NBA. 6-4 guard E'Twaun Moore uses the most possessions for Purdue, and leads the team in eFG%. 6-8 forward Robbie Hummel might have the most name recognition on the team, if only because Purdue struggled somewhat last year when he was out with a back injury. He's a good rebounder and shooter, and has Purdue's best offensive rating. 6-10 center JaJuan Johnson rebounds well, swats a lot of shots, and gets to the free throw line more than any other Boilermaker. 6-3 guard Chris Kramer leads the team in getting elbowed in the face, and also in opposing fans wanting to elbow him in the face.
Purdue plays a different defensive style than Wisconsin, though both are known as exceptional defensive teams. Where the Badgers are content to prevent any penetration and clog the inside, Purdue will get out on the perimeter and try to take away passing lanes with their tight man defense.
Tempo-Free Breakdown
If you need an explanation of the stats, check out Ken Pomeroy.
Michigan v. Purdue: National Ranks | |||
---|---|---|---|
Category | Michigan Rank | Purdue Rank | Advantage |
Mich eFG% v. Pur Def eFG% | 187 | 47 | PP |
Mich Def eFG% v. Pur eFG% | 156 | 111 | P |
Mich TO% v. Pur Def TO% |
24 | 15 | - |
Mich Def TO% v. Pur TO% | 57 | 9 | P |
Mich OReb% v. Pur DReb% |
247 | 120 | PP |
Mich DReb% v. Pur OReb% | 238 | 170 | P |
Mich FTR v. Pur Opp FTR |
329 | 257 | P |
Mich Opp FTR v. Pur FTR |
16 | 135 | MM |
Mich AdjO v. Pur AdjD | 84 | 17 | P |
Mich AdjD v. Pur AdjO | 47 | 23 | P |
Difference of more than 10 places in the national rankings get a 1-letter advantage, more than 100 gets a 2-letter advantage, more than 200 gets a 3-letter advantage, etc.
Going into the game at Wisconsin, I thought MIchigan was a team finally rounding into form (hey, just a little late, guys!), but a team that was finally playing its best ball would have been able to come away with that win if they wanted any hope of making the tournament. So, we're left with the tough truth: Michigan is an NIT-caliber team, and Purdue is a top-5 seed caliber team.
Surprisingly, though, Purdue doesn't have huge advantages in any particular tempo-free category over the Wolverines (although they do have some advantage in nearly everything). This looks like yet another game (as almost all seem to recently) that Michigan should be able to keep close and then hopefully make a bid to steal it. That will be a tough task on the road, especially since Michigan had fewer days to prepare for this game than the Boilermakers did.
KenPom sees an 11-point MIchigan loss, and Vegas likes the Boilers by 11.5. I see this game being a little less close than that, and Purdue ices with free throws in the final couple minutes to emerge with a 16-point victory.
January 23rd, 2010 at 10:44 AM ^
January 23rd, 2010 at 10:45 AM ^
And as much as I don't like to whine about the refs, I thought this game (as with most at the Kohl Center) was officiated... sketchily. Moving on...I think "don't like to whine about the refs" is code for I do it all the time. I would wager that no less than 30 tweets related to the refs being bad over the last two seasons.
January 23rd, 2010 at 11:14 AM ^
January 23rd, 2010 at 4:37 PM ^
January 23rd, 2010 at 11:20 AM ^
January 23rd, 2010 at 11:31 AM ^
January 23rd, 2010 at 11:40 AM ^
January 23rd, 2010 at 11:42 AM ^
January 23rd, 2010 at 12:31 PM ^
January 23rd, 2010 at 11:44 AM ^
January 23rd, 2010 at 12:14 PM ^
Comments