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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 12 • 31 BY GOLD AND BLACK STAFF A lready, freshman center Isaac Haas is getting attention. It's not only his stature — the fresh- man is 7-foot-2, 297 pounds after all — but his production, too. In the first two games of the Maui Invitational this week, a loss to Kansas State followed by a win over Missouri, Haas totaled 25 points and 14 rebounds while averaging 20 minutes per game. He's been a difficult matchup for op- ponents, because of his ability to get good position in the paint and finish; he hit 10 of his 13 field goal attempts through the two games. "I actually heard Missouri players (in their) huddle one time and they were talk- ing about how they didn't know what to do," junior captain Rapheal Davis said of Haas following Purdue's blowout of the Tigers. "They felt he was hitting them in all types of ways they'd never been hit be- fore. So him being that physical was just a boost to our team and adds that physical- ity that we need." And it gives Purdue a quality backup of A.J. Hammons, who has found it hard to get going in the early portion of the sea- son. The junior picked up two fouls in the first 63 seconds of Purdue's loss to Kansas State, then went to the bench. But Haas responded, going for 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, with six rebounds in the game. "I thought Isaac was great," Painter said after the game. "… I thought he played hard, thought he competed, get- ting good low post position against Thomas Gipson is not easy. Thomas Gip- son is a load, a good physical player, so I thought Isaac was great." Haas was good again vs. Missouri, complementing Hammons' 12 points and six rebounds with six points and eight boards. Purdue will frequently take a total of 18 points and 14 rebounds from its two 7-footers. Haas has been better this season than many could have predicted. He's Purdue's second-leading scorer, averaging 11.8 points per game on 74-percent shooting, and 5.8 rebounds per outing. Only his free throwing shooting could use work, as he's made only 19-of-35 (54 percent), includ - ing an 0-of-5 outing vs. the Tigers. There were indications early this sea- son that Haas could be an impact player, when he had 17 points and six boards against Grambling in Game 3. He played 24 minutes in the blowout of those Tigers, feeling like it'd give him a good precursor for better opponents. "It really helps me get comfortable on the court," he said after Grambling. "I've M E N ' S BA S K E T BA L L : N E W S A N D N OT E S vertime Purdue Isaac Haas has gotten the attention of the ESPN audi- ence in his first two games in Maui. 2014-15 PURDUE MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time/Result Nov. 2 CALIFORNIA (Pa.) (BTN Plus) W, 89-52 Nov. 7 CARROLL (BTN Plus) W, 90-49 Nov. 14 SAMFORD (BTN Plus) W, 80-40 Nov. 16 IUPUI (BTN) W, 77-57 Nov. 20 GRAMBLING (BTN Plus) W, 82-30 Maui Invitational - Lahaina, Hawaii Nov. 24 vs. Kansas State (ESPN2) L, 79-88 Nov. 25 vs. Missouri (ESPN2) W, 82-61 Nov. 26 vs. BYU (ESPN2) 5 p.m. Big Ten/ACC Challenge - West Lafayette Dec. 2 NC STATE (ESPN2/ESPNU) 9 p.m. Dec. 6 NORTH FLORIDA (BTN Plus) 2 p.m. Dec. 8 IPFW (ESPNU) 7 p.m. Dec. 10 ARKANSAS STATE (ESPNU) 7 p.m. Dec. 13 at Vanderbilt (SEC Network) 9 p.m. Crossroads Classic - Indianapolis Dec. 20 vs. Notre Dame (BTN) 5:15 p.m. Dec. 22 GARDNER-WEBB (BTN Plus) 6 p.m. Dec. 31 MINNESOTA (BTN) TBA Jan. 3 MICHIGAN (BTN) 2:15 p.m. Jan. 7 at Wisconsin (BTN) 7 p.m. Jan. 10 MARYLAND (BTN) 2:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at Penn State 1 p.m. Jan. 21 at Illinois (BTN) 9 p.m. Jan. 24 IOWA (BTN) Noon Jan. 28 INDIANA (BTN) 9 p.m. Jan. 31 at Northwestern (ESPNU) 6 p.m. Feb. 4 OHIO STATE (BTN) 6:30 p.m. Feb. 7 at Minnesota (BTN) 3 p.m. Feb. 12 at Rutgers(ESPNU) 7 p.m. Feb. 15 NEBRASKA (BTN) 5:15 p.m. Feb. 19 at Indiana (ESPN/ESPN2) 7 p.m. Feb. 26 RUTGERS (ESPNU) 9 p.m. March 1 at Ohio State (CBS/BTN) TBA March 4 at Michigan State (BTN) 8 p.m. March 7 ILLINOIS (BTN) 4:30 p.m. March 11-15 Big Ten Tournament (Chicago) Haas Playing Big For continuing coverage of Purdue in Maui, click here. For Season Stats Click Here