GBI Express

Gold and Black Express, Vol 25 Ex 13

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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 13 • 1 BY BRIAN NEUBERT BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com B y any objective measure, Purdue's fresh- man-heavy men's basketball team is very much on schedule. Never mind for a second the 6-1 record, the Boilermakers' best start through seven games since 2011, to this point but rather how Purdue has found early success, capped by an overtime win at the Maui Invitational over anticipated NCAA Tournament team BYU and a win in West Lafayette over North Carolina State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. It's how Purdue has been winning that is most interesting and might suggest long- term sustainability for a team that's playing four freshmen significant minutes. S Offensively, Purdue is averaging 79 points per game, good for 32nd nationally as of Wednesday night. When the Boilermakers faced a higher level of competition in Maui, their scoring went up vs. Kansas State, Missouri and BYU over early wins over low-majors Samford, IUPUI and Grambling. Purdue has been prone to turnovers but improved vs. the Wolf - pack, trimming its total to 10, though again, Purdue's mistakes led to a great deal of the opponent's scoring. S The Boilermak- ers have followed the model offensively laid out prior to the season. The post has been extremely productive, with A.J. Hammons and emerging-standout freshman Isaac Haas combining to average 21 points per game on a combined 61-per- cent shooting. Haas has made a name for himself quickly. The 7-foot-2 rookie is Purdue's second- leading scorer, averaging 12 points per game on 71-percent shooting. Opponents have no answer for his size. Haas, per Ken Pomeroy's metrics, leads college basketball in fouls drawn per 40 min - utes: 9.7. Purdue would love for him to be shoot- ing better than 61 percent at the foul line, but since going 0-for-5 vs. Kansas State in Hawaii, he's been reliable. He was 5-for-5 vs. N.C. State. The Boilermakers, as planned, have sur- rounded their posts with skill, and it's show- ing up. Purdue's shooting 38 percent from three- point range collectively, but a player-by-play- er look at things paints a better picture. Returnee Kendall Stephens is shooting 46.5 percent from beyond the arc. Freshman forward Vince Edwards is shooting even bet- ter, 47.6 percent, and classmate Dakota Math- ias is knocking down 41.7 percent. Purdue's passing has exponentially im- proved over past seasons. It has recorded an assist on 66.3 percent of its made field goals, putting it on the cusp of the top 10 nationally in that category. Last year: 51 percent, good for 184th in college basketball. S Purdue's showed it could win a high- scoring game in Maui, beating BYU 87-85 in overtime, then a lower-scoring game, 66-61 Tom Campbell Junior captain Rapheal Davis celebrates in the closing seconds of Purdue's dramatic win over North Carolina State on Dec. 2. 6 Purdue's consecutive wins in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, the best current streak by a long shot. 19 Years since Purdue had a running back gain more than 170 yards in a game twice in a season. Akeem Hunt did it this year, the first since Mike Alstott in 1995. 2001 Most recent year in which there were fewer points scored in a Bucket game. In that contest, Indiana beat Purdue 13-7 in a monsoon in Bloomington, 19 fewer points than were scored between the teams Saturday. 1-7 Purdue's record in the Big Ten/ ACC Challenge after a tough overtime loss to Florida State Wednesday night. THE NUMBERS VOLUME 25, EX 13 • DEC. 4, 2014 Inside | Men's hoops gallery, notes 6-9 Women fall 10–12 | Football notes 24-28 Volleyball snubbed for NCAA 33-35 So Far, So Good For Boilermakers

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