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Gold and Black Illustrated, Vol 27, Digital 3

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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 3 58 make threes? At the bare minimum ... why can't we get three or four guys like that? It was silent in the room. I just said, 'We need to go out and get the best shooter we can get.' If the best shooter ends up being the eighth-best player in the country, we're probably not getting him. But we can go out and get somebody who's a top-100-fringe player that we think is the best shooter in our state, the best shooter in the Midwest, just a great all-around shooter." Purdue's success this season has been the result of that emphasis. But that success has also made Purdue's greatest flaw even more maddening. The Boilermakers have endured a turnover problem this season, an issue that's had very little to do with its actual passing and decision-making — typically the leading causes of such problems — and more to do with just general sloppiness. For as efficient as Purdue has been when it's actual- ly gotten shots off, it underscores that need to protect the basketball better than it has, which would make the Boilermakers an even higher-scoring team than they've been and inevitably boost they're defense. That category — turnovers — is probably where Purdue's up-side lies from here on out. But in back- to-back games in mid-December, Purdue had only 15 combined turnovers, nine against Notre Dame and six vs. Western Illinois. Purdue has been a good team, likely to be 11-2 and ranked in the top 15 heading into Big Ten play, as is, largely because of a uniquely balanced offense that has created real dilemmas for opponents. "It's just a tough matchup for people when we're hitting shots the way we have been," Mathias said. j It's All On GoldandBlack.com The Best Purdue Sports Information On The Web • Real-time recruiting • Game stories, analysis and blogs • Premium message boards • Video, audio, live stream events and more • Exclusive access to premium information Part of the Rivals.com network Free trials available! Note: GoldandBlack.com is a separate subscription than your subscription to Gold & Black Illustrated/Gold and Black EXPRESS.

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