Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/227229
m e n ' s b a s k e t b a l l g o l d b o x l i n k s t o g a m e s t o r y A Look Back At the last week of basketball BY BRIAN NEUBERT BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com P urdue comes out of final exams with an 8-2 record, immersed in a key stretch during its non-conference season, with meetings with Butler and West Virginia lying ahead. Here are our takeaways from the Boilermakers' win over Eastern Michigan: S Purdue seems to have turned a corner of sorts with its guard play, which was choppy early as too many of these more scoring-oriented guards Purdue has now were looking to do just that too often. Flash Forward Since the Washington State debacle in Florida, the Boilermakers have done a better job in the backcourt moving the ball and not playing as individuals quite as much as they were earlier in the season, a transition for a number of guards who are simply wired to score, always have been in their careers. P o i n t guards Ronnie Johnson and Bryson Opponent: Butler Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse When: 6 p.m. Saturday Notables: Butler's played well this season, even without injured standout Roosevelt Jones and in its first season without former coach Brad Stevens, who was replaced by former Ohio State, Illinois and Bulldog assistant Brandon Miller. … Now a member of the Big East, the Bulldogs are approaching their conference season with a 7-2 record to this point. Both of their losses, like Purdue, came in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, and both were close as can be. The Bulldogs fell by two to fifthranked Oklahoma State and lost in overtime to LSU. … Leading scorer Kellen Dunham is averaging 18.7 points and shooting nearly 48 percent from three-point range, while forward Khyle Marshall is averaging 17 points per game. Scott in particular seem to have stepped up their decision-making lately and not forced the issue quite as much as they might have a few weeks ago. S Freshman Kendall Stephens has been very aggressive with his shooting, which has been a good thing for Purdue as it's shown he's not fallen into the trap of passiveness a lot of rookies would. But against EMU, he did get "carried away" some, Matt Painter thought, as Stephens was 3-of-11 on threes. It's going to be an interesting balance from here on out, because Purdue needs Stephens to be aggressive. He's too important to the Boilermaker offense not to be and it's a simple fact that a quick, even questionable, shot for Stephens might be a higher-percentage situation than a better opportunity for most teammates. But there is a fine line and Stephens will have to walk it, because "open" may not necessarily be the shooter's baseline for when to shoot, because he's rarely going to be so this season. S Purdue started four freshmen against Eastern Michigan, but the significance is minimal, as it was only cosmetic. Scott got his first college start by virtue Tom Campbell Lately, Bryson Scott has become better at getting others involved in the offense rather than forcing the issue himself. of Ronnie Johnson being late for shootaround. And Jay Simpson's place in the starting five may at some point give way again to sophomore and returning starter A.J. Hammons, who's been coming off the bench the past few games after battling consistency and foul-trouble issues. Freshmen Basil Smotherman and Stephens have each come and gone from the starting unit, but both started vs. EMU. S Here's guessing that if Purdue shoots 65 percent at the foul line all season, it'll cost it multiple wins. S It's of critical importance now for Purdue to progress as the season goes on from a defensive perspective. It's shown flashes but still is just not very good. In the Big Ten, only Penn State allows more points per game than Purdue (71.4) and aside from Oklahoma State, the Boilermakers have yet to play an opponent that's anywhere near top 25-caliber. j GoldanDBlack express • volume 24, express 14 • 17