Arizona Vs Purdue 🏀 Game Preview/Discussion Thread 12/16/23 At 230pm Peacock

[WILD]

Arizona Vs Purdue 🏀 Game Preview/Discussion Thread 12/16/23 At 230pm Peacock

The No. 1 Arizona Wildcats are set to face off against No. 3 Purdue University at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 2:30 p.m. in one of the season's most anticipated matchups. The Wildcats (8-0) are coming off of a dominant 98-73 win over No. 23 University of Wisconsin, as Arizona collected its third top-25 victory of the season. The two squads hold two of the longest active non-conference regular season winning streaks, with the Boilers winning 32 straight and Arizona winning 19 straight.

Arizona is the last team in the nation that is undefeated straight up and against the spread. The Wildcats had their fair share of easy games, but also played defeated #2 Duke, #21 Michigan State and #23 Wisconsin. The Wildcats are deep, they have five players averaging double figures, with future pros and 7-footers on the roster. In their last game, all five starters reached double figures, led by guard Pelle Larson with 21 points in the win over Wisconsin.
The Wildcats are led in scoring by UNC-transfer Caleb Love with 14.1 PPG. Love is an athletic 6'4 guard and is the best perimeter defender on the team with 1.6 steals per game. Love also averages 5.0 RPG and 4.5 APG. Kylan Boswell is the best pro prospect on the team, the 6'2 sophomore is projected as the 19th pick in the draft by NBADraft.net and averages 12.4 PPG and 4.8 APG. Boswell is also the top shooter on the team with 21 made threes on the year. Keshad Johnson is an athletic power forward adding 12.6 PPG and 6.9 RPG, while Pelle Larson is a guard with good size on the perimeter at 6'6 and adds 12.3 PPG. The Wildcats are huge inside with 7'0 Oumar Ballo (12.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG) and 7'2 Motiejus Krivas (8.9 PPG, 5.0 RPG).

Arizona is currently 1st in the AP Poll, and rank 2nd according to KenPom, only trailing Houston. The Wildcats rank 6th in offensive efficiency and 2nd in defensive efficiency. The Wildcats play at a break-neck pace offensively, they play at the 6th fastest tempo in the nation.

Zach Edey has been dominating college basketball for the past two years, but may be up for his biggest challenge yet. The 7'4 center is the reigning National College Basketball Player of the Year, and is currently 2nd in the nation in scoring with 24.8 PPG, and 7th in rebounding with 10.8 per game. Edey now must contend with two 7-footers on Arizona in Ballo and Krivas, which will be a true challenge for the big man. Edey is coming off a 35 point, seven rebound performance against Alabama.

Edey is far from the only contributor Purdue has, they also have sophomore Braden Smith who puts up numbers across the board. Smith is a 6'0 guard averaging 13.2 PPG, 7.2 APG, and 5.9 RPG, he had a huge 27 point, eight assist and five rebound game last time out against Alabama. The top shooter on the team has been 6'1 Lance Jones with 18 triples on the season, he is a transfer from Southern Illinois that adds 10.6 PPG. Fletcher Loyer is the third scorer on the perimeter, he is a 6'4 sophomore adding another 6.4 PPG. There is a sharp drop in scoring after the top four, their next highest scorer is forward Trey Kaufman-Renn with 6.5 PPG as a 6'9 forward.

History vs. Purdue
The Purdue Boilermakers and the Arizona Wildcats share a long and storied history on the basketball court. They first faced each other on Jan 1, 1934, in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue emerged victorious with a score of 34-23, setting the stage for their rivalry. Following a 34-year hiatus, the two teams met again in 1968, where Purdue once again emerged victorious, winning by a massive margin of 98-72.

They played six more times over the next 20 years, each team winning three games apiece. This Saturday's game will mark their 13th encounter, with Purdue currently holding an 8-4 lead over Arizona in the series, having won three of their last four matchups since 2000. The Wildcats will be hoping to turn the tables and emerge victorious.

Purdue is favored at -1.5 and the Over/Under is 156.5

Let's talk about the Wildcats Vs Boilermakers!

BEARDOWN!!!

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[arxpert]

Not as much of a measuring stick game as some think. Interesting though. I still don't understand who thought it was a great idea to schedule 1 game a week like this. Maybe it is helpful since this stretch is full of ranked games. Not sure. Looked like we handled it well vs Wisconsin. Hard to tell if momentum could slide. Have to play a very diligent game while still remaining loose enough to compete on our terms.

Have to stay away from dumb fouls. Pelle must continue to listen and not try to slide under anyone to draw charges. We need him on the court for this one. Keshad has to keep his composure. Ballo and Krivas will be expected to battle Yao Edey, but not put him on the line as Edey can make FTs. I'd rather see Ballo/Krivas getting bad charge calls on Offense being aggressive than see him give up soft And-1's or cheapies to Edey on the defensive end.

I will not be shocked to see something like a Boswell, Love, Lewis, Pelle, Keshad lineup (or Ballo for Keshad) in some stretches to try to out run Purdue. Giving up a 2 for 2 is not bad if we are tiring them out in the process.

We can't fall in love with the 3 ball if it's not dropping, but we have to test their perimeter defense. Wish we had more set plays for catch and shoot from 3, but mostly I have seen Keshad sagged off of so he takes the shot or Pelle takes one off a basic pass. Nothing that drawn up. Especially with Boswell and Love.

Attack the basket. ATTACK THE BASKET. Force the refs to blow that whistle. FORCE IT. Take a charge call if you must. Establish the fact you will not stop attacking the rim and you won't settle for jump shots. It cannot be a charge every time.

Guard the perimeter. Do not let Purdue make their 3's. They are not predicated on the 3, but we can't casually allow them to hit 7 to 10 3's in this game. Don't make them better than they are. Make them Run and play in chaos. When they slow it down, pressure the ball, don't sag off worrying about their version of a moonball lob to Yao Edey.

This will be a March Madness style game. It's a faux road game. Purdue is about an hour to 90min from this arena. The atmosphere should resemble that of a Regional Madness game though. Sure, Purdue will have their fans, but it is also a big event in general in a big *ish* city so a lot of people from all over the Midwest will show up and not all of them are Purdue-Friendly.

I think we will have fans there and/or people rooting for us. And if not, then we are going to hurt a lot of corn fed feelings.

[Deb]

Deny entry passes and push the pace. Edey can't run with us. AZ is #5 in the country in tempo. Let's make them feel it.

Edey will get his, one third of which will be from the line. He shot 20 ft's vs Northwestern - and they still beat him with a guard. We have very good athletic, tough guards this season. Let er rip!

[Blafresh]

Edey will get his just due to his size and skill, just need Ballo/Krivas to fight and make it tough. If we can lockdown the Purdue guards I think we will win this. We need to pound the glass and limit 2nd chances. I am stoked for this big game. Bear down!

[WILD]

Arizona will be rocking the Blue uniforms against Purdue this Saturday!

https://twitter.com/Zona_Briggs/status/1735352934047858729

[arxpert]

Arizona will be rocking the Blue uniforms against Purdue this Saturday!

https://twitter.com/Zona_Briggs/status/1735352934047858729

Still looking for a 2000-2003 Era pair of the Blue and White basketball shorts. Have a couple pairs of the Red and White. No one really wore the Blue and White back in my day.

Also back then, the shorts were so long I have no idea how players dribbled between their legs without the ball going awry. Elite handles I guess.

A size Medium was like Mid-Shins length for me and that was like 20 years ago. Once in a while they pop up for sale online. Most of the time they are expensive. They are the best shorts design Arizona basketball ever put out.

I vote someone starts a forum section for a finders club for Arizona memorabilia and merch. Never know what people have laying around or can find.

[|ᴘ|ʀ|ʏ|ᴍ|ᴇ|]

Arizona will be rocking the Blue uniforms against Purdue this Saturday!

https://twitter.com/Zona_Briggs/status/1735352934047858729

Still looking for a 2000-2003 Era pair of the Blue and White basketball shorts. Have a couple pairs of the Red and White. No one really wore the Blue and White back in my day.

They are the best shorts design Arizona basketball ever put out.

Agreed. The double CATS shorts and the V-necks are untouchable. Not to mention it also brought about the red colorway, which didn't exist in the original run.

[WILD]

https://twitter.com/Zona_Briggs/status/1736083989083852968

[WILD]

https://twitter.com/jgtrends/status/1736053822500594080

[arxpert]

Not as much of a measuring stick game as some think. Interesting though. I still don't understand who thought it was a great idea to schedule 1 game a week like this. Maybe it is helpful since this stretch is full of ranked games. Not sure. Looked like we handled it well vs Wisconsin. Hard to tell if momentum could slide. Have to play a very diligent game while still remaining loose enough to compete on our terms.

Have to stay away from dumb fouls. Pelle must continue to listen and not try to slide under anyone to draw charges. We need him on the court for this one. Keshad has to keep his composure. Ballo and Krivas will be expected to battle Yao Edey, but not put him on the line as Edey can make FTs. I'd rather see Ballo/Krivas getting bad charge calls on Offense being aggressive than see him give up soft And-1's or cheapies to Edey on the defensive end.

I will not be shocked to see something like a Boswell, Love, Lewis, Pelle, Keshad lineup (or Ballo for Keshad) in some stretches to try to out run Purdue. Giving up a 2 for 2 is not bad if we are tiring them out in the process.

We can't fall in love with the 3 ball if it's not dropping, but we have to test their perimeter defense. Wish we had more set plays for catch and shoot from 3, but mostly I have seen Keshad sagged off of so he takes the shot or Pelle takes one off a basic pass. Nothing that drawn up. Especially with Boswell and Love.

Attack the basket. ATTACK THE BASKET. Force the refs to blow that whistle. FORCE IT. Take a charge call if you must. Establish the fact you will not stop attacking the rim and you won't settle for jump shots. It cannot be a charge every time.

Guard the perimeter. Do not let Purdue make their 3's. They are not predicated on the 3, but we can't casually allow them to hit 7 to 10 3's in this game. Don't make them better than they are. Make them Run and play in chaos. When they slow it down, pressure the ball, don't sag off worrying about their version of a moonball lob to Yao Edey.

This will be a March Madness style game. It's a faux road game. Purdue is about an hour to 90min from this arena. The atmosphere should resemble that of a Regional Madness game though. Sure, Purdue will have their fans, but it is also a big event in general in a big *ish* city so a lot of people from all over the Midwest will show up and not all of them are Purdue-Friendly.

I think we will have fans there and/or people rooting for us. And if not, then we are going to hurt a lot of corn fed feelings.

I rarely do this Mid-Game, but if Tommy doesn't stop what he is doing, we will lose by 20+. If this is Tommy's plan then he needs to play Ballo with Krivas and seal Edey on the offensive end because our Guards can get into the lane anytime they want. Defensively, let Ballo and Krivas worry about Edey and actually Guard the perimeter. Stop the entry pass with Ballo in front of Edey. If this is going to be Purdue's day to hit 20 3's then so be it, but don't be playing scared. That is unacceptable.

Ballo is incapable of keeping up. I can't trust him to front Edey and still close out on a Jump shot. However this should have been tested already after Edey's first trip to the bench when he came back in. Now I don't know if we can afford to try the adjustment because of our deficit. Tommy cannot do the same thing and expect different results. Purdue can come back down to earth and start bricking 3's, but that is not a strategy. That is not Coaching.

No matter what we need to keep scoring and everything else will sort itself out naturally. If we go cold it is done.

Tommy needs to get the team to stop this sag off coverage and actually Guard the Perimeter as I said this week, no more free 3's.

PS - This was the quickest Half Time I have ever seen. I don't know why, but that doesn't favor us either.