Michigan State will try to stop it's second two-game losing streak of the season on Saturday afternoon as they welcome the Purdue Boilermakers to the Breslin Center. Purdue is 14-5 on the season and, like MSU, 4-2 in conference play entering this game. The Boilers have had an inconsistent season thus far...they've handed Illinois their only loss as of this writing in Big Ten play and have a road win at Minnesota, normally a tough venue. Yet, they lost at Penn State and took a recent home court defeat at the hands of Wisconsin, who was reeling entering that game. What has helped Purdue remain competitive after the loss of E'Twaun Moor and JuJuan Johnson has been the return of 5th year senior Robbie Hummel to the lineup. Hummel might not be quite the same player he was prior to last season, but he's reasonably close and is obviously the key guy in the Boiler lineup. His presence, along with a deep roster of guards, gives Purdue a chance to extend their NCAA Tournament bid streak.
Head Coach Tom Izzo and Senior Draymond Green give their scouting report of Purdue Star Robbie Hummel and talk about their upcoming matchup against the Boilermakers.
BACKCOURT – Lewis Jackson is the orchestrator for the Boilers. The 5'9” senior has played a lot of basketball for coach Matt Painter and is one of three Purdue players averaging double figures, at 10 ppg. Jackson has never been a reliable jump shooter, doing most of his damage via penetration, and that's held true this season as well. He's at 47% overall but just 24% from deep and he only takes about 1 three per game on average. Jackson is a solid decision maker at the point, creating scoring chances for teammates via penetration, and he's a tough defender, though his lack of height can make him occasionally vulnerable against the wrong matchup.
Senior Ryne Smith got off to a sensational start shooting the ball this season and has since cooled down some, but he's still a big time threat for this team and is second in scoring at 10.2 ppg. Smith is almost entirely a three point shooter (117 of his 134 attempts from the field so far have come from outside the arc), so he's not a guy you play to do anything else but shoot the jumper, which he hits at a 45% clip. The big difference between his start and his current play is that teams have focused a bit more on him and thus shot opportunities haven't presented themselves as regularly as they were previously. He's a decent secondary ballhanding option and uses his experience to be another respectable perimeter defensive presence, though he's not an individual stopper by any means.
Kelsey Barlow is the third guard starter. The 6'5” junior has bounced back after an off year as a sophomore to become a reliable presence for the Boilers. Barlow is another guy who isn't much of a deep threat but he uses his size to contribute almost 9ppg for Purdue anyway, mostly coming from inside the arc. He's second on the team in rebounding and leads them in steals, showing a versatility that Painter needs in his lineup. Barlow is also second on the team in assists and has a 2:1 assist to TO ratio. Basically, he's playing solid all-around basketball, with jump shooting the one glaring weakness.
Painter will play several guards off his bench as well. 6'2” sophomore Terone Johnson had a promising freshman season last year and is still playing large minutes for Purdue, but he hasn't progressed as much as they hoped. Seen as a potential point guard of the future, he's struggled with turnovers at times. He is an aggressive player at both ends, though he too struggles with the jump shot. Redshirt freshman Anthony Johnson is a 6'3” guard whom they see as an eventual wing scorer. He too hasn't shot the ball very well, but he's dynamic enough with his handle and athletic ability that he's still been able to bring some occasional scoring punch. He needs to continue to get stronger. Junior DJ Byrd plays inside as often as out, but the 6'5” junior is listed here on the perimeter. He is one Boiler besides Smith who actually is having success with the jumper this season, hitting 40% of his threes, and that's the main way he scores for this team. Byrd is a grit/hustle player not all that dissimilar from Zack Novak at Michigan, save that he's playing less for his team. Similar size and style of play, though.
