Break actually comes at opportune time for Purdue
A week ago at this time, Purdue might have been happy to play every single night, riding a four-game winning streak and building momentum rapidly.
But with Sasha Stefanovic now idled by COVID-19, this impromptu eight-day break in the schedule actually works out well.
The Boilermakers' game at Ohio State last Tuesday night was moved up in order to free this week up to accommodate a re-do on the postponed visit from Nebraska. The best-laid plans fell apart, though, due to the Cornhuskers' on-going virus issues.
So Purdue gets the week to rest and practice prior to Saturday night's meeting with Minnesota in Mackey Arena. There's no real head-to-head advantage with the Gophers because Minnesota has the week off, too, but every game Purdue doesn't play this week is one less game it plays without Stefanovic, who's certain to miss at least the Minnesota game and the trip to Maryland a few days later. But had there been a game this week, it would have been another casualty.
Purdue, in its current form, fell to No. 7 Michigan by 17 Friday night, so it moves into its bye week with its distinct momentum having been stemmed.
"We have to take these next steps seriously," said freshman Jaden Ivey, who started vs. Michigan in Stefanovic's place.
Part of this week's story for Purdue will be about acclimating to playing without Stefanovic, one of its most reliable, experienced and influential players, especially offensively.
"We have to do everything else better," said associate head coach Micah Shrewsberry, who coordinates Purdue's offense. "I don't think you can replace what he does. He's not just a plug-and-play guy where you just throw somebody else in that position and get the same thing. The main thing for us is that we can't have other people trying to do what he does. They just have to be themselves. And we need to figure out the best ways to utilize those guys to their strengths, not their strengths to what Sasha does."
Defensively, same deal.
Stefanovic isn't going to win Big Ten Defensive Player-of-the-Year this season, but his experience and knowledge are important.
Purdue kept Hunter Dickinson and Franz Wagner in check and held Michigan to 70 points, but allowed more than half of them in the paint, lapsing against the dribble, the very focus of its defensive philosophy.
"Sasha is a steadying presence," said assistant coach Steve Lutz, who coordinates the defense. "He's usually in the right place and he doesn't gamble for the most part. He steadies our D, but again, you're 17 games in and you should be able to have the next person step in and not have a huge drop-off.
"Let's say 1 to 10, 10 being the best you can be, and we're maybe at an 8. We can't go from an 8 to a 3. We can go from an 8 to maybe a 7, maybe 6-and-a-half, but you can't go to a 3."
On both sides of the ball, this week is about detail.
Matt Painter has long coveted stretches of continuous in-season practice, believing them to be a chance to build back up habits that may lapse jumping from game prep to game prep.
The eight-day layoff afforded the Boilermakers both a pair of days off as well as at least two practices of me time before Minnesota work began.
"For us, it's a little bit of getting back to the basics," Shrewsberry said. "It wasn't as much about missing Sasha, but more working on the things that have kind of slipped a little bit as the season's gone on. It gives us a chance to emphasize some things again and really work on them, getting two or three days to work on ourselves before we have to start focusing in on Minnesota."
Lutz said virtually the same thing,
"We've got to get back to the basics — just taking pride in guarding the basketball and defending your own man," Lutz said. "You've got to have pride to, one on one, keep your man in front of you, to not give them angles, to keep them out of the paint, but also know that your teammate is taking pride in being there to help you. We've got to dial back and lock in defensively."
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