Much has been made of Purdue's offensive difficulties last season, obviously, as the Boilermakers' season-defining inconsistency was most apparent in its efforts to score.
Flashes of brilliances — utter annihilations of quality Virginia, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Iowa teams in Mackey Arena — were shrouded in turbulent play during a season cut short by a pandemic, maybe sparing Purdue the indignity of missing the NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers averaged just 66 points and shot just 40 percent overall from the floor in Big Ten play last season.
For Purdue, it was frustrating; for Micah Shrewsberry probably especially so.
The Boilermakers' associate head coach oversees the offense, as he did during a prior stint at Purdue before he spent several years coaching in the NBA.
"I put the onus on myself to be better," Shrewsberry said, unprompted. "It's not just like it's me sitting on a high horse looking down and (saying), "They couldn't do this, or they couldn't do that.' I needed to be better at times, and I think having more familiarity with the system this year, and going through things last year, and now seeing college basketball for a year again, I think I can help us as well and help us get into different areas and be a little bit better and for these guys to shine. I want to kind of put that on myself as well."