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Published Nov 12, 2021
Breakdown: Purdue's win over Indiana State
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Brian Neubert  •  BoilerUpload
GoldandBlack.com staff
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Our Breakdown of No. 7 Purdue's 92-67 rout of Indiana State Friday night in Mackey Arena.

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WHAT HAPPENED

The full expectation around Purdue's basketball program — and beyond, really — has been that both Jaden Ivey and Zach Edey would take significant leaps forward as sophomores this season and establish themselves as two of the best players in the Big Ten, if not all of college basketball.

On Friday night, the second-year tandem lived up, propelling No. 7 Purdue to a 92-67 clobbering of visiting Indiana State.

Coming off a bit of an uneven opener against Bellarmine, Ivey was eager to show better against the Sycamores.

"It was the way I played last game," Ivey said of the impetus behind his 10-of-13, 27-point, eight rebound outburst Friday night. "I just wasn't in rhythm, and there's going to be games like that where you're just not in rhythm. I came out to play today, came out with an empty mind and let the game come to me and fed off my teammates."

Meanwhile, Edey — prone to relatively quiet starts in two home games prior to this one — asserted himself immediately in a variety of ways.

In the first half, he was 5-of-5 for 15 points; in the second, Indiana State switched its defense to start double-teaming him and he responded by doling out two of his three assists after halftime, both to Caleb Furst diving to the basket.

"He's taking his time and he's just more fundamentally sound in his ability to pass," Coach Matt Painter said of Edey. "That's probably the area for him that's improved the most.

"And then just his own recognition of how good he is. Most guys think they're better than they are. He's one of those guys who doesn't realize how good he can be."

He got a good look against the Sycamores.

When all was said and done, the 7-foot-4 center totaled 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting, with 10 rebounds, three blocks and three assists.

The two budding standouts led a Purdue effort that saw the Boilermakers take command following a brief lull to start the game. With Edey affecting the game on the interior and Ivey attacking in both the halfcourt and full-court, Purdue ripped off a 15-3 first half run to open the game up.

It started with Ivey probing off the dribble, drawing a double team off Sasha Stefanovic and passing to Stefanovic for a three.

"Jaden is someone who just has to pick his spots," Painter said. "He had his moments today, but he also did a much better job picking his spots when to attack and when not to attack."

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HOW IT HAPPENED

That first half run featured a little of everything, from Ivey's passing to his dynamic finishes in the open floor or around the basket, a backcourt steal from Ethan Morton and finally this: The 15-3 run was capped by Trevion Williams draining a three-pointer from the top of the arc.

Williams played with a distinct energy on Friday night, finishing with 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists and four blocked shots.

He led Purdue during a first-half stretch of fervent offensive rebounding and his defense around the rim — those blocks — was part of the Boilermakers' offensive mix.

Purdue generated at least seven points directly off its eight blocked shots and totaled 21 points off Indiana State's 12 turnovers.

Ivey was a key component of that transition offense.

Purdue led by four after Cooper Neese snapped an 8-0 Boilermaker run with a three five minute into the game, but Trevion Williams' block then set up an Ivey transition bucket, sparking the run that Purdue rode to a 21-point halftime lead.

"That's where we want him to be really aggressive," Painter said. "Not necessarily when you're staring at 10 eyes."

GAME GLANCE
Key SequencePlayer of the GameStat of the Game

That 15-3 first half run was the moment the game swung decidedly toward the Boilermakers, but later in the half, Purdue went ballistic on the offensive glass for a stretch and pushed its lead into the 20s.

Jaden Ivey played like an All-American against Indiana State. He was the total package tonight and did an excellent job making decisions and weaponizing the assets around him. He seemed sound on D, too.

Jaden Ivey and Zach Edey combined to make 18-of-22 shots as Purdue finished the game shooting 53-plus percent. Forty-two points came in the paint. High-percentage offense.

WHAT IT MEANS

It means Purdue held serve, but also served notice that this group has the potential to be an excellent offensive basketball team, and an excellent basketball team, period.

When Ivey and Edey play like this — or simply influence the game like this — there's no limit to what this team is capable of.


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