GoldandBlack.com Analysis and Wrap Video: Purdue's win at Indiana

BLOOMINGTON — Our post-game analysis and Wrap Video from Purdue's 81-69 win at Indiana.

One thing seemed very apparent during this young Purdue team's first meeting with IU this season: The youngsters are gamers.

Granted, this wasn't typical Purdue-Indiana with the environment what it was, but four freshmen factored heavily into this outcome.

Jaden Ivey played maybe his best game as a Boilermaker – and Purdue may not have beaten Maryland without him — while Brandon Newman started strong and finished stronger. Ethan Morton made a three-pointer that's easily overlooked as a really critical play. And Mason Gillis continues to be the this team's motor, crushing the little-things category.

All four got chances to make profound impacts during one of the biggest games on the schedule and all four delivered, one game after the other freshman, Zach Edey, combined with Gillis to make the play that gave the Boilermakers a chance at Michigan State.

Purdue's got a lot to be enthusiastic about regarding its young players' ability, but Thursday night showed it's about more than that, that they're also competitors and nothing really seems to faze them.

There's a lot of substance there in addition to talent and that's exciting for Purdue, because there are legit stars-in-the-making in this class

Purdue's future is bright, but after the past two games, the present isn't looking so bad either.

What's more to be said about the level Trevion Williams is playing at right now?

He's highly unlikely to be first-team All-Big Ten this season due to the logjam of great bigs in the Big Ten, but he's played at that sort of level the past four games or so, and seems to be getting better as he goes.

And he's leading.

Williams' effort has been exemplary. He's chasing every rebound, and that in itself affects the game. How many fouls has he drawn and how many possessions has he kept simply by going after the ball off the offensive glass, even if he doesn't get it?

He's coming up big in high-leverage moments, providing this team a centerpiece that wants the ball when it matters most. He's been a real security blanket for Purdue.

And he just seems wiser.

Williams is starting to talk like a coach, constantly mentioning the importance of his own simplicity and taking broader views on things, like tonight when he was asked about winning two road games and pivoted to the importance of Purdue taking nothing for granted at home.

A few things to mention here: For one thing, when Williams got to Purdue, he was very young for his age. A certain maturity may really be starting to kick in. He himself Thursday night said he's "growing up."

Another thing, this was a weird summer and one that may have been harder on bigger people whose conditioning matters a little more, whether they got the virus or not.

Williams slipped out of shape.

He looks like he's come a long way on the fly in-season.

Whatever the reasons may be, Williams has taken himself to a different level lately.

Purdue probably isn't a decidedly better team, generally speaking, than Indiana, nor was it last season.

It is, however, a markedly more skilled team, and that's been one of the big differences between these two rivals and part of the reason the Boilermakers have dominated the series lately.

The Boilermakers have stockpiled shooters, and it's paid off so much over the years, and it really paid off Thursday night.

Indiana, meanwhile, somehow has a roster, again, curiously short on shooting, and for that reason it's not taking full advantage of the time it has with Trayce Jackson-Davis.

When you can shoot, you're way harder to guard; when you can't, you're not.

Purdue was hard to guard Thursday night, not just because it was making every shot it took from long range, but because it could; Indiana wasn't as hard to guard as it should be, having Jackson-Davis, because it struggles in that area.

Matt Painter wasn't exactly swooning over his defense afterward, feeling like Jackson-Davis got too many clean catches and too much good position. He did on both fronts.

But if you look at it from the viewpoint of a great player getting his, but no one else beating you, Purdue got it done.

IU's guards got very little at the rim, an objective for Purdue beyond just slowing TJD.

Thing is, you don't have to worry about all that much beyond Jackson-Davis with Indiana whereas with Purdue, Trevion Williams can be only part of the challenge.

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