GoldandBlack.com Analysis: Purdue's win over Virginia

Purdue scored an early signature win Wednesday night, rolling over fifth-ranked Virginia 69-40 in Mackey Arena, striking a blow for its league in the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Our analysis and Wrap Video from the blowout win.

Matt Painter did take some risk In juggling his starting five, potentially messing with a good thing defensively in a game in which every point could have mattered.

He was rewarded in a big way, however, since Sasha Stefanovic was the difference in the game, but also with the play of his two big men, Matt Haarms and Trevion Williams, who started and played together much of the game, really for the first time in their careers.

There was some roughness around the edges in terms of the two big men passing to each other, but each played well, and as far as defensive-matchup trade-offs go, Purdue's overall performance speaks for itself.

The plus/minus is a flawed metric in basketball, clearly, but on this night, it rang true: Williams was a team-best plus-35. His effort and tenacity and persistence going after the ball set a tone for Purdue much like the many different tones Sasha Stefanovic set.

Did Purdue need to do this on the glass? It had been rebounding well — and Aaron Wheeler, in terms of statistics, had been Purdue's leading rebounder — but Williams' physicality — and again, his tenacity — did make a difference against Virginia's solid and big front line.

Haarms and Williams outplayed Mamadi Diakite — he was scoreless in the second half after getting 10 in the first — and Jay Huff, two of Virginia's best active players, and did so in different ways.

While Williams was a force on the interior, Haarms made big threes. He's now made three in a row, factoring In his final attempt vs. Florida State.

He's now 5-of-10 on the season.

What a weapon that can be for Purdue.

Purdue needed returning players to grow into new, expanded roles, and while that hasn't gone all that smoothly for some, Eric Hunter seems to be trending very well.

Hunter was the epitome of efficiency vs. Virginia, managing 10 points on just five shots, to go with four assists to just one turnover. That Painter turned to him to be Purdue's point guard against a defense that tests one's decision-making, but also to start off on Kihei Clark, probably said something about his trust level.

But Hunter's defense has strong, as well, both individually and otherwise.

The transition three he made in the first five minutes of the second half — his back-to-back threes went a long way to ensuring this stayed a blowout — came off his own defense, an Impressive help-side deflection in defensive rotation that led to a steal and his fast-break triple.

More than anything, Hunter's significance right now may lie in the fact that on a team that lacks a true shot-getter, he's making plays in that sense, too. Maybe he's becoming that guy.

Purdue came Into this season liking its jump-shooting pieces, but undoubtedly understanding that they were largely unproven and the shots were going to have to come differently this season anyway.

It's been a mixed bag thus far, and whether the 52-percent three-point shooting and strong mid-range shooting become normal occurrences, that remains to be seen.

But on one night at least, Purdue flashed its significant potential against an elite defensive program.

Notable, in particular, Is the possibility that Sasha Stefanovic may have that microwave sort of capability. His shooting outburst to start the Virginia game mirrored his shooting outburst from the Texas game, and having that guy who can come In, make three in a row and turn a game upside down can really matter for a team that Isn't without flaw on offense.

And Haarms' three-point shooting could be a game-changer, and in time change the way Purdue gets guarded.

Against Florida State, he made a catch-and-shoot three trailing the play in transition. If defenses have to run out to cover him, big men typically dislike having to run the floor, let alone to run the floor, then scramble to close out. It could create a ripple effect of opportunities for Purdue, beyond the sheer impracticality of having to cover a 7-foot-3 player who can shoot over any closeout that doesn't involve stilts.

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