Michigan didn't help on Haas, so Purdue big man 'capitalized'

More: Purdue outlasts Michigan

Isaac Haas took the feed in the middle of the paint, made a quick turn and flipped a shot that bounced in over Michigan’s Moritz Wagner, while Wagner got whistled for the foul.

Haas didn’t say a word. Didn’t let a fist fly. Didn’t even flex his chiseled 290-pound, 7-foot-2 frame.

He just stood, staring.

In Wagner’s direction.

And then slowly walked backward, still facing Wagner’s direction.

Isaac Haas insists he wasn’t overeager Thursday night, but his consistently emotional play seemed to say otherwise.

Had he been missing his chances to touch the ball on offense for Purdue the last couple games? Maybe a little bit, but the third-ranked Boilermakers turned opponents take-Haas-away-approach into a blitz from three-point range in a pair of blowout victories.

So that was fine with the senior center, knowing he still had a hand in Purdue’s winning streak, even if it wasn’t because his right hand was sinking hook shots at a high rate.

But Haas also figured it’d come back around.

Had to, didn’t it, with the way his teammates were sinking those threes at a ridiculous rate? And that especially figured to be the case against No. 25 Michigan, which had opted to play Haas mostly straight up in the last meeting, only about two weeks ago, and made 7-of-14 shot attempts for 17 points.

John Beilein took the same approach Thursday with Haas, and Haas, again, made every opportunity count, helping spark the Boilermakers to a wild 92-88 victory.

"Isaac's been great," Coach Matt Painter said.

Haas converted on 10-of-14 shots from the field and made all four of his free throws en route to a 24-point night — in only 20 minutes. It was only two points off his career high, but he did set one against the Wolverines: Haas dished out three assists, including two nice finds to a cutting Vincent Edwards down the lane.

"They left me one-on-one," Haas said simply when asked to explain how he broke out. "I knew that going into the game that Michigan wasn’t going to try and double that much because they (know we) have good shooters, and I figured they’d take their chances one-on-one in the paint.

"I capitalized on it. A lot. Could have done a little bit better, in my opinion. But it worked out for us in the end, so that’s what you have to be happy about."

Beilein said he wasn't going to be fooled into game plans of recent Purdue opponents, Iowa and Wisconsin, when they tried to swarm Haas and play with weakside help. That led to 34 made three-pointers.

But Beilein knew even though his team had only given up an average of six made three-pointers per game, he said, it'd still be a stiff challenge against the Boilermakers, no matter his call.

"I think it’s a challenge few coaches want to face," Beilein said. "You have five lights-out shooters on the perimeter — I mean, lights out — with an incredible big man. An incredible big man. So it’s a very difficult challenge for everybody. We were trying to shut that down and just play one-on-one in the post. If Haas scored 40 points and had 20 twos, that was OK with us. We couldn’t give them the three. They’re just too good.

"Who has five guys who shoot on the run? They don’t even have to get themselves open. And then a guy, when you say, ‘What are the challenges of guarding Haas?’ You try and go guard him. He is impossible, and it’s a bad matchup for us. You probably need (Haas') twin brother who could guard him in the post. You can’t guard him in the post — your only hope is if they don’t have good interior passing. Vince Edwards and Dakota Mathias are tremendous interior passes, so they just get it at the angles where (Wagner) is really handcuffed."

That was the case consistently Thursday.

On Purdue’s first possession, Vincent Edwards zipped a quick entry pass into the paint — Haas had gotten deep position — and Haas quickly turned and sunk a shot over Wagner. Over the next three minutes, Haas did it twice more, backing Wagner down, turning — usually over his left shoulder — and sticking shots, usually banking them in.

Haas kept going, as Michigan kept allowing him to see only one defender.

By the end of the half, Haas had made six of his seven shots.

In the second, he was no less unstoppable. Especially when it mattered.

The Wolverines held a three-point lead midway through the half, and after Edwards scored seven straight points to put Purdue up four, the Boilermakers turned back to the big man.

Haas got a rebound on one end — he had a team-high six in only 20 minutes — and then went to the other end and posted up strong again, got the feed, spun quickly and banked in a shot for a 74-68 lead.

On the next possession, he registered the three-point play that prompted the borderline taunt of Wagner.

After a bit of a scoring drought, Haas delivered a final emotional — and, maybe, game-changing — blow. With about two minutes to play and Purdue leading by four, Edwards had the ball on the corner, and Haas was curling toward the block after setting a screen near the line. Wagner went for the steal, though, on Edwards’ entry pass and that got him off-balance. And allowed Haas to catch, pivot and then throw down a forceful, right-handed dunk.

Asked if he was a bit more charged up Thursday — especially after that opponent-forced offensive drought — Haas said, “I guess.”

Then he talked generally about how badly he wanted to win the game and to “prove to … the whole world” that Purdue is a good team. Earlier, he’d said Purdue is the best team in the nation.

And, maybe, if the Boilermakers keep that inside-outside combination rocking, they will be.

“When Isaac is getting the ball down low and is going with his back to the basket, being strong with the ball, it’s a tough guard,” said Vincent Edwards, a consistent feeder on Haas’ buckets. “He just has to stay big for us, and we just have to continue to keep shooting the ball.

“It just opens up everything for us. Having shooters, everybody on this team can shoot the ball, handle the ball, has some type of skill set. Everyone is a little bit different from the other.”

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