Post-game analysis: Purdue-Cleveland State

Our post-game Wrap Video and Takeaways from Purdue's 77-53 win over Cleveland State Saturday afternoon in Mackey Arena.

• Purdue's second-half showing wasn't pretty, but its first-half cushion was too much to overcome for an overmatched Cleveland State team.

The turnover thing remains an urgent concern for Purdue, because it will cost it dearly against good teams, maybe as soon as the Notre Dame game next weekend.

Today's prime culprit: Caleb Swanigan, who accounted for eight of Purdue's 15 turnovers, as he flirted with the most dubious of triple doubles.

"It's not on the team," Swanigan said of Purdue's turnover problems. "It's on me and (Vincent Edwards). We've had a lot the past two games. He got his down. Now I have to get mine down."

In fairness, several of Swanigan's turnovers against Cleveland State weren't entirely his fault, if at all. There was an ill-advised pass from Carsen Edwards, for example, that Swanigan fumbled and turned over that was far from his fault alone.

But the fact remains that Swanigan is turning the ball over more than he'd like and Purdue can stand. His TO numbers are on par with last season, when it was a glaring problem for him.

Thing is, that now, these turnovers are different. Whereas last season he forcced plays out of inexperience and the stubbornness of youth, this year he's doing far less of that, but still turning the ball over.

Painter said it's "concentration."

"If he lets things come to him, he'll be more efficient," Painter said. "He's proven that."

• Vincent Edwards has always been a very good offensive rebounder, and that's really come to the forefront the past two games, as he's really attacked the offensive glass and come away with several putbacks - or at least second chances for Purdue - to show for it.

It's representative of a means to the end of Edwards breaking out of the slump he was mired in, but now seems to be breaking out of.

Back-to-back putbacks were key in Purdue's end-of-first-half run that separated it from Cleveland State. He finished with four offensive boards as Purdue outscored the Vikings 17-9 on second-chance points. He also had four offensive rebounds against Arizona State.

"I just had to take some time and think and just play hard," Edwards said, referring to his slump. "When my shots haven't been falling, what did I used to do? Rebound."

• Carsen Edwards is having a great freshman season for Purdue, but this was a game where he looked like a freshman, battling that fine line between the aggressiveness Purdue wants from him but also the sound judgement Purdue needs from him.

Edwards was just 2-of-9 from the floor, 0-for-4 from three - forcing a couple tough shots, not that he can't make tough shots - with just one turnover, but also the pass to Swanigan that could have counted as another. The turnover that counted came when he caught the ball with a foot of bounds, a recurring issue for him.

Good as the freshman has been this season, he's still a freshman and there was bound to be some unevenness. Better to get it out of the way in a game like today's, though.

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