Purdue at Arkansas - A Game of Tricks and Treats

This game didn't matter.

This game mattered a lot.

As Purdue basketball makes its first unofficial showing against a top-15 Arkansas team, there's a lot to gather from what turned out to be 45 minutes of, at times, high-level, at other times, not so high action from two teams that couldn't have built their rosters any more differently.

Matt Painter returns almost everyone from a Purdue team that road an undefeated non-conference last year to the #1 ranking for seven weeks. Purdue won the Big Ten by three games, added potential star true freshman Myles Colvin, and returned reigning National Player of the Year Zach Edey despite a late spring of NBA interest.

For coach Eric Musselman, again he called on the transfer portal to fill gaps and fill out an Arkansas Razorbacks roster that's big on length, short on heft, and still undetermined on skill and scoring ability.

Despite the different paths, both teams look to be favorites in their respective conferences while playing tough defense, challenging teams on the perimeter, and will have big agendas in March.

So when these two teams met at the end of October in an exhibition game in Arkansas' home arena to raise money for the United Way's help with tornado victims and their families, what was produced was an overtime thriller. Arkansas figured out a bit about how the pieces fit while Purdue learned that some of the things that haunted them late in the season last year have stuck around.

So in honor of Halloween, let's look at what was a trick and what was a treat in Purdue's 81-77 loss to Arkansas.

Despite looking a step behind at times during the summer, and especially on the defensive end, Myles Colvin had a nice stretch for Matt Painter in the first half. The true freshman didn’t see the floor in the second half, but he flashed the kind of two-way tantalizing ability that could make him a more and more important cog for Purdue as the season progresses.

In the span of 5 minutes, Myles Colvin knocked down a mid-range jumper on a play that didn’t look like it was going anywhere. Colvin initially tried to get Trey Kaufman-Renn the ball in the post, but with a fronting defense, Colvin drove at his man and stopped baseline before pulling up and knocking down a jumper.

At the other end, Colvin’s length and bounce had him blocking shots at the rim. Colvin has been a step behind defending his position through the summer, but like most players, his growth has been up and down. Yesterday’s frustration can lead to today’s highlight. With his first test in front of a hostile crowd, Colvin made two high effort blocks at the rim on what looked like sure lay ups. His scoring should speak for himself if he can earn minutes in a crowded rotation. The defensive plays will be what earns those minutes.

Maybe. Matt Painter is already lamenting the lack of minutes available for Colvin, Waddell and Heide. “That’s really hard,” he said about the wing players’ play. “Cause I’m trying to get them all minutes but it’s not fair. You play four, four and half minutes like Myles and Brian does. I thought they did a solid job while they were in there. They just need more minutes and I don’t have them.”