For Purdue this season, very little has come easily on offense.
Nowhere is it reflected more clearly than in the Boilermakers' modest output at the foul line.
To this point this season, Purdue has generated 15.7 percent of its scoring from free throws, ranking 317th nationally, according to KenPom.com. That's the low-water mark for the Matt Painter Era and beyond. KenPom's archival data goes back only to 2001.
The previous low under Painter was last season's 16.7 percent, which stood to reason considering the Boilermakers were built around guard play and drew nearly 40 percent of their scoring from three-point shooting.
Now, though, context serves as an important backdrop to Purdue's low free throw totals. Among Big Ten teams, only Wisconsin and Northwestern have shot fewer free throws than Purdue this season.
Purdue did enter this season intending to build around its big men, Trevion Williams and Matt Haarms, suggesting this team might be well conditioned to draw more fouls than its predecessor. Perhaps not Isaac Haas and Caleb Swanigan Era foul totals, but more than last season.
It's not happened.
