
Penn St. fresh off a win and games in back to back days will have to play a fresh Purdue team in Indianapolis.
Coach Shrewsberry might not have had the win/loss success in his first year as Penn State’s head coach, but there’s no denying he’s building something in Pennsylvania after his team went to Indianapolis and pulled off the upset over Chris Holttman’s Ohio State Buckeyes late on Thursday night.
It now sets up a fascinating match-up between coach and his former team just the year before.
#9 Purdue will be fresh thanks to their double-bye and Penn State will be playing their third game in three state days. The odds will be stacked against them in these teams second game of the season, but no one appreciates what Coach Shrewsberry’s offense can do to a good defense, let alone a suspect like Coach Painter’s Boilers.
In the only regular season match up, Purdue went into Penn State and won 74-67 in early January. The game was closer than even the 7 point lead suggestions. The Nittany Lions played Purdue tough, their guards gave Purdue fits on offense, and it was only after a dominant performance by Trevion Williams, scoring 21 points, that Purdue was finally able to pull away late.
Fast forward two months and Penn State has still struggled to win games, but they found a formula against Ohio State. Their offense, Coach Shrewsberry’s offense, is a beautiful orchestration of hard off ball action, high pick and rolls, constant ball movement, and attacking mismatches. They’re much better than they should be at creating advantages and space for a team that lacks great offensive players on their own. Instead, any night, a handful of Penn State players can go off, picking on pick and rolls and isolating against smaller guards.
Two things Purdue has been susceptible to most the season.
For Purdue, size and star power will be their biggest advantages. Penn State certainly doesn’t have a Jaden Ivey on their roster. Nor do they have anyone close to Zach Edey’s 7’4 frame, but it was Trevion Williams that bullied and decimated the Nittany Lions in the first match up.
Trevion Williams scored 21 points in that game on just 12 shot attempts. He hasn’t scored more than 12 points in a game since February. The big man has struggled to find an offensive rhythm as Edey has shown himself as Painter’s best option inside.
Purdue should win this game. They are the heavy favorites, potential 2 seeds in the NCAA Tournaments and the favorites to win the Big Ten Tournament. This game is about finding that monster again. The team that beat #23 North Carolina and #8 Villanova in back to back games. The Purdue team that dominated Illinois and had the best offense in the country. They still do, technically, but all of a sudden Purdue’s playing in games where they score 60 more than 80.
This Big Ten Tournament will mean a lot to a lot of teams. Maybe none more than Purdue. Who has to show to the committee and themselves that their resume isn’t one of a paper tiger, but a sleeping giant. That the monsters in their closet aren’t coming for them, but going to be unleashed and controlled by a team with as much talent and experience as any in the country. That last year’s loss to North Texas wasn’t just an aberration, but the necessary narrative.
They lost and they learned. They battled and they hardened.
That proof of quench starts now, against their former assistant coach, against the first of many David’s they’ll need to squash to prove they’re worthy of being the Goliath’s they look like on paper.