Final game observations

[GatoLouco]

The UConn guards are physically at a very high level and the difference to Purdue’s backcourt is enormous.

For those who were comparing Clingan as close to Edey's quality, if I dislike a team/player I might want to will something like that into existence, but in the real world, Edey is way, way above Clingan at this point.

Edey does continue to be coddled by the refs. That has not changed just because it's a final or it's UConn.

 

[AdamOnFirst]

I said before the game for Purdue to have a chance Edey will have to be legendary.

He’s been just about that so far and it’s still only kept it close.

 

[AdamOnFirst]

Also interesting that Smith is reiterating pretty definitively he’s the second best player on Purdue, and the rest of the team is reiterating that they are simply not that great.

 

[SDakaGordie]

The UConn guards are physically at a very high level and the difference to Purdue’s backcourt is enormous.

For those who were comparing Clingan as close to Edey's quality, if I dislike a team/player I might want to will something like that into existence, but in the real world, Edey is way, way above Clingan at this point.

Edey does continue to be coddled by the refs. That has not changed just because it's a final or it's UConn.

Edey has been more inpressive against Clingan than I thought, for sure, and his POTY accolades are being validated. That being said, I don’t expect it to continue at the same rate in the second half. Clingan is not needed for much offense, but he does a lot to make the offense run by being at the top of the key (just like a style another team we know well uses with its centers).

 

[Hungry Jack]

Edey having to come out to 3 point line to set screens for smith is a bad sign. Having Klingan set high screens for UConn works doubly to their advantage. They are getting looks, and finding lanes to drive. UConn inexorably exerting their will and dictating the game.

 

[Hungry Jack]

I think this game is over (59-42)

 

[NU Houston]

Purdue can't keep up. Question now is what the margin of defeat will be. If it's greater than 17, then everyone can agree that Northwestern played UConn more competitively than any other team in the tourney other than Alabama.

😎

 

[AdamOnFirst]

UConn’s shutdown of Purdue’s perimeter play is incredible

 

[Hungry Jack]

Spencer game MVP

 

[GatoLouco]

UConn’s shutdown of Purdue’s perimeter play is incredible

That pretty much sums it. Loyer and the Evanston kid look like high school players compared to the UConn guards.

Then you slow down Edey more than others, they’ve taken away 4-6 pts of offensive rebounds for him, and you control the game.

Edey is very good and will probably score 30. But, with how UConn has played to shut down everyone else, he would have 40 against most other teams.

 

[SmellyCat]

That pretty much sums it. Loyer and the Evanston kid look like high school players compared to the UConn guards.

I thought Lance might be decent tonight. He’s taken ONE shot. Fletcher “it’s what I do!” Loyer hasn’t scored at all.

 

[Just Gary]

It is the best player against the best team and the best team is easily winning.

 

[SDakaGordie]

I’m enjoying the air time that Pat Spencer is getting behind Hurley and the bench.

 

[mountaindrew]

I don't like UConn but it pisses me off that the officials are refusing to call the obvious offensive fouls on Edey elbowing the defender on his move to the basket.

 

[FanatiCat]

I said before the game for Purdue to have a chance Edey will have to be legendary.

He’s been just about that so far and it’s still only kept it close.

Edey fell apart in 2H, missing several layups, a travel under the basket, air ball free throw. Purdue’s guards couldn’t hit any threes.

Actually this game is somewhat like our UConn game with the halves reversed.

 

[Just Gary]

Edey fell apart in 2H, missing several layups, a travel under the basket, air ball free throw. Purdue’s guards couldn’t hit any threes.

Actually this game is somewhat like our UConn game with the halves reversed.

I would not say Edey fell apart. He ended up with 37 points. It is the fact that no one else, except Smith, could score or defend.

 

[FeralFelidae]

Best team that money can buy!

 

[AdamOnFirst]

Edey fell apart in 2H, missing several layups, a travel under the basket, air ball free throw. Purdue’s guards couldn’t hit any threes.

Actually this game is somewhat like our UConn game with the halves reversed.

For a bit, but he finished the game with 37 points on 15-25 shooting with 10 free throws and a double double. That’s pretty phenomenal. And UConn blew them the **** out.

Two years in a row where UConn has been one of the best teams all season and then raises their level of play SIGNIFICANTLY in the tournament. They didn’t play a single team who had a prayer.

 

[Katatonic]

Too bad neither B1G team could pull off an upset, but for both Iowa and PU, it was one superstar against a deeper, more talented team.

Think a healthy Cats team would have played UConn tough like Bama did (of course, it would have been at a later round as the Cats would have been a higher seed).

 

[Secho99]

I thought Lance might be decent tonight. He’s taken ONE shot. Fletcher “it’s what I do!” Loyer hasn’t scored at all.

Hurley said after the game their whole game plan going in was to let Edey do his thing but lock down all their shooters. He said he didn’t care if Edey got 35+, he thought if they held Smith/Loyer/Jones/Gillis to under 20 as a group Purdue had no chance. Those 4 scored 17 total and Purdue went 1-7 on 3s as a team. Loyer and Gillis 0 points in 54 combined minutes.

 

[NUCat320]

Hurley said after the game their whole game plan going in was to let Edey do his thing but lock down all their shooters. He said he didn’t care if Edey got 35+, he thought if they held Smith/Loyer/Jones/Gillis to under 20 as a group Purdue had no chance. Those 4 scored 17 total and Purdue went 1-7 on 3s as a team. Loyer and Gillis 0 points in 54 combined minutes.

Danny Hurley is very impressed with himself.

 

[FanatiCat]

For a bit, but he finished the game with 37 points on 15-25 shooting with 10 free throws and a double double. That’s pretty phenomenal. And UConn blew them the **** out.

Two years in a row where UConn has been one of the best teams all season and then raises their level of play SIGNIFICANTLY in the tournament. They didn’t play a single team who had a prayer.

He did finish with a good stat line and was the only reason they were actually in it at halftime. However, when the game was being decided, in the first 10 minutes of second half, looking at the play by play for Edey: missed layup, missed dunk, missed hook, turnover, committed foul, made 2 FT, committed foul, made layup, missed shot, missed FT, turnover.

And 10 of his points were in the last 5 minutes where they were down 15+ and UConn was probably willing to give him the layups and not foul.

 

[mountaindrew]

Danny Hurley is very impressed with himself.

He is. He's insufferable .... but also pretty good.

EDIT: Hurley also reminds me of how much I keep being impressed with Matt Painter. I watched enough of the tournament to see most of his post game interviews, including the more lengthy one with Dave Revsine on BTN last night. The guy is a grown up. He doesn't get bent out of shape when everything doesn't go his way, not to speak of his team getting bullied and manhandled in the Big Game. How refreshing. And a great example for his players, and Purdue fans (not that there's any helping them).

 

[catcrazy]

Connecticut obviously was clearly the better team but all the huffing and puffing about Brandon smith. That dude is an average point guard at best. The rest of their team is mediocre. Unless they get some portal talent or have a stud coming in they will be at best average with the crew they have now. We should have beat them both times but the refs made sure that didn't happen a second time

 

[Eurocat]

I like the fact that we beat Purdue once and our loss to them was in overtime!

 

[Hungry Jack]

Connecticut obviously was clearly the better team but all the huffing and puffing about Brandon smith. That dude is an average point guard at best. The rest of their team is mediocre. Unless they get some portal talent or have a stud coming in they will be at best average with the crew they have now. We should have beat them both times but the refs made sure that didn't happen a second time

I enjoyed watching Smith be ineffectual all night.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

What’s all the hate for Smith this year? So, idiot Coaches, Media or whoever put him up for an award and omitted Boo. Big deal. I can think of a dozen guys in the B1G that I dislike more and only half of them are on Illinois.

 

[Smolmania]

Danny Hurley is very impressed with himself.

There have only been 8 schools to win back to back NCAA hoops titles in the men's game--with UCLA being an outlier in terms of dominating during the Wooden era). Seems to me that whatever you think about the guy, he's probably entitled to be a bit impressed with himself (particularly considering how much he lost from last year's winning team)

 

[SmellyCat]

Hurley definitely seems very impressed with himself...but at least he backs it up. If people wanted to call him the best hoops coach in the NCAA, I wouldn't disagree.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

What’s all the hate for Smith this year? So, idiot Coaches, Media or whoever put him up for an award and omitted Boo. Big deal. I can think of a dozen guys in the B1G that I dislike more and only half of them are on Illinois.

Braden Smith is a good college basketball player.

But you compare him with other guys his size - Mark Sears of Alabama and (lets go way back) Scott Skiles of Michigan State - and he just doesn't come close.

The love for Smith, I believe, comes from places like EvanMiya.com, where he has Braden listed as the 6th best player in the country. Torvik has him #67, but 8th best in Big Ten. Clearly way too high or too high, depending on the website.

In other words, his reputation is statistical, where the stats can't account for Edey's impact.

 

[Hungry Jack]

Hurley is probably the best coach in the NCAA. He's just a terrible interview (I turned it off).

 

[elgatoloco]

He is. He's insufferable, but.... also pretty good.

EDIT: Hurley also reminds me of how much I keep being impressed with Matt Painter. I watched enough of the tournament to see most of his post game interviews, including the more lengthy one with Dave Revsine on BTN last night. The guy is a grown up. He doesn't get bent out of shape when everything doesn't go his way, not to speak of falling short in the Big Game. How refreshing. And a great example for his players, and Purdue fans (not that there's any helping them).

On the final possession Painter told Hurley it's fine if he wanted to run a play to let the end of the bench try to score. What a mensch

 

[GatoLouco]

Braden Smith is a good college basketball player.

But you compare him with other guys his size - Mark Sears of Alabama and (lets go way back) Scott Skiles of Michigan State - and he just doesn't come close.

The love for Smith, I believe, comes from places like EvanMiya.com, where he has Braden listed as the 6th best player in the country. Torvik has him #67, but 8th best in Big Ten. Clearly way too high or too high, depending on the website.

In other words, his reputation is statistical, where the stats can't account for Edey's impact.

Yes, it's not just the Buie comparison, it's the constant mention of how he's so underrated. He himself stated in a B1G show being overlooked was the story of his life. He was Mr. Basketball in Indiana FFS.

Last night he had a good 5-8 minutes in the first half. The commentators did their thing in that stretch, hyping the s*** out of his qualities.

Like PWB said, good college ball player. That's not disputed.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Hurley definitely seems very impressed with himself...but at least he backs it up. If people wanted to call him the best hoops coach in the NCAA, I wouldn't disagree.

Way too demonstrative on the court.

I started thinking he has a personality / psych issue. At times his emotional changes reminded me of the patient played by Christopher Lloyd in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."


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[NUCat320]

What’s all the hate for Smith this year? So, idiot Coaches, Media or whoever put him up for an award and omitted Boo. Big deal. I can think of a dozen guys in the B1G that I dislike more and only half of them are on Illinois.

My annoyance stems from the stink Painter and Purdue fans raised when he wasn’t named to that Bob Cousy midseason whatever list, which was a ‘list of names’ and not any sort of ‘finalists’.

Also, his assists are so padded it’s ridiculous.

 

[SmellyCat]

Prediction for 2024-2025: Smith will come back to Purdue and be pre-season All-Big 10 but not post-season All-Big 10.

 

[Secho99]

Danny Hurley is very impressed with himself.

You get to be impressed with yourself when you win 12 tournament games in a row by double digits.

 

[AdamOnFirst]

Way too demonstrative on the court.

I started thinking he has a personality / psych issue. At times his emotional changes reminded me of the patient played by Christopher Lloyd in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."


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Hurley is very obviously a laugh over-intense psycho.

If he were, like, a sales manager that would be a problem. Instead, he’s a basketball coach and that quality has made him a borderline all time great. He’s a psycho, his teams play like they’re coached by a psycho. They have no mercy whatsoever, no detail is too small, every play is an opportunity for further domination and perfection.

It’s not Phil Jackson zen triangle. It’s not Bellichick everybody stop worrying and do your job and attend to every detail. It’s not Shaka Smart let’s run and have a ton of fun and cause madness and confusion and laugh to the victory circle. It’s complete psycho insanity. And it’s working

 

[mountaindrew]

Way too demonstrative on the court.

I started thinking he has a personality / psych issue. At times his emotional changes reminded me of the patient played by Christopher Lloyd in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

Yes Sir. I will say, though, he's not half as bad as Dawn Staley. She's REALLY insufferable.

 

[EagerFan]

I enjoyed watching Smith be ineffectual all night.

Agreed. Smith has shown in the last two games just how mediocre he is individually.

I was also entertained watching UConn's little guys alley oop and dunk past Edey multiple times.

I admit I hadn't realized until the NC State game that Edey can't go left. What a massive failure in player development. He was also pretty ineffectual defending most of the game.