FanPost

Purdue's Offense

Not sure if everyone has ESPN insider but I found this to be an interesting little article on our offense.

We have written that Purdue has a good shot of making the NCAA tournament, but we haven't examined how the Boilermakers are succeeding this season.

Typically under Matt Painter, Purdue has been one of the best defensive squads in the Big Ten. From the 2007-08 season to 2009-2010, Purdue allowed opponents to score well-under one point per possession. However, in 2012, their statistical profile has drastically shifted -- the Boilermakers are giving up 1.09 OPPP (per Josh Reed of the Big Ten Geeks). As Reed notes, the reason for the defensive slip is the team's makeup -- Purdue's best players this season are guards (along with Robbie Hummel) so it makes sense teams are shooting nearly 50 percent within the arc.

So how is Purdue in the midst of any postseason discussion? By limiting their turnovers and scoring at an efficient rate. According to Ken Pomeroy, just 13.1 percent of Purdue's possessions result in a turnover, and the squad's ballhandling limits easy scoring chances for opponents. Against Michigan, Purdue scored 1.22 PPP, shredding Michigan's defense and converting 51 percent of their twos. On the season, Purdue's offensive efficiency rating is 1.09 PPP but over the course of the last six games, according to data calculated by the Big Ten Geeks, the Boilermakers are the Big Ten's best offensive team -- 1.20 PPP.

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