Purdue Basketball: Eric Hunter Jr. for B1G Defensive Player of the Year

Marcus Carr was put in a box for forty minutes.

In 38 minutes of playing time, Carr had 4 points, he is the Gophers leading scorer, typically scoring over 20 points per game.

Sure, you can look at the box score for Eric Hunter and see he only scored 4 points in 38 minutes and hasn’t been scoring much this year in comparison to last year.

But, that scoring is not needed.

Hunter brings it on the defensive side of the ball every single night.

When he missed a few games to start the season, you could tell that the perimeter defense suffered. There were many open 3s and lanes to drive to the basket. With no true rim protecting big like in years past, it is vital to have solid perimeter defense. It is okay to say that Edey is a giant but does not block shots well.

Eric has stepped up to the plate and will guard the opposing team’s best guard or forward, all while handling the point guard duties for this young Purdue team, a team that is third youngest in the nation.

In a first half where Minnesota was hitting open 3s on the road, which is uncommon, the Boilers had to feel great going into halftime knowing that Carr was not scoring any points, being held to 0 at the half.

There are endless positive things to say about Eric and what he does for this Purdue Basketball Team. Hunter, in high school was a top 10 scorer of all time in the history of high school basketball, many believed that he would be able to fill it up at Purdue, but not deliver on the defensive side.

This year, he has take a Ray Davis type of leap on the defensive side of the ball. His first two years he was just okay, but know, he is one of the best defensive players in the conference and the country. His length, athleticism and studying of the game has thrusted him into the position of being talked about for the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.