WEST LAFAYETTE − That Purdue Basketball The offense that started the season blitzing teams suddenly lost its power.
The defenses neutralize Braden Smith, forcing the ball out of the hands of the Boilermaker point guard.
They have seized on Trey Kaufman-Renn and teams push Purdue shooters from the 3-point line.
Five times in its last eight games, Purdue has scored 71 points or fewer.
“How are we going to counter that? How are we going to do a better job of making plays for each other and not just relying on the pick and roll of Braden and Trey (Kaufman-Renn),” Purdue junior Fletcher Loyer said , following last Saturday’s loss to Auburn, Purdue’s third loss in its last four games.
The shelter of Mackey Arena and a Sunday night matchup with Toledo, a team that limped to West Lafayette after losing four of its last five games, should ideally offset some of the recent woes before Big Ten play begins next week .
More: Prediction #25 Purdue Basketball vs. Toledo, TV, start time 12/29/24
It’s the last chance before the games start counting in Purdue’s defense of back-to-back Big Ten titles. Why has Purdue’s offense seemingly declined?
Purdue Basketball’s Turnover Problems
The Boilermakers can boast of taking care of the basketball against Alabama, North Carolina State and Maryland.
In those three wins, Purdue had a total of 17 turnovers.
But for the most part this season, the Boilermakers have proven to be a turnover-prone team.
Purdue averages 12.3 turnovers per game. In December, Purdue had 59 assists and 60 turnovers. This includes the win against Maryland where Purdue was plus five in the assist category.
Purdue’s 3-point efficiency drop
Last season, the Boilermakers were the second-most efficient 3-point shooting team in college basketball.
Zach Edey helped.
But this roster is still built on above-average outside shooters and Purdue’s offensive success still depends on its ability to capitalize on 3-point shots.
Through the first four games of the season, the Boilers have proven that they are still a strength. After four games, Purdue was shooting 46% from 3 and averaging 10 makes per game.
Since then, Purdue has shot 38.1 percent or worse from 3 in all but one game, when the Boilermakers shot 10 of 22 from beyond the arc against Ole Mademoiselle in the championship match of the Rady Children’s Invitational.
Purdue still ranks 17th in the nation in 3-point percentage, but its first four games are taking their toll. His rate of 39.6% is not that far from last season’s final level of 40.4%.
Purdue schedule
In December, Purdue faced three teams ranked in the top 20 in defensive efficiency.
The good news? Purdue closes the month with a 315th-ranked Toledo team.
The bad news? The Big Ten is home to eight teams currently in the top 48 in the country in defensive efficiency.
Free throw failures
Protect your eyes for this one.
Purdue ranks 165th in free throw percentage. After years of living at the free throw line and racking up points at the charity stripe, the Boilers are 107th nationally in free throw attempts and have failed to capitalize on the ones they get .
Purdue has shot over 80% as a team from the line just once this season, going 9 of 10 against Texas A&M. Purdue’s most fouling player, Kaufman-Renn, is 48 out of 80 this season.
Scoring beyond the big three
The return of three starters from a Final Four team was positive.
But beyond Kaufman-Renn, Loyer and Smith, Purdue lacked a consistent fourth scorer. That’s good, except for the cases where Purdue didn’t have a fourth baseman.
Myles Colvin, Cam Heide and CJ Cox all showed their ability to score but were just as likely to be non-existent in offensive scoring.
Purdue’s three junior starters account for 54 percent of Purdue’s scoring this season. The trio of Kaufman-Renn, Smith and Loyer average 44.2 points per game. The rest of the list combines for 32.3.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article was originally published in the Lafayette Journal & Courier: What’s behind Purdue basketball’s offensive struggles?
