Scouting Report

[Boilerbuck]

Can you give me a scouting report on Pitt? I haven't seen them this year, but interested in what tempo and style they play.

I can give you a quick run down on Purdue. Our team is quite big on the interior. Our centers are both very talented and are 7'2" and 7' respectively. Haas is a beast, but not very quick and not a big shot blocker. Hammons has led the B10 in shot blocking three years in a row.

Swanigan is another beast down low at PF. He is a freshman McDAA and a great rebounder and passer. He has also been a turnover machine while he figures things out.

Edwards is the SF and is very talented, but sometimes defers and disappears. He is a good 3pt shooter and rebounder, but is adjusting to a new position and guarding quicker players. He was the starting PF last year, but Swanigan meant he had to change positions.

Davis normally starts at 2G, but he has a sprained MCL and could miss the game. He is a lock down defender and reigning B10 defensive player of the year. We have three deadly wing shooters of the bench. Stephens, Mathias, and Cline can all light it up from distance.

Our PG's are solid, but not anything special.

Overall, this team will beat you up in the post and is a threat to own the boards. They play good team defense, but are vulnerable to be pressed and can be beat off the dribble, but you could have Hammons waiting for you at the rim. Florida caused Purdue some problems, but was not talented or disciplined enough to beat Purdue. They also beat Dayton in a closed scrimmage without Hammons. If you have a high level wing scorer and Davis isn't available, then that could be a big problem. Purdue has no other shutdown wing defender. Many of them are limited athletically, especially the three shooters I mentioned above.

I hope Pitt isn't planning on playing a lot of zone. That worked last year versus Purdue, but it lets too many big guys get to the glass and Purdue's shooters have lit up zones this year, but road games can be tricky for shooters sometimes.

What do you guys think of Pitt and their strengths and weaknesses?

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I think you need strong guard play to beat us, specifically a penetrating guard. Your big guys are good but dont worry me like good guards would.

Case in point. Gonzaga has the best frontcourt in the nation but their guards are pedestrian. We were up 2 at the half and would have beaten them.

As for Pitt, this team can really score. We have 2 of the most underrated offensive players in the nation with Mike Young at the PF, who is one of the 5 best PFs in the nation and Jamel Artis at the 3.

For big games, The Pete is rocking and its very tough to beat a good Pitt team there. This is a good team this year and I'd be really surprised if we lost.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

Out rebounded Gonzaga 16-14 in the half played in Okinawa. No 7 footers but 6 players 6-8 to 6-9 all who pretty skilled and 4 of them are quick. Lots of good 3 point shooters including two who are long (6-7-ish).

 

[Boilerbuck]

I think you need strong guard play to beat us, specifically a penetrating guard. Your big guys are good but dont worry me like good guards would.

Case in point. Gonzaga has the best frontcourt in the nation but their guards are pedestrian. We were up 2 at the half and would have beaten them.

As for Pitt, this team can really score. We have 2 of the most underrated offensive players in the nation with Mike Young at the PF, who is one of the 5 best PFs in the nation and Jamel Artis at the 3.

For big games, The Pete is rocking and its very tough to beat a good Pitt team there. This is a good team this year and I'd be really surprised if we lost.

I just watched your first half against Gonzaga. Their front line is nothing like Purdue. Wiltjer is a great scorer. Purdue has no one like that. On the other hand, Purdue is much, much more physical and has two rim defenders. Their centers average 2.4 blocks per game each, whereas Gonzaga bigs average 0.5 per game. As a comparison, Pitt has six players averaging more than that.

It should be a great game, but I wouldn't assume Pitt will win. This game will be a dog fight and it is probably a 50/50 game. By Sagarin, Purdue might be a small favorite. If Davis can't go, it will be a big advantage for Pitt.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I just watched your first half against Gonzaga. Their front line is nothing like Purdue. Wiltjer is a great scorer. Purdue has no one like that. On the other hand, Purdue is much, much more physical and has two rim defenders. Their centers average 2.4 blocks per game each, whereas Gonzaga bigs average 0.5 per game. As a comparison, Pitt has six players averaging more than that.

It should be a great game, but I wouldn't assume Pitt will win. This game will be a dog fight and it is probably a 50/50 game. By Sagarin, Purdue might be a small favorite. If Davis can't go, it will be a big advantage for Pitt.

Purdue is good but you're putting too much weight on your inside play. You4 big guys aren't going to beat us. I promise you. Pitt never loses because we were dominated down low. To be honest, I cant remember a Pitt game......in the Dixon era......where we lost predominantly due to the other teams' big guys.

You very well may beat us but your guards will have to come up big.

If you're telling me that you're counting on your bigs for the W, that makes me pretty confident. Take nothing away fr those guys but you need guard play to beat a Dixon team.

 

[Fredact]

Here's the quick scouting report you are looking for:

Because of the Gonzaga mess, Pitt has really only played 2 D1 opponents so far, so take everything with a lot of "small sample size" caveats.

Pitt will use a lot of guys. They have no real strong center, but they will have lots of fouls to give from three different guys that will get time there, plus Young.

Young will play mostly the 4, but also a little 5. He is a very tough matchup--he's too quick for big guys, and can shoot over small ones. He will get to the rim, even against big guys. If he has a weakness, he sometimes will miss when there.

Artis at the 3 is a high scoring wing. He can shoot the three and the mid range jumper. He's big for a 3. Another matchup problem.

Pitt will play a variety of guys at the 2, with various skill sets, some scorers, some defenders. No real standouts, but each brings a different set of strengths (and weaknesses).

Robinson at the point is an old school point guard--gets a bunch of assists, rarely turns it over, but not a big scorer, though his shot is much improved over last year.

Bench: there will be a parade of guys coming in.

Defense: Historically, Pitt has been mostly man, with flashes of zone when needed. This year, Dixon has said he will use more zone (as most teams are doing with the new rules) and he's got the length to do it. It was extremely effective against Detroit.

 

[BoilersRock]

Defense: Historically, Pitt has been mostly man, with flashes of zone when needed. This year, Dixon has said he will use more zone (as most teams are doing with the new rules) and he's got the length to do it. It was extremely effective against Detroit.

I watched parts of a replay of your Detroit game, and going to the zone about 5 minutes in the 2nd half was a big turnaround for you guys that night.

Purdue has faced some zone so far, but we will really need our shooters on target Tuesday night. Is Dixon the type who would switch back-n-forth on types of D (man, 2-3, 1-3-1?), even from one possession to another?

 

[Panthervision]

I watched parts of a replay of your Detroit game, and going to the zone about 5 minutes in the 2nd half was a big turnaround for you guys that night.

Purdue has faced some zone so far, but we will really need our shooters on target Tuesday night. Is Dixon the type who would switch back-n-forth on types of D (man, 2-3, 1-3-1?), even from one possession to another?

Dixon will start out in man, but will probably play a ton of 2-3 zone. I would not expect any 1-3-1 or other "junk" defenses.

Kent St. out rebounded Pitt badly today. I would expect Dixon to address this against Purdue. You guys will have to shoot it well to win. Unfortunately, against Pitt the past few years, many teams have shot it well against Pitt.

Pitt has shown a great ability to score, however. They can score inside, outside and mid range. I am looking forward to the matchup. Should be a very good one. Good luck.

 

[tjreese]

Purdue is good but you're putting too much weight on your inside play. You4 big guys aren't going to beat us. I promise you. Pitt never loses because we were dominated down low. To be honest, I cant remember a Pitt game......in the Dixon era......where we lost predominantly due to the other teams' big guys.

You very well may beat us but your guards will have to come up big.

If you're telling me that you're counting on your bigs for the W, that makes me pretty confident. Take nothing away fr those guys but you need guard play to beat a Dixon team.

if Pitt devotes one player on a big...Purdue will score inside. It will come down to whether Pitt can defend the inside and how well Purdue shoots on the perimeter. Purdue might be bothered by a press here and there, but probably not a whole game. Pitt has some shooters, make no mistake about that. Purdue will count on the bigs for a W every game because they will demand that much attention if the ball gets in half court. It may not show up in scoring as much as sealing and preventing the help on Purdue drives and it may show up in open perimeter looks, but the bigs of Purdue are very important to Purdue. They are old school bigs adn biggie who is not near the biggest and could still be playing high school ball finds the ball off the glass.

I look for a good game, but count on Purdue bigs demanding attention from PItt. Now on the other end....Purdue hs to find the right person to guard Young. They can find the person to guard ARtis and Robinson, but Young concerns me...

 

[tjreese]

Dixon will start out in man, but will probably play a ton of 2-3 zone. I would not expect any 1-3-1 or other "junk" defenses.

Kent St. out rebounded Pitt badly today. I would expect Dixon to address this against Purdue. You guys will have to shoot it well to win. Unfortunately, against Pitt the past few years, many teams have shot it well against Pitt.

Pitt has shown a great ability to score, however. They can score inside, outside and mid range. I am looking forward to the matchup. Should be a very good one. Good luck.

I only watched the kent state game and that was in the early hours this morning. Pitt has some people that can shoot the ball...make no mistake about that. Are they scorers or shooters as I only being half awake remember how well they shot. The silent assassin for most games is Vince Edwards a 6'8: soph. He is capable of getting double digits in points, rebounds and assists. Other players are more noticeable...he just beats you. However, sometimes he is so team orientated he becomes too passive in his play. Hopefully both teams come to play and play to their abilities....

Purdue must defend the perimeter, which they can do. Purdue must get back in transition and handle any traps and pressure. Purdue needs to be patient particularly if Davis cannot play to calm them down.

 

[tjreese]

Here's the quick scouting report you are looking for:

Because of the Gonzaga mess, Pitt has really only played 2 D1 opponents so far, so take everything with a lot of "small sample size" caveats.

Pitt will use a lot of guys. They have no real strong center, but they will have lots of fouls to give from three different guys that will get time there, plus Young.

Young will play mostly the 4, but also a little 5. He is a very tough matchup--he's too quick for big guys, and can shoot over small ones. He will get to the rim, even against big guys. If he has a weakness, he sometimes will miss when there.

Artis at the 3 is a high scoring wing. He can shoot the three and the mid range jumper. He's big for a 3. Another matchup problem.

Pitt will play a variety of guys at the 2, with various skill sets, some scorers, some defenders. No real standouts, but each brings a different set of strengths (and weaknesses).

Robinson at the point is an old school point guard--gets a bunch of assists, rarely turns it over, but not a big scorer, though his shot is much improved over last year.

Bench: there will be a parade of guys coming in.

Defense: Historically, Pitt has been mostly man, with flashes of zone when needed. This year, Dixon has said he will use more zone (as most teams are doing with the new rules) and he's got the length to do it. It was extremely effective against Detroit.

Purdue will play man. Young concerns me...the others Purdue can guard or at least appear to be able to do so. Purdue has backup at every spot. Two legit 5's. Three legit 4's (two that would be effective). Three legit 3's four potenial 2's and 3 potential 1's with several players that are interchangeable. Against a zone Purdue "could have a 7'2", 6'9", 6'8". 6'7" and 6'5" team out on the court. If PItt zones and Biggie the freshman is focused and roaming the high post, Purdue can be very good against a zone. Purdue has three guys that could miss on teh threes or all hit 5 in a row and that is somewhat of a variable.

I expect Pitt to start out in man and front the low and mid post spots bringing help on the backside for lobs. I expect Pitt to press or apply various traps throughout the game. If Purdue hits on teh perimeter...which they can it becomes very hard to defend Purdue in the half court. Purdue will play man and the best man defender couldn't play last game and so whether he can go or go full speed I have no idea. Purdue will switch all ball screens between 1 and 4 and will switch some off ball screens as needed. One PG that may start has not turned it over in over 100 minutes of play...the other a fifth year transfer is still getting adjusted. The PG spot was the original concern, but has been efficient for Purdue so far. It should be a great game. I hope the refs don't spoil it by calling it one way on the perimeter and another inside...

 

[Zaratoughda]

Looking at the Purdue roster and stats... Haas... is their big man in more ways than one. At 7'2" and 297 he is HUGE (we have a player that is being RSed that is 300... down from 400) and he is also the team's leading scorer at 15 PPG at a 756 FG% (!!). If he is a post up scorer... which he probably is... Dixon may well go to doubling the post which he has done successfully at times in the recent past. Otherwise, it will probably be Nelson-Ododa (6'9" 235) or Rafael Maia (6'9" 245) that will be covering him and that is a mismatch (Ryan Luther? would not be pretty)... despite Nelson-Ododa being a shot blocker. I would expect Purdue to go to him in the low post early and Dixon to go to doubling the low post early... and then the ball gets pushed outside looking for an open shooter... and that is the way the game goes. Yeah, gotta know who can't make 3 balls on the perimeter and try to make him beat you.

Swanigan, is 6'9" and that is the same size as Mike Young, but Swanigan is 260 which is 25 pounds heavier... so this is going to be a tiring game for the Pitt players in no uncertain terms.

If the big Purdue players have troubling getting up and down the court... they could get eaten alive by the smaller, more athletic Pitt players. Mike Young used to be 245 but slimmed down to 235 and that made him a much better player.

From a Pitt perspective.... the top duo of returning scorers in the ACC... Mike Young and Jamel Artis, and those two played C and PF last year but have moved to PF and SF... and if anything they are better than last year.

I really doubt Swanigan will be able to cover Young. If Young sets up 15 feet away from the basket and Swanigan trys to cover him there... Young will go right by him. If he doesn't cover him, Young will nail the shot. Teams that we have played so far have gone to doubling Young.... and he thus has experience in passing out of it and is getting better at that. Yeah, if Young or one of our other players take it to the hoop, our C has got to block out Haas or their other C to prevent the shot block. I am sure Dixon will tell them this but whether they do it or not only time will tell.

Teams haven't tried to double Artis... because it is impossible. Scores from all over the court. Running by screens and than catch and shoot... and when he is on he is deadly. Put in 30 one game last year and that could happen again.

I think this game will come down to how well Pitt does in defending Haas... and which team has the best production from their support scorers and bench. Pitt is a very deep team but the last game got almost nothing from their bench.

With the new shot clock, the game moves up and down the court faster, and so we will have to see if either team runs out of gas. With both of them being deep, it shouldn't happen to either and thus the bench becomes more significant in this game.

 

[steel_curtain]

Purdue will play man. Young concerns me...the others Purdue can guard or at least appear to be able to do so. Purdue has backup at every spot. Two legit 5's. Three legit 4's (two that would be effective). Three legit 3's four potenial 2's and 3 potential 1's with several players that are interchangeable. Against a zone Purdue "could have a 7'2", 6'9", 6'8". 6'7" and 6'5" team out on the court. If PItt zones and Biggie the freshman is focused and roaming the high post, Purdue can be very good against a zone. Purdue has three guys that could miss on teh threes or all hit 5 in a row and that is somewhat of a variable.

I expect Pitt to start out in man and front the low and mid post spots bringing help on the backside for lobs. I expect Pitt to press or apply various traps throughout the game. If Purdue hits on teh perimeter...which they can it becomes very hard to defend Purdue in the half court. Purdue will play man and the best man defender couldn't play last game and so whether he can go or go full speed I have no idea. Purdue will switch all ball screens between 1 and 4 and will switch some off ball screens as needed. One PG that may start has not turned it over in over 100 minutes of play...the other a fifth year transfer is still getting adjusted. The PG spot was the original concern, but has been efficient for Purdue so far. It should be a great game. I hope the refs don't spoil it by calling it one way on the perimeter and another inside...

-Purdue is going to have equally a tough time stopping Artis as Young. Both are pretty lethal on offense. Should be a good game.

 

[bonefish1]

athletically, Pitt reminds me a little bit of Florida, who was long, fast, etc, but was limited offensively and had poor shot selection. UF has a big (6'11, 255) who matched up well with the Purdue bigs but he was the only one.
Purdue might just try to live at the foul line, and continually feed the post. But, if Pitt doubles the post, Purdue will settle for jacking up about 30+ threes. We've got some chuckers. Stephans could go 6-10 or 1-10. They hit 18 one game and only 4-5 another, so depending on whether Purdue is hitting 3's will have a lot of impact.

 

[GodFamilyCountryPurdue]

Looking at the Purdue roster and stats... Haas... is their big man in more ways than one. At 7'2" and 297 he is HUGE (we have a player that is being RSed that is 300... down from 400) and he is also the team's leading scorer at 15 PPG at a 756 FG% (!!). If he is a post up scorer... which he probably is... Dixon may well go to doubling the post which he has done successfully at times in the recent past. Otherwise, it will probably be Nelson-Ododa (6'9" 235) or Rafael Maia (6'9" 245) that will be covering him and that is a mismatch (Ryan Luther? would not be pretty)... despite Nelson-Ododa being a shot blocker. I would expect Purdue to go to him in the low post early and Dixon to go to doubling the low post early... and then the ball gets pushed outside looking for an open shooter... and that is the way the game goes. Yeah, gotta know who can't make 3 balls on the perimeter and try to make him beat you.

Swanigan, is 6'9" and that is the same size as Mike Young, but Swanigan is 260 which is 25 pounds heavier... so this is going to be a tiring game for the Pitt players in no uncertain terms.

If the big Purdue players have troubling getting up and down the court... they could get eaten alive by the smaller, more athletic Pitt players. Mike Young used to be 245 but slimmed down to 235 and that made him a much better player.

From a Pitt perspective.... the top duo of returning scorers in the ACC... Mike Young and Jamel Artis, and those two played C and PF last year but have moved to PF and SF... and if anything they are better than last year.

I really doubt Swanigan will be able to cover Young. If Young sets up 15 feet away from the basket and Swanigan trys to cover him there... Young will go right by him. If he doesn't cover him, Young will nail the shot. Teams that we have played so far have gone to doubling Young.... and he thus has experience in passing out of it and is getting better at that. Yeah, if Young or one of our other players take it to the hoop, our C has got to block out Haas or their other C to prevent the shot block. I am sure Dixon will tell them this but whether they do it or not only time will tell.

Teams haven't tried to double Artis... because it is impossible. Scores from all over the court. Running by screens and than catch and shoot... and when he is on he is deadly. Put in 30 one game last year and that could happen again.

I think this game will come down to how well Pitt does in defending Haas... and which team has the best production from their support scorers and bench. Pitt is a very deep team but the last game got almost nothing from their bench.

With the new shot clock, the game moves up and down the court faster, and so we will have to see if either team runs out of gas. With both of them being deep, it shouldn't happen to either and thus the bench becomes more significant in this game.

That's a pretty fair rundown. I'll add some things about Purdue. None of you have even mentioned Hammons. He's our true starter at center. He had to sit out the first games this year due to an issue he had to clear up in house. He's a very mobile 7'er who has a shot out to the 3. He is a defensive stopper. He has lead the conference in blocked shots 3 years in a row (I believe). Haas is playing so well right now, that he'll still get the start, but he is our 2nd best player at the 5 (and that is scary for any other team).
I saw someone say that the Zags have the best front court in the nation. Most experts would disagree with that. Purdue has arguably the best front court in the nation. Adding upon the two 7'ers, we have Swannigan ("Biggie") and Edwards. Biggie is 6'9" about 255, now. He's dropped at least 30 pounds over the summer since being a McDonalds all American, #9 recruit, gold medalist. He is much quicker than he was just a few short months ago. He might struggle guarding Young, but we play great team defense. If Young is able to get around Biggie (who is so big that's hard to do), we have Hammons or Haas waiting on him. Edwards is our most complete player. He is a sneaky quick player. He plays so smooth he almost looks slow. He is 6'8" and athletic. He will be a very good match up with Artis, if he Ds up on Artis. Painter might put Davis on Artis. That will be interesting to see.
Davis is our heart and soul. Hopefully, he'll be able to play this game. He's coming off sitting out against LeHigh due to an ACL sprain. If he's not a go, then I think the game will be a toss up. If Davis wants to score, he will score. He also, will make it extremely difficult for anyone to score on him. He's the reigning B1G DPOY.
PJ will probably start at PG after having a run of good games. He has yet to commit a turnover this year. He's a pesky defender but lacks size which in turn hurts occasionally on the defensive end. He's going to take care of the ball and can make shots if needed. I believe he's shooting over 45% from 3.
Hill is completely different than PJ off the bench at PG. He's big and tough on defense. He's not going to shoot past 10 feet, but he can drive and get to the rim. He's a little more careless with the ball, but not too bad.
Our bench is not only deep, but there's not much of a drop off when they come in (if any). Matthias, Stephens, and Cline are our 3 point specialists, but don't expect Cline to play too much. He's still undersized as a freshman to play the kind of defense Painter expects.
You guys couldn't stop Gonzaga's bigs, and ours are better. Young was your only big that was able to produce against the Zags, but they don't have the stoppers that we have in the middle. You all look to have a good team. I expect the game to be fairly close for the first 30 minutes. After that, I see the same thing happen to you that happened to Florida. Ask their players and coaches about Purdue's size. We wore them out. The last 10 minutes of the game, I think we pull away and win 76-63. I don't see you guys hitting the 70 mark against us. We will run when we get a chance, but we play a pretty steady paced game. We won't let you rush us, and we'll make you work when you have the ball. If Davis doesn't play, it will be a close game around 70 each. It would be interesting to see how our young team would react to a close game in a hostile environment. Either way, I hope for a good clean game! Good luck to you guys after our game. I think this game will tell us a lot about each of our teams.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Bigger question. I may be in West Lafayette next week. Where is a good place to eat?

 

[GodFamilyCountryPurdue]

Bigger question. I may be in West Lafayette next week. Where is a good place to eat?

If you want a true college experience, go to Bruno's Pizza or Tripple XXX. After that, hit up Harry's Chocolate Shop.

 

[steel_curtain]

That's a pretty fair rundown. I'll add some things about Purdue. None of you have even mentioned Hammons. He's our true starter at center. He had to sit out the first games this year due to an issue he had to clear up in house. He's a very mobile 7'er who has a shot out to the 3. He is a defensive stopper. He has lead the conference in blocked shots 3 years in a row (I believe). Haas is playing so well right now, that he'll still get the start, but he is our 2nd best player at the 5 (and that is scary for any other team).
I saw someone say that the Zags have the best front court in the nation. Most experts would disagree with that. Purdue has arguably the best front court in the nation. Adding upon the two 7'ers, we have Swannigan ("Biggie") and Edwards. Biggie is 6'9" about 255, now. He's dropped at least 30 pounds over the summer since being a McDonalds all American, #9 recruit, gold medalist. He is much quicker than he was just a few short months ago. He might struggle guarding Young, but we play great team defense. If Young is able to get around Biggie (who is so big that's hard to do), we have Hammons or Haas waiting on him. Edwards is our most complete player. He is a sneaky quick player. He plays so smooth he almost looks slow. He is 6'8" and athletic. He will be a very good match up with Artis, if he Ds up on Artis. Painter might put Davis on Artis. That will be interesting to see.
Davis is our heart and soul. Hopefully, he'll be able to play this game. He's coming off sitting out against LeHigh due to an ACL sprain. If he's not a go, then I think the game will be a toss up. If Davis wants to score, he will score. He also, will make it extremely difficult for anyone to score on him. He's the reigning B1G DPOY.
PJ will probably start at PG after having a run of good games. He has yet to commit a turnover this year. He's a pesky defender but lacks size which in turn hurts occasionally on the defensive end. He's going to take care of the ball and can make shots if needed. I believe he's shooting over 45% from 3.
Hill is completely different than PJ off the bench at PG. He's big and tough on defense. He's not going to shoot past 10 feet, but he can drive and get to the rim. He's a little more careless with the ball, but not too bad.
Our bench is not only deep, but there's not much of a drop off when they come in (if any). Matthias, Stephens, and Cline are our 3 point specialists, but don't expect Cline to play too much. He's still undersized as a freshman to play the kind of defense Painter expects.
You guys couldn't stop Gonzaga's bigs, and ours are better. Young was your only big that was able to produce against the Zags, but they don't have the stoppers that we have in the middle. You all look to have a good team. I expect the game to be fairly close for the first 30 minutes. After that, I see the same thing happen to you that happened to Florida. Ask their players and coaches about Purdue's size. We wore them out. The last 10 minutes of the game, I think we pull away and win 76-63. I don't see you guys hitting the 70 mark against us. We will run when we get a chance, but we play a pretty steady paced game. We won't let you rush us, and we'll make you work when you have the ball. If Davis doesn't play, it will be a close game around 70 each. It would be interesting to see how our young team would react to a close game in a hostile environment. Either way, I hope for a good clean game! Good luck to you guys after our game. I think this game will tell us a lot about each of our teams.

-This post seems a little slanted, but that is ok. Jamel Artis is the ACC's returning leading scorer at over 16 points per game last season. Virginia had the #1 defense in the country last year and Malcolm Brogden was the ACC defensive player of the year. And Artis shredded that defense last year for 20 points and 8 rebounds. There wasn't a single team in the ACC that stopped Artis last year, including National Champion winner Duke, who Artis went for 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists.

-I have not made a prediction on this game. However, I have read multiple posts about needing to stop Mike Young. And Artis is just as deadly on offense. Purdue is not going to stop him, or even contain him. Its not going to happen. And I don't care who you have defending him, you aren't going to lock him down when no one in the entire ACC could shut him down last year.

-And Artis sat the entire first half with 2 fouls against Gonzaga. And Pitt still outscored them.

 

[tjreese]

-Purdue is going to have equally a tough time stopping Artis as Young. Both are pretty lethal on offense. Should be a good game.

maybe, but Artis is smaller and I see young as a bigger match-up problem.for Purdue personnel. It has nothing to do with Pitt and more to do with Purdue. If Davis can play and play effectively he will probably take Artis and if that happens (healthy Davis) historically that means the opposing player doesn't get his average unless he is a huge volume shooter. Still, Davis may not play or play, but not at full speed?

 

[MoTownPanther]

-This post seems a little slanted, but that is ok. Jamel Artis is the ACC's returning leading scorer at over 16 points per game last season. Virginia had the #1 defense in the country last year and Malcolm Brogden was the ACC defensive player of the year. And Artis shredded that defense last year for 20 points and 8 rebounds. There wasn't a single team in the ACC that stopped Artis last year, including National Champion winner Duke, who Artis went for 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists.

-I have not made a prediction on this game. However, I have read multiple posts about needing to stop Mike Young. And Artis is just as deadly on offense. Purdue is not going to stop him, or even contain him. Its not going to happen. And I don't care who you have defending him, you aren't going to lock him down when no one in the entire ACC could shut him down last year.

-And Artis sat the entire first half with 2 fouls against Gonzaga. And Pitt still outscored them.

#Truth

 

[Dodge St Boilers]

couple more points:
-getting our bigs in foul trouble is going to be very difficult for opposing teams. We have three guys who each would be the best center on probably 80% of the power conference teams out there, and painter will sub immediately after fouls to avoid a guy getting two quickly. In the past, Hammons picking up an early two was a quick way to get Purdue in a lot of trouble, but not this year

-we have three guys who their only job is to hit three pointers, Purdue won't lose many of even one of them is hitting

-if those guys aren't hitting, zone will be the end of us

-our conference defender of the year isn't 100%, which is a huge setback

-Purdue won't run with you. If you want to run, Purdue is going to walk that ball up and force you back into the half court. Last year top 25 Indiana came into Mackey thinking they were going to run and shoot Purdue out of their own gym, and Purdue methodically destroyed them.

Take that all fwiw, should be a very good game, and I'll admit I'm pretty afraid of Pitt. Good luck to you

 

[tjreese]

#Truth

Impressive, but the combination of athleticism and height appears to make young a harder match-up for Purdue maybe not other schools.. Maybe not though. Who else is going to score in double digits besides Artis and Young...Robinson? What do you think the three of them will get 40-45 or more?

 

[TC4THREE]

-This post seems a little slanted, but that is ok. Jamel Artis is the ACC's returning leading scorer at over 16 points per game last season. Virginia had the #1 defense in the country last year and Malcolm Brogden was the ACC defensive player of the year. And Artis shredded that defense last year for 20 points and 8 rebounds. There wasn't a single team in the ACC that stopped Artis last year, including National Champion winner Duke, who Artis went for 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists.

-I have not made a prediction on this game. However, I have read multiple posts about needing to stop Mike Young. And Artis is just as deadly on offense. Purdue is not going to stop him, or even contain him. Its not going to happen. And I don't care who you have defending him, you aren't going to lock him down when no one in the entire ACC could shut him down last year.

-And Artis sat the entire first half with 2 fouls against Gonzaga. And Pitt still outscored them.

While his post is slanted, so is yours.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/gamelog/_/id/66287/year/2015/jamel-artis

Yes he has good games against some good teams but he also struggled in other games.

34 games last year. He scored 15+ points in 14 of them and less than 15 in 20.

In the 14 times he scored 15+, your record was 7-7.

Of the 20 times he scored fewer than 15 points (record 12-8), he didn't break double-figures in 9 of those games. He was scoreless against Hawaii, had more turnovers (5) than points (4) at BC. 4 points against a good SDSU squad and 7 points against Indiana (who we know as one of the worst defensive teams in the Big Ten). Clemson held him to 8.

Overall he averaged 14.4 points per game last year. He's a good player but he has some bad games (including ACC games) too and I don't think it's likely that Pitt wins this game on his back alone. To state that it's impossible for someone to contain this guy when he scored less than 15 points in over half your games last year and didn't reach double figures in over a quarter of your games seems slanted to me.

He's a good player. He could have a good game and in doing so could help Pitt win the game but he's not exactly as consistently prolific as you make him sound either.

 

[steel_curtain]

While his post is slanted, so is yours.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/gamelog/_/id/66287/year/2015/jamel-artis

Yes he has good games against some good teams but he also struggled in other games.

34 games last year. He scored 15+ points in 14 of them and less than 15 in 20.

In the 14 times he scored 15+, your record was 7-7.

Of the 20 times he scored fewer than 15 points (record 12-8), he didn't break double-figures in 9 of those games. He was scoreless against Hawaii, had more turnovers (5) than points (4) at BC. 4 points against a good SDSU squad and 7 points against Indiana (who we know as one of the worst defensive teams in the Big Ten). Clemson held him to 8.

Overall he averaged 14.4 points per game last year. He's a good player but he has some bad games (including ACC games) too and I don't think it's likely that Pitt wins this game on his back alone. To state that it's impossible for someone to contain this guy when he scored less than 15 points in over half your games last year and didn't reach double figures in over a quarter of your games seems slanted to me.

He's a good player. He could have a good game and in doing so could help Pitt win the game but he's not exactly as consistently prolific as you make him sound either.

All those low scoring games came at the beginning of the season when Dixon was still testing out a brand new starting 5. Our starting 2 guard had a broken foot and was out. Our starting wing got kicked off the team. Our backup wing went down for the entire season with a shoulder injury.

Pull up the ACC Conference only stats. Artis averaged 16.1 points per game and shot 50% from the field and 39% from 3 against ACC Conference teams ONLY. There isn't a single player in the entire ACC that was better returning on offense going into this season.

http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/jamel-artis-1.html

And Pitt also replaced 4 starters going into the start of last season. In Artis last what 16-17 games of the season last year, he wasn't held to under 10 points once.

 

[tjreese]

Cal

Looking at the Purdue roster and stats... Haas... is their big man in more ways than one. At 7'2" and 297 he is HUGE (we have a player that is being RSed that is 300... down from 400) and he is also the team's leading scorer at 15 PPG at a 756 FG% (!!). If he is a post up scorer... which he probably is... Dixon may well go to doubling the post which he has done successfully at times in the recent past. Otherwise, it will probably be Nelson-Ododa (6'9" 235) or Rafael Maia (6'9" 245) that will be covering him and that is a mismatch (Ryan Luther? would not be pretty)... despite Nelson-Ododa being a shot blocker. I would expect Purdue to go to him in the low post early and Dixon to go to doubling the low post early... and then the ball gets pushed outside looking for an open shooter... and that is the way the game goes. Yeah, gotta know who can't make 3 balls on the perimeter and try to make him beat you.

Swanigan, is 6'9" and that is the same size as Mike Young, but Swanigan is 260 which is 25 pounds heavier... so this is going to be a tiring game for the Pitt players in no uncertain terms.

If the big Purdue players have troubling getting up and down the court... they could get eaten alive by the smaller, more athletic Pitt players. Mike Young used to be 245 but slimmed down to 235 and that made him a much better player.

From a Pitt perspective.... the top duo of returning scorers in the ACC... Mike Young and Jamel Artis, and those two played C and PF last year but have moved to PF and SF... and if anything they are better than last year.

I really doubt Swanigan will be able to cover Young. If Young sets up 15 feet away from the basket and Swanigan trys to cover him there... Young will go right by him. If he doesn't cover him, Young will nail the shot. Teams that we have played so far have gone to doubling Young.... and he thus has experience in passing out of it and is getting better at that. Yeah, if Young or one of our other players take it to the hoop, our C has got to block out Haas or their other C to prevent the shot block. I am sure Dixon will tell them this but whether they do it or not only time will tell.

Teams haven't tried to double Artis... because it is impossible. Scores from all over the court. Running by screens and than catch and shoot... and when he is on he is deadly. Put in 30 one game last year and that could happen again.

I think this game will come down to how well Pitt does in defending Haas... and which team has the best production from their support scorers and bench. Pitt is a very deep team but the last game got almost nothing from their bench.

With the new shot clock, the game moves up and down the court faster, and so we will have to see if either team runs out of gas. With both of them being deep, it shouldn't happen to either and thus the bench becomes more significant in this game.

Swanigan is a basketball player more than an athlete. You can catch him around the 1:19 mark

 

[TC4THREE]

In Artis last what 16-17 games of the season last year, he wasn't held to under 10 points once.

That's great but I'm not exactly thinking that him exploding for 13 points is going to seal the deal for Pitt tomorrow. As a Purdue fan, I'm comfortable with him getting 15 or less. In my book, that's containing someone which the first guy said was impossible. I really don't care if he, or anyone, scores 20+ if they have to put up a bunch of shots to do it.

This is the typical back and forth between college basketball fans of teams in different conferences. They know their team well and very little about their upcoming opponent. They assume all the strengths they've shown in the limited competition they've played thus far will continue to shine through against a superior opponent (and I believe in both cases this will be the best team either of us have faced).

Sometimes its best just to admit that we don't know all there is to know and that it will be interesting to see how this game unfolds rather than try to use selective, targeted facts to support the theory that our favorite team will win this game. I'm just excited that I'll be watching Purdue play a game I can take something from this Tuesday night.

 

[MoTownPanther]

Impressive, but the combination of athleticism and height appears to make young a harder match-up for Purdue maybe not other schools.. Maybe not though. Who else is going to score in double digits besides Artis and Young...Robinson? What do you think the three of them will get 40-45 or more?

Thats an easy one, Jeter. He is a combo of Young and Artis. Does a little of both.

 

[tjreese]

I think you need strong guard play to beat us, specifically a penetrating guard. Your big guys are good but dont worry me like good guards would.

Case in point. Gonzaga has the best frontcourt in the nation but their guards are pedestrian. We were up 2 at the half and would have beaten them.

As for Pitt, this team can really score. We have 2 of the most underrated offensive players in the nation with Mike Young at the PF, who is one of the 5 best PFs in the nation and Jamel Artis at the 3.

For big games, The Pete is rocking and its very tough to beat a good Pitt team there. This is a good team this year and I'd be really surprised if we lost.

I don't know about "strong guard play", but I'm sure Purdue doesn't shoot like they did a couple of weeks ago.

 

[tjreese]

Thats an easy one, Jeter. He is a combo of Young and Artis. Does a little of both.

thanks I don't know anything about him. I was pretty sleepy when I saw the kent state game and admit one game can be filled with errors

 

[GodFamilyCountryPurdue]

Sounds like Davis will more than likely sit tomorrow night. Its unfortunate that we won't be at full strength. I think this will make the game closer, but we should still pull out the w. Either way, this will be a great test for our young team and will strengthen us in the long run. I'm guessing Purdue eeks it out 78-74. Without Davis, the pace of the game will speed up slightly. Its gonna be fun! Hope everyone else for both teams stays healthy.

 

[steel_curtain]

Sounds like Davis will more than likely sit tomorrow night. Its unfortunate that we won't be at full strength. I think this will make the game closer, but we should still pull out the w. Either way, this will be a great test for our young team and will strengthen us in the long run. I'm guessing Purdue eeks it out 78-74. Without Davis, the pace of the game will speed up slightly. Its gonna be fun! Hope everyone else for both teams stays healthy.

That stinks if true. Is this confirmed?

 

[GodFamilyCountryPurdue]

That stinks if true. Is this confirmed?

Not confirmed. He hasn't practiced since the injury. He's not sure if he will play or not. He says he wants to play but also doesn't want to be "silly" about it. We'd rather have him in March/April than in part of game 7.

 

[TC4THREE]

That stinks if true. Is this confirmed?

https://purdue.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1831948

 

[GodFamilyCountryPurdue]

I expect the game to be fairly close for the first 30 minutes. After that, I see the same thing happen to you that happened to Florida. Ask their players and coaches about Purdue's size. We wore them out. The last 10 minutes of the game, I think we pull away and win 76-63. I don't see you guys hitting the 70 mark against us. We will run when we get a chance, but we play a pretty steady paced game. We won't let you rush us, and we'll make you work when you have the ball.

Pretty much went as expected. You guys are a good team. I don't believe in moral victories, but you played a legitimate final 4 team, tonight. Good luck the rest of the year. It was fun talking with you guys before the game.
Boiler Up!

 

[tjreese]

Thats an easy one, Jeter. He is a combo of Young and Artis. Does a little of both.

Saw that he played for an ex Purdue player and Ex Asst. coach for Purdue at Vandy. Vandy is good this year...

 

[BoilerDeac]

-This post seems a little slanted, but that is ok. Jamel Artis is the ACC's returning leading scorer at over 16 points per game last season. Virginia had the #1 defense in the country last year and Malcolm Brogden was the ACC defensive player of the year. And Artis shredded that defense last year for 20 points and 8 rebounds. There wasn't a single team in the ACC that stopped Artis last year, including National Champion winner Duke, who Artis went for 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists.

-I have not made a prediction on this game. However, I have read multiple posts about needing to stop Mike Young. And Artis is just as deadly on offense. Purdue is not going to stop him, or even contain him. Its not going to happen. And I don't care who you have defending him, you aren't going to lock him down when no one in the entire ACC could shut him down last year.

-And Artis sat the entire first half with 2 fouls against Gonzaga. And Pitt still outscored them.

Anddddddd Artis goes for 8 points on 3-10 shooting.

Sure, it was one game, but I think you underestimated Purdue's team defense.