Steven Pearl didn’t have to give the stats and point out how good Purdue is this season, but the Auburn head coach did anyway during his press conference on Thursday while previewing the Tigers’ matchup against the Boilermakers on Saturday in Indianapolis.
“They're the No. 1-rated offense in college basketball,” Pearl started. “We've played three of the top 7-ranked offenses in college basketball, with Michigan and Arizona, as well. They're 13th nationally in rebounding margin, they're fifth nationally in assist-turnover ratio. The more Ted puts these notes together, the more it makes me realize how freakin' good they are.”
Note taken. The Tigers have a tall task (pun intended) against a team that started the season No. 1 in both polls. Much like the matchups against Michigan and Arizona, Auburn will have a size disadvantage, with the Boilermakers throwing 7-foot-4 Daniel Jacobsen and 6-foot-11 Oscar Cluff at them.
“You gotta be aggressive,” Pearl said. “You can't sit behind the post in this game. You just can't. Because if you do, like Cluff is going to do what he did against Marquette and go 8-for-8 and score layups every single time, or Kaufman-Renn is going to just kind of bully you under the rim, and if he doesn't make it, he's gonna go rebound it and finish it.
All-American Braden Smith is the key for Purdue
And while the tall guys get a lot of credit, it is senior guard Braden Smith who stirs the pot for Matt Painter’s team. A consensus First Team All-America selection last year, Smith returned to West Lafayette with the intention to win a national title.
“Braden Smith is probably the best passer in college basketball -- and has been the best passer in college basketball for a long time,” Pearl said. “He does so many things that can break down defenses, and he gets all those guys so involved.”