By Robert Lastella
After rolling through High Point in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday afternoon, Purdue is looking to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16 on Saturday with a win over another pesky Mid Major, McNeese. The Boilermakers asserted their physicality in their win over the Panthers, however, McNeese did the same to Clemson and this game has the potential to be a dogfight in the trenches.
On the season, Purdue has been led by their big three of Trey Kaufman-Renn, Braden Smith, and Fletcher Loyer, as they’re the only 3 averaging double figures and when the Boilermakers need a bucket, odds are it’s going to come from one of those three. In the round of 64 however, although Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith both had big games and Loyer finished with 8, it was Camden Heide and Gicarri Harris who Purdue Coach Matt Painter credits with providing a boost that got Purdue the win.
Bench players serve a critical role for each team, however, the best squads are the ones who get production outside of scoring from their role players, and according to Painter, his squad was able to do that against High Point.
“Having depth is going to help you and it's what I really talk about with guys that come off the bench. Like, you know, there's times where you're not going to be able to get the same volume of shots every game, like those guys will be able to Braden and Trey Kaufman, especially, to where they're going to get a lot of usage sometimes the game, what it brings, you know, Cam is going to get more opportunities, or miles is going to get more opportunities. But you know, you always can defend, you always can rebound, you always can change the game, Gicarri Harris didn't play a whole lot in last night's game until the end, but he had eight rebounds. He was just around the basketball. It just made sense for him to stay in there, and it gave us an extra ball handler in the game. Miles Colvin was very active, I thought he did some good things, Cam might have been the difference from an individual standpoint, getting a double-double,” Painter said.
In terms of bench production for Purdue against High Point Camden Heide finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds, Gicarri Harris grabbed 8 rebounds and Myles Colvin threw down a ferocious dunk as Painter said, without their efforts, they may have come up short against the Panthers. In the same way that Purdue was able to replace the lost production of Lance Jones and Zach Edey with the emergence of Kaufman-Renn and the development of Loyer and Smith; Harris, Colvin, and Heide are the future of Purdue and have the opportunity to show that in their roles off of the bench.
The physicality that Harris and Heide will provide down low is exactly what they will need against a McNeese squad that is physically tested after running through a grueling conference schedule in the Southland Conference. Where some players get lost in scoring and wanting to be in the spotlight, Purdue has found guys who excel in their roles and if they do that once again in their round of 32 matchup, they will be in a good position.
Both Heide and Colvin are sophomores, while Harris is a freshman, and while developing in their own games, all three have found a way to play an important role on this squad. According to Colvin, accepting their roles is what has allowed them to excel and this season has provided an opportunity for him and Heide to make a significant jump in their game.
“Just preparation, that's a really big part of all of it, not just, the physical, you know, getting extra shots up and running through plays and sets and stuff like that. I think it's also more than mental, you know. Like you said, you know, we're not gonna know how many minutes we're going to play that night. So just go out there and just try to produce as much as we can with the minutes that we have. And I think this year we've done really well with that. It's just becoming more comfortable within the offense and the defense of the schemes that we have. So I think that's huge, that we've started to learn and grow and made a big leap from last year to this year,” Colvin said.
Purdue will prepare for McNeese over the coming 24 hours, with Coach Painter having to find a way to rally his guys to perform at the level they did against High Point, as McNeese will come into this game as a mid-major with nothing to lose, something that is always dangerous in March.
Although there is pressure coming into this game, as is any game in March, Painter says that he will prepare his team to treat McNeese like any other opponent in hopes they don’t overlook or overcompensate against the Cowboys.
“It really doesn't matter, like you know what your seed is, they're a great team. Look at them like you're playing Auburn. Look at them like you're playing Michigan State. They have great players. They have a great coach. Like, they've gained some steam here, that's the narrative. But when the game starts, the game is still the game, and they play hard. So look at them for what they do, and make sure you're selling that to your players, about how quick they are, athletic they are, how tough they are, how they get into gaps. And it's just like making a cliptape. Okay, here's what works against them. Here's what does not work against them. Do as much of this as you can, and stay the hell away from this, because they've proven that they prey on that,” Painter said.
Purdue will be the first game up in Providence on Saturday afternoon, taking on McNeese at 12:10 pm EST with the game streaming on CBS.