2011 Purdue Basketball Preview

2010-11 Results

Overall: 26-8 (Home 16-0 Road 7-5 Neutral 3-3 Postseason 1-2)
Big 10: 14-4
Conference Tournament: Lost in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.
Postseason: Lost in the third round of the NCAA Tournament to Virginia Commonwealth.

Matt Painter guided Purdue to a 26-8 record overall last year and a second place finish in the Big Ten Conference. All-American JaJuan Johnson was a major factor in the team’s success. The team only twice lost back-to-back games. Purdue ended the season without much to cheer about, losing their first game of the Big Ten Tournament and in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

A year ago Purdue ranked second in the Big Ten in scoring averaging 72.5 points per game. They were best from beyond the arch finishing fourth in the conference. Defensively the team was solid finishing third in the conference allowing 61.9 points per game.

Roster

Returning Starters
Ryne Smith
Lewis Jackson
Robbie Hummel

Other Returning Players
Terone Johnson
Kelsey Barlow
D.J. Byrd
Dru Anthrop
Travis Carroll
Sandi Marcius

Newcomers
Donnie Hale
Jacob Lawson
Anthony Johnson
Neal Beshears

Head Coach
Matt Painter

Key Losses

The Boilermakers will have to replace JaJuan Johnson, a first-round selection by the Boston Celtics. Last season Johnson average 20.5 points a game and 8.6 rebounds. On top of Johnson’s departure is E’Twaun Moore, Purdue’s third all time leading scorer.

2011-12 Preview

Many pundits doubt that the Boilermakers can contend this year after losing All-America center JaJuan Johnson and All-Big Ten guard E’Twaun Moore. On top of that Purdue’s best returning player is coming off of back-to back ACL surgeries.

There is still a lot of talent in the groups and Painter thinks he can put them all together and turn them into a high powered machine.

Robbie Hummerl will be the key player this year for Purdue. Coach Painter will need him to play as well as he did before ACL surgery if Purdue is going to finish in the top third of the conference.

Backcourt

Seniors Lewis Jackson and Ryne Smith will ensure that this year’s backcourt doesn’t suffer. Jackson is an excellent defender and average 8 points a game and 4 assists a year ago. One thing that could derail Jackson’s senior season is a foot injury. He was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis which could affect him all year long. Smith on the other hand has consistently improved defensively and shot 44 percent from beyond the arch last year. He is also an excellent free throw shooter making 88.5 percent of his shots a year ago.

Kelsey Barlow has been installed as the third starter in the backcourt. He will be the Boilermakers fourth scoring option after averaging 8 points a game last year and 3.5 rebounds. A year ago he shot 47 percent from the field but only 15.4 percent from three point range.

Terone Johnson, Anthony Johnson, and John Hart will give the Boilermakers strength off the bench. Last season Johnson averaged 4.9 points per game and 2.5 rebounds. His poor shooting will likely hold him back from earning more playing time. He only hit 34.9 percent of his field goals and 29.3 percent from beyond the arch.

Frontcourt

Purdue’s front court has a lot of question marks. Hummel is the only reliable player returning. During the 2009-2010 season he averaged 15.7 points and 6.9 rebounds, when the Boilermakers advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before being eliminated by Duke.

D.J. Byrd will come off the bench as a wing or power forward. Expect him to average around 10 minutes a game off the bench. Bryd lacks a position since he is too small to defend power forwards by his slow on the perimeter. He averaged 5.2 points and 3.0 rebounds a year ago.

Travis Carroll will be the fifth starter though that could easily change. For the time being the center position is his to lose. Not only does Carroll have killer basketball knowledge, but he can also hit the outside jumper. His weakness is his lack of mobility. Last season he averaged 1.9 points per game in limited playing time. Sandi Marcius moves well for a center and is an excellent rebounder. If he can learn to understand the college game more his minutes should increase.

Freshman Jacob Lawson will get a taste of college basketball action this year. He is an amazing athlete and has earned a spot in Matt Painter’s rotation. Lawson’s jumping ability is out of the gym. The only downside if that he lacks average basketball skills.

More Big Ten Basketball Predictions

Ohio State Buckeyes	Michigan State Spartans	Michigan Wolverines
Wisconsin Badgers	Indiana Hoosiers	Purdue Boilermakers
Northwestern Wildcats	Iowa Hawkeyes	Minnesota Golden Gophers
Illinois Fighting Illini	Nebraska Cornhuskers	Penn State Nittany Lions

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