#5 Purdue 15-1 (5-0) will host Iowa 12-4 (2-3) on Wednesday night.
Purdue is off to a clean start in the Big Ten. Ben McCollum’s first year at Iowa has hit a recent speed bump after a hot start to the season.
Iowa has lost its last two games, dropping a game at Minnesota and then at home against Illinois.
Now Matt Painter and Ben McCollum will square off for the first time. McCollum took over the Iowa program this season from long time head coach Fran McCaffrey. Now McCollum will get his first look at Mackey Arena.
Your talking points
It’s all about the point guard matchup with All-American and best point guard in the country, Braden Smith, squaring off against the sweet shooting sensation and possible All-American, Bennet Stirtz.
Stirtz is a more shoot first point guard, but he does plenty to entertain the crowd. Stirtz is one of the nation’s most unapologetic launchers of the basketball. He will consume any space with his ability to get the ball up and in the rim. He’s averaging 17.6 points a game while shooting just under 40% from three on about six attempts per game. He can score off the dribble, standing still, getting to the hoop, stepping back, or from very far distances.
Braden Smith is the returning point guard of the year and All-Time assists leader in the Big Ten. Smith is closing in on the All-Time NCAA assists record next. After a 14 assist performance against Penn State, Smith is on pace to break the record just a couple games into the post season for Purdue. Smith is also leading the nation in assists per game.
It’s unlikely the two will be directly against each other by choice on the court, but there is no doubt the two teams run through their very talented point guards.
It doesn’t get much more entertaining a viewing experience than watching Smith and Stirtz duel.
Purdue heads on the road
This will be an important game for Purdue in its race to reclaim the Big Ten. It’s gotten off to its best start in school history, including a 5-0 start in Big Ten play, but now Purdue will have to go on the road for four of the next five games including games at USC, UCLA, and Indiana.
Purdue’s first five games in conference have lacked much drama. Purdue’s made chum out of the bottom and middle of the Big Ten to this point. Now it starts to get fellow heavy weights and rivals while straying away from the comforts of Mackey Arena.
Strength on Strength
Purdue comes into the game as the 12th best three point shooting team in the country, making 39.3% of its attempts. Iowa is holding teams to 30.2% from three, a top fifty mark in the country. Iowa will and does focus on limiting attempts from the perimeter and tries to not leave shooters.
Braden Smith is the nation’s best creator of open threes, for himself, and his team full of shooters. Iowa will have its hands full, but Purdue also doesn’t tend to force things through team’s strengths.
Iowa has struggled to defend inside, giving up a nearly 51% field goal percentage on two-pointers. That could mean that the big men inside, Oscar Cluff, Daniel Jacobsen, and most likely, Trey Kaufman-Renn will get chances early and often against Iowa’s defense.
Around Stirtz, balance and length make Iowa tough
There is not a true second on Iowa’s team when it comes to offense. Instead, balanced scoring, with good shooting from multiple positions help the offense percolate around Stirtz’ incredible shot making.
Alvaro Folgueiras and Cooper Koch’s are plus 40% stretch forwards that provide Stirtz spacing and pick and pop targets in the half court. Kael Combs is Iowa’s secondary playmaker, but Iowa’s offense runs through Stirtz. It will live and die as Stirtz plays and how he can elevate the squad around him.
McCollum was picked for Iowa in part because of his pedigree on defense and the defensive unit he built at Drake. He’ll now gets to test his defensive acumen against the offense that’s ran roughshod through the league the last decade.
It will be a very fun coaching matchup between McCollum and Matt Painter.
