I love this matchup for a multitude of reasons. My favorite being the opportunity to beat a program that would otherwise look like a game we should lose just from a name recognition/national view. Make no inferences, MTSU is the better team on Thursday and should be treated as a heavy favorite.
Purdue is one of the worst scoring defenses in the Big Ten (2nd worst) allowing 73 ppg. A big chunk of that was allowing 102 to Notre Dame but they have played a rather weak schedule since and allowed 66 ppg in those 4 games (which would make them 3rd worst in Big Ten). Another mark against them is averaging 18 turnovers per game which is bottom 100 in the country. A solid effort on defense, similar to what we saw in the first half against FAMU could get us out to a sizeable lead early. That is another important note, in Purdue's 4 wins this year, they have outscored their opponent (on average) +8 in the first quarter. The margin dwindles significantly from there (+1 in 2Q, +4 in 3Q, +2 in 4Q) which shows me they play there best basketball in the first 10 minutes. If you can get to them early defensively, this is a team that has a hard time getting out of a hole (trailed ND 28-7 after 1Q).
Scouting their roster, they had a big pick up with Reagan Bass (#34, 6'2" F) from Akron. She leads the Boilermakers with 15.2 ppg and 7.6 rpg. She's great at getting to the rim and can shoot the mid-range well. Destini Lombard (#4, 5'9" G) is second averaging 13 ppg and will be familiar as she transferred from Stephen F Austin. The Lady Raiders beat SFA 72-47 LY where Lombard was held to 2 points in 27 minutes. Lastly Freshman Center Lana McCarthy (#35, 6'4") has been impressive in her limited minutes. In just 19 minutes/game she averages 11.2 points and 7 rebounds. When she exits they'll bring in Freshman Kendall Puryear (#22, 6'3") who has a big presence and can rebound.
Purdue is best in the front court, but were silenced in their one game against a quality opponent (16 combined points). I think our front court is one of the best at the mid-major level, if not the country. If you can limit their front court scoring, make Lombard beat you, which we contained her well last year, I like this matchup for MTSU. Only other key is stop them from getting a fast start on offense. This again should hopefully prepare us well for an even stronger frontcourt, Iowa State on Saturday. Just take care of business tomorrow.
