Crean emphasizing defense to stop Purdue’s big 3

IU coach Tom Crean recently said his team isn’t pushing the ball enough.

The second-year coach might take a different approach against the transition-heavy offense of Purdue at 7 p.m. today in Assembly Hall.

The Boilermakers average 74 points per game based on the effort of the team’s “big three,” and will have an opportunity to beat IU in consecutive games for the first time since 2000.

Purdue’s JaJuan Johnson, Robbie Hummel and E‘Twaun Moore each score in double digits and account for 47 of Purdue’s point-per-game average.

Crean said a collective effort will be needed to slow the Purdue offense.

“We have to have great team defense,” Crean said. “That’s what they have. Their help defense is outstanding; their ability to pressure the ball is outstanding. We’ve got to be able to return that favor.”

Each of Purdue’s three best players offer a different element for the Hoosiers to fear.

Moore, Purdue’s best scorer with 17 points per game, has a mid-range game to worry offenses, but he can also drive the basketball as a 6-foot-4 shooting guard.

He is also one of his team’s most efficient players, shooting 50 percent overall, coupled with a 35-percent average from three-point line.

With the Boilermakers’ three best players standing above 6-foot-4, it’s apparent that IU will be challenged on the backboards. But where Purdue has earned its reputation is in the open court.       

Seventy percent of Purdue’s shots come from inside the arc, yet the team shoots 31 percent from the outside.

“I think they’re excellent in transition,” Crean said. “And we’re going to have to be very good there, because this is getting more and more like playing Michigan State with the way they run their break.”

Key to the Boilermaker effort in the open floor is its versatile wing players and true big man in the 6-foot-10 Johnson.

When asked about matchups, Crean immediately began to comment on Johnson’s ability. He can play with his back to the basket and put in a hook shot, but he also has the ability to run the break as a big trailer.

“I think we’re going against the fastest guy in the league, from end to end, as far as big players in JaJuan Johnson,” Crean said. “So that poses another challenge. Jeremiah’s probably not going to be blocking his shot too much at the end of the break, so we got to get back and really, really defend.” 

Purdue also recently got back speedy guard Lewis Jackson, who Crean said will make the team even quicker. The guard sat out of the Boilermakers’ first 19 games because of a short suspension and foot injury.

Freshman guard Jordan Hulls said he expects a lot of quickness from Purdue.
“They can get up on us defensively, pressure the ball,” Hulls said. “They’re a good defensive team. They’re really smart and fundamental, so we’ll just have to execute real well and keep our turnovers down.”

But who Crean worries about most is Hummel.

Crean has seldom gushed about a player the way he did when he described Hummel as a “matchup nightmare.” The forward has a part in every phase of the game for Purdue.

The 6-foot-8 Hummel has the ability to shoot from the three, handle the ball or drive on any given play. He also shoots 90 percent from the free-throw line.

He averages 16 points per game, but also grabs seven rebounds and dishes out two assists.

“Robbie Hummel is exactly what you want to have in the sense of having that swing forward,” Crean said. “He can bring the ball up. In fact, at the end of most games the ball is in his hands.”

Freshman forward Derek Elston said the IU big men have focused in on Hummel’s tendencies, and have devised some plans to defend him.

“He’s going to be a big challenge for us,” he said. “But I think we got some stuff that’ll slow him down.”