Little things add up big for 9-0 Purdue basketball team

WEST LAFAYETTE - The Purdue Boilermakers will be boarding a plane destined for Nebraska with a 9-0 record.

This after Wednesday's early blitz that buried a pretty good Hofstra team before the Pride knew what hit them.

That after Sunday's blowout victory over Minnesota.

And that after a seven-game winning streak against a schedule few could have expected this collection of players to run through with an unblemished record.

There's no freakishly athletic future NBA lottery pick like last year's team had. No Trevion Williams, either.

There might not even be a future NBA player on the current roster.

Collectively, this Boilermaker squad is just bunch of really good, basketball savvy players who work well together.

MORE:Hot start fuels unbeaten Purdue basketball past Hofstra

"It started with practice the first day," freshman point guard Braden Smith said after scoring 13 points in Wednesday's win over Hofstra in Mackey Arena. "We just all kind of clicked like that."

The little things that coaches always claim win games, this team does.

It passes well. Rebounds well. Takes care of the basketball. Defends well, a Purdue staple.

On Wednesday, the Boilermakers allowed one offensive rebound to Hofstra, and it was a team rebound. Seven players entered the game for Hofstra. None had an offensive rebound. Purdue outscored Hofstra 19-0 on second-chance points. And won by 19 points.

"We have a lot of guys who are really good at boxing their man out," said Zach Edey, who continued his monstrous tear through the 2022-23 early-season schedule with 23 points and 18 rebounds. "We’re a big, physical team and that shows up in the rebound stats."

Then there's the things that you don't notice. Unless you're really paying attention.

The way Fletcher Loyer comes off screens and how someone who might be slower and perhaps less athletic than the man defending him can seemingly always get to the basket.

"He is not the fastest guy in the world," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "He knows angles, so when he puts the ball on the deck and gets an angle, he can make passes and make shots."

Painter emphasized the importance of role players. In some way everyone is a role player, but in terms of consistent stat padders, Edey is it on this team.

Painter rattles through, one by one, after Wednesday's game.

Loyer. Smith. Ethan Morton. Mason Gillis, who has missed the last two games with an injury. Caleb Furst. Trey Kaufman-Renn. Brandon Newman. David Jenkins Jr. Brian Waddell.

"People get lost when they see people play 10 to 15 minutes a game and they wonder why they don’t do certain things," Painter said. "They’ve been sitting over there for 20 minutes cold. Now they’ve got to come in and play a role and do things to help your team win. That is a really hard role to play.

"The balance we have ... I think we’re going to have that and that is a good thing, especially when you get out on the road."

Edey has transformed into a star.

He's not included in the role player category because everything runs through him.

But for a big - really big - man, he does the little things, too.

"Guys his size don’t go after every rebound. He goes after every rebound," Painter said. "He gives a great effort. He’s not one of those big dudes who sits there and scores baskets because he’s big. He’s got a good skill level, he’s got a good motor."

When you put all those ingredients together, you get an undefeated squad that's the fourth-ranked team in college basketball.

"We’re all unselfish. We all enjoy being like that, just finding the extra guy," Smith said. "Obviously we’re going to get (Edey) the ball when we can and he is going to make plays. He is going to have those big nights and that’s what we want. When that happens, they double team. He’s good enough to make the pass out and then we’ll kick it out and swing one more and knock down the 3.

"Being able to have those unselfish teammates, it’s really fun to play with."

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.

No. 4 Purdue (9-0, 1-0 Big Ten) at Nebraska (6-4, 0-1)

Saturday, 2:15 p.m.

TV: BTN

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This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Little things add up big for 9-0 Purdue basketball team