“Every night, somebody different leads them and that’s what makes them good,” Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. “The thing of it is, they can all shoot the ball, they can all score. They’re not the type of team where you focus your defensive attention on one or two players. That’s a team.”
The Boilermakers’ balancing act has allowed second-year coach Matt Painter’s
15-5 team to jump out to a 6-1 start in Big Ten play, a half game behind league-leading Indiana.
Eight players have led Purdue in scoring at least once this season and seven Boilermakers average between six and 11.5 points a game.
“When you start thinking matchups, thinking about where you need to put your best defender, it’s difficult to know where to start with Purdue,” Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. “They’re getting good movement with their motion offense and they’re all capable.”
Four freshmen are among the scoring leaders on a team that has nine players averaging at least 15 minutes a game. Nobody averages more than 29 minutes.
“We probably don’t have that player you would characterize as a go-to guy. We’ll go with the hot hand and try to make some plays when it matters,” he said.
Painter said his team’s unselfishness on offense and willingness to guard every possession has allowed the Boilermakers to win eight of nine since losing consecutive games to Wofford and Iowa State in the Las Vegas Classic in late December.
“This group doesn’t have many egos. They seem to understand that this is how we have to play,” Painter said. “It’s a collective thing, and it has to be that way.”
Iowa coach Todd Lickliter, whose team visits the Boilermakers at 6 p.m. today, appreciates the cohesion he sees as he watches Purdue play.
“They complement each other so well and as well as they work together on offense, I’m every bit as impressed with the way they defend and the pressure they are able to apply in the half court,” Lickliter said. “The pieces to the puzzle fit together pretty well for them and as everybody is finding out, it’s no accident that they are winning.”
Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.
