Precap 2/13 - Purdue's puzzle solved, and a big day in the Big-12

2/13

Recap

• Northwestern solves the Purdue puzzle

For all season, Purdue had been an extremely difficult team to beat due to the things you needed to do to beat them. Northwestern didn’t have an all-american big man, an impressive offense (they’re 193rd in the country), or an x-factor player. But, they had a very good game plan and a home court advantage that led them to victory. Their offense wasn’t bad, and it was good enough to pull ahead of Purdue, but the true story of the game was their defense. Every time Edey got the ball in the paint, they would double him, forcing him to kick the ball out and sometimes turn the ball over. The problem for teams playing Purdue in the past was being able to defend 3 point shooters after doubling. But, they got decent contests on three pointers that would have been otherwise wide open. Also, they pressured Purdue’s freshman guards in a tough environment by pressing up the court, forcing 16 turnovers and 6 from Edey. Their scrappiness on the boards held Edey to 8 rebounds. Lastly, they were good enough offensively to stay in the game behind Boo Buie’s 26 and eventually Chase Audige’s 15. If Northwestern can play this well against every team, I think they should be an elite eight and maybe final four candidate.

Preview

• Two big Big-12 clashes

We have two very impactful Big 12 games today, with Texas - Texas Tech and West Virginia - Baylor. Starting with the Texas - Texas Tech rivalry, Texas Tech is coming off a huge win against Kansas State, and look to beat Texas after losing by 2 last time in Austin. Tech likely wouldn’t make the tournament even if they won out, but are competing with Oklahoma for second-to-last place and could jump them as well as even West Virginia.  Speaking of West Virginia, they’re coming off getting blown out by Texas, but are still securely in the bubble as a 9 seed. If they can build up some positive momentum with a win here, they should be in a good position to make the tournament, as they get both Texas Tech and Oklahoma State at home, which are both games they should win. If they can also upset Baylor, Kansas, Iowa State, or Kansas State, they’ll essentially be a tournament lock.

• Other Implications

Starting with the MEAC, first place Howard is visited by second place UMES. If UMES wins here, they’ll be tied with Howard for first, but Howard could really distance themselves from the rest of the conference, as the rest of their games after UMES are pretty easy other than Norfolk State in the last game of the regular season. Last time, UMES won by 9 at home. This game is also a tournament final preview, so make sure to catch it.

Moving to the CAA, we have a huge game in #5 Drexel at #1 Hofstra. Hofstra’s tied for first with bubble team Charleston, so they look to remain that way as Charleston has a relatively easy game against Northeastern. This is their first and only regular season meeting of the season, and though Hofstra should win, Drexel is a dangerous team. They’ve already beaten #4 Towson, as well as being one of Charleston’s two losses along with Hofstra. They look to make another statement here and potentially move into third place.

Lastly, we move back to the power conferences with a huge game for North Carolina at home against Miami. The Tar Heels are currently one of the last four teams in the tournament, and though they do have two other ranked win opportunities, they need to start building up some momentum so they don’t find themselves in the NIT or in Dayton playing in the First Four. They’ll have more opportunities later, but a win here would be huge in order to get back into the form they were last postseason against a very hot Miami team.