11 Purdue @ Pittsburgh: ACC/B1G Challenge Player Ratings

11 PURDUE @ PITTSBURGH

Purdue Boilermakers

C Isaac Hayes: N/A

It speaks volumes that Isaac Hayes wrestled the starting job away from AJ Hammons. Hayes has averaged 13.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game, despite playing only 17.6 minutes a game. He scores .78 points per minute...that's an incredible rate. If he were to only play 25 minutes per game he would be a 20 point scorer each game.

Anyways, back to the game at hand, Hayes only played nine minutes against Pittsburgh. He picked up three quick fouls, and also turned the ball over four times during his short time on the court. So, Hammons came in for him, and dominated. While he was on the court, Hayes did show off some nice post moves, shooting 2-4, and scoring six points. He uses his length exceptionally well. He plays offensively the way I always hoped Craig Forth would. Sigh.

So, I am not going to grade Hayes. I would have to give him a low grade because of the turnovers, and fouls, and his overall low impact on the game. There's a chance I don't watch Purdue again before the NCAA tournament, and I don't want that to be the only thing I have on record for him at that time.

F Caleb Swanigan: 5.5

Imagine for a moment that Swanigan had honored his commitment to Michigan State...how good would that team be? Sorry, you're right he's a boilermaker.

Swanigan has struggled on the offensive end thus far this season. He is shooting only 37.3% from the field, averaging 8.9 points per game. He shot just 1-6 this game, and scored four points. Despite his offensive deficiencies, Swanigan grabbed eight rebounds, and played good defense. Swanigan often was pushed out to guard the perimeter against Pittsburgh's versatile forwards. He moved surprisingly well laterally, and did a nice job switching to cover Michael Young or Jamel Artis.

F Vince Edwards: 7.5

Edwards is a shooting guard who doesn't take too many shots, but he shoots at a high percentage. He shot 3-6 this game, and was 2-4 from 3pt range. He only grabbed three rebounds, but finished the game with six assists. He is averaging just under four assists per game thus far this season. Edwards only turned the ball over once.

G Dakota Mathias: 3.5

Mathias is a 3pt specialist, 75% of his shot attempts are from beyond the arc. He shot just 1-5 this game, and 1-4 from beyond the arc. He made all three of his free throws to score 6 total points. Mathias also had three rebounds and one assist.

G PJ Thompson: 5.5

Like Edwards, Thompson shoots at a high percentage despite not taking many shots. He averages just 3.3 shot attempts per game, while shooting 47.8%, and over 40% from three. Thompson was 1-2 for three points, while also adding four rebounds, and two assists.

C AJ Hammons: 9.5

AJ Hammons is playing less minutes this season, 20.8, than he had in any of his previous three seasons with Purdue, even though he is scoring more points than he ever has, 12.2 points per game, and shooting at a higher percentage, 59.1%. He came off the bench to replace Isaac Hayes after Hayes picked up his second foul early in the first half. Hammons barely left upon entering the game.

Hammons scored 24 points on 10-15 shooting, and made both of his 3pt attempts. He also grabbed twelve rebounds. Pittsburgh had no answer for Hammons defensively, so Purdue just kept feeding him.

G Ryan Cline: 8

Caleb Swanigan is the freshman with the most hype behind him, but it would be a mistake to forget about Ryan Cline. Cline is shooting 48% from beyond the arc thus far this season. He made four of his six attempts from that range coming off the bench against Pittsburgh, scoring 12 points. He made three of those shots inside of 10 minutes left in the second half.

G Kendall Stephens: 5.5

Kendall Stephens played 28 minutes this game. However, he did not make the most of those minutes, shooting just 1-9. All of his shots were taken from 3pt range. Stephens is shooting just 31.7% from the field this season. He did have five assists this game though.

G Johnny Hill: 6

Johnny Hill is a high energy, hustle heavy reserve. He seemed to be in every scramble when on the court, and made some solid contributions while playing just 12 minutes. He scored four points, while taking just two shots, and is shooting 70% from the field this season. He also finished the game with three rebounds, two assists, and a steal.

Team Rating: 6.33

Purdue needed to battle with Pittsburgh in the second half, but pulled away in the game's final ten minutes. Purdue is set up nicely on offense with a dominate big man, whether it be Hammons or Hayes, and plenty of shooters around them. Caleb Swanigan is a potential x-factor for the team moving forward; the team would be much better with Swanigan playing up to his potential. Purdue's best on the defensive end. They have great size, and their forwards are very versatile, able to defend multiple positions. They held Pittsburgh to just 35% shooting from the field. I do wonder if Purdue will play Hammons and Hayes together on the court as they face stiffer competition. Their offensive skill and size would be unmatched by any other college duo.

Pittsburgh Panthers

C Alonzo Nelson-Odoba: 3.5

Nelson-Odiba was just a token starter. He played only seven minutes, had two rebounds, and even managed to block a shot. He, like every Pittsburgh big man had nothing to offer Hammons defensively.

F Michael Young: 7

Michael Young is Pittsburgh's best player. He is possibly the most versatile, and dynamic forward in the ACC (except for Tyler Lydon, of course). Young scored 16 points, making 5 of 11 shots. More impressively, he grabbed 12 rebounds, including five on the offensive end, and dished three assists. However, Young turned the ball over three times this game, and did not score a field goal the final 15 minutes of the game. Pittsburgh cannot possibly hope to win games when Young is ineffective for that long of a stretch.

F Jamel Artis: 3

Jamel Artis and Michael Young are an interesting, and extremely versatile pairing. However, Artis was handled well by Purdue, and limited to eight points, on 3-10 shooting. Pittsburgh depends upon the play between Artis and Young, but Artis did not look on all game. Most small forward are mismatched facing Artis, but this was not the case for Vince Edwards, and Pittsburgh's attempts to get Caleb Swanigan switched onto him did not work out for them either. Artis did have four assists though, and he's averaging more than three per game.

G Sterling Smith: 5

Sterling Smith was suppose to come into the Panthers line up and give the team a credible three point shooting. He has been great shooting. His 3pt percentage is 57.1%. However, he is only taking 3.2 shots per game. How is that possible? How is Pittsburgh not trying to feed him the ball more often? Smith played 21 minutes against Purdue, and tok only two shots, scoring three points. He also had four rebounds. I don't blame Smith for his low point totals. I blame this Panthers offense that refuses to get him more involved.

G James Robinson: 8

James Robinson stepped up against Purdue with Jamel Artis struggling, and made this game close. He shot 6-11 for 17 points, and scored most of his points in the second half. He became aggressive at the right time, and took the initiative on offense. Unfortunately, it just wasn't enough. Robinson had four assists, but he also turned the ball over four times.

F Sheldon Jeter: 4.5

Sheldon Jeter has improved his numbers across the board (shooting, rebounding, blocks, steals) this season when compared to last, despite playing the same number of minutes. He shot 2-9 for seven points against Purdue. It looked like Pittsburgh spent some time with a frontcourt of Young, Artis, with Jeter playing in the middle of the zone...ugh.

G Chris Jones: 3

Chris Jones split time with Sterling Smith this game. He took five shots, and only made one, missing all three of his attempts from 3pt range. Chris Jones is struggling early this season he is shooting just 40.6% from the field, and 28.6% from three point range. His point total is just 7.0 ppg this season, almost two point less than his point total last year.

F Ryan Luther: 4.5

Ryan Luther played 11 minutes. He scored a little bit shooting 2-3 for four points, and grabbed a couple of rebounds. However, he looked really bad trying to guard Hammons. Hammons just bullied him.

F Rafael Maia: 5

Maia played ten minutes, as the center position minutes was split up between three or four players. Maia at least offered some aggressiveness, and urgency on the defensive end. He grabbed a couple of steals, and blocked a shot. But, ultimately no one could stop Hammons.

G Cameron Johnson: N/A

Did not play enough to qualify.

G Damon Wilson: N/A

Did not play enough to qualify.

Team Rating: 5.38

Pittsburgh was only down two points with eight minutes to go, but it never looked like they were getting the better of Purdue. They ultimately lost by 13, which seemed about right. Pittsburgh tried to employ a 2-3 zone against Purdue, and it really did not work out. Pittsburgh's players did not look comfortable playing in the zone. They did not seem accustomed to it, and it did not take much for Purdue to break the shape. They also have the shooters to take advantage of the zone. On offense, Michael Young and Jamel Artis did not score for long stretches, and they needed to be at their best to beat Purdue. Pittsburgh essentially only counts on three positions to score. They don't get much offensively production from their “center,” and they don't get much from their shooting guard...which is obligatorily ironic. Despite returning the majority of their team from a year ago, Pittsburgh looks like a team still trying to find the right mix of players. I'm not encouraged by this performance, but I know if they're a dangerous team if Michael Young and Jamel Artis are on.