Jan. 10--Before Purdue played Michigan, Wolverines coach John Beilein had his players use what he called "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sticks" in practice to prepare for the shot-blocking abilities of 7-footer A.J. Hammons.
Illinois didn't employ anything unorthodox to prepare for the No. 20 Boilermakers, but make no mistake the Illini are aware of the giants that will be stomping into Champaign on Sunday.
Few teams have the size to match up with the Boilermakers, who besides sequoia-sized Hammons also feature 7-2 center Isaac Haas and 6-9 freshman Caleb Swanigan. Swanigan has brought another element to Purdue's frontcourt forest.
"It makes them enormous," Illinois coach John Groce said. "They're huge at those two (center) positions. They're great on the glass. Great in the post. (Swanigan is) skilled too. He handles the ball well for his size. He can switch defensively and guards the ball well for his size. He's not just exclusively a paint guy. He does his damage in a lot of different areas on the court."
The trio has made Purdue a dangerous Big Ten threat this season.
"We all work together well," Haas said. "It's versatility, strength and speed. I'm strong and can wear guys out. A.J. is faster and they're worn out from going against me. 'Biggie' (Swanigan) is versatile and just brings so many different threats down low. Not only can he put the ball on the floor, but he can score. (The abundance of post players) is a good problem to have."
Or, potentially, a terrible problem if you're the opponent.
Purdue seems to have everything Illinois (8-8, 0-3 Big Ten) lacks.
Illini big men Leron Black and Mike Thorne Jr. are both out indefinitely with knee injuries.
While Illinois forward Michael Finke has offered some versatility (scoring 10 points per game and shooting 40.4 percent on 3-pointers) and center Maverick Morgan has shown some improvement (6.1 points, 2.2 rebounds per game), Groce wasn't happy with their performance in Thursday's 79-54 loss at Michigan State as the two were forced to play career-high minutes.
It's fair to say the Boilermakers (14-2, 2-1) have the inside edge.
Hammons, who blocked four shots in Purdue's victory against Michigan, ranks second in the conference with 2.8 per game and Haas ranks 10th with 1.3. Swanigan leads the league with 8.8 rebounds per game, while Hammons ranks fifth with 7.4.
The Boilermakers rank first nationally in kenpom.com's defensive efficiency rating. They lead the Big Ten with 31.7 defensive rebounds per game and rank first in the conference with a defense that holds opponents to 59.8 points per game. Illinois' offense has struggled, ranking 10th in the Big Ten with 43.8 percent shooting.
Purdue, which stumbled against Butler and Iowa, has struggled with turnovers (12.8 per game) and the Hawkeyes' guards kept the Boilermakers from getting the ball inside with ease.
"Our Achilles is we turn it over and that hurts our size," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "We're in transition and (the post players) are behind the play. We're not getting a shot up and our defense isn't set. It's hard for big guys to be in transition too much."
Illinois can run transition well at times, and it will benefit from having leading scorer Kendrick Nunn back after missing Thursday's game to attend the birth of his child.
But all eyes on Sunday will be on how Illinois handles Purdue's frontcourt.
"We just bring a constant presence," Swanigan said. "Some teams don't have one (dominant big man). We have three. It brings a different dynamic to the team."
sryan@tribpub.com
