Purdue itching for a fight
In this image-conscious era when college athletes begin media training before they play their first game, everyone seeks the sanitized look. Everyone plays it safe.
Not Purdue. Not on Saturday, anyway.
When JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore and Lewis Jackson showed up for their mandatory news conference, they wore all black and didn't remove their hoods from the tops of their heads.
They looked like fighters itching for a scrap, which was exactly the intent as the third-seeded Boilermakers prepare for Sunday's Southwest regional third-round game against 11th-seeded Virginia Commonwealth (6:10 p.m., TBS).
After taking out Saint Peter's on Friday night, many of Purdue's players celebrated their NCAA Tournament win by staying up and watching “The Fighter.”
With that in mind, Moore suggested everyone wear black with their hoods donned when they showed up at United Center for Saturday's closed practice.
“No more nice guys,” Moore said. “We've got to be mean and aggressive from now on. It's just symbolic.”
Oddly enough, Purdue (26-7) didn't need to put on any act to make believers out of the Rams (25-11).
“Purdue has a very physical brand of defense,” said VCU coach Shaka Smart. “We're going to have to be tough and battle through that and play through some contact.”
While the Rams can't win without matching Purdue's fight, they have a way to defuse it on offense.
Of the nation's 347 Division I teams, VCU ranks sixth in 3-point attempts with 823. At any given time, the Rams will have four or five shooters capable of hitting from long distance.
In VCU's convincing win over Georgetown on Friday night, the Rams' top five players combined to shoot 12 of 22 on 3-pointers.
“We share the ball well and we're all confident players and great shooters,” said senior Brandon Rozzell, who hit 6 of 10 3s. “So when we have an open look, we were taught to take that shot. That's what we do.”
Since the 33-year-old Smart comes from the Oliver Purnell/Billy Donovan coaching tree, VCU's players also have been taught to press.
With Purdue's backcourt limited in numbers, look for the Rams to pressure point guard Lewis Jackson from tap to finish.
At least, that was the plan Friday against Georgetown.
“I never really called the press off,” Smart said. “But our guys were just bombing in so many 3s, sometimes when you make a shot you get so excited and you run back because you know the camera's on you.
“So we didn't press much in the second half, but we didn't need to. But, yeah, we'll press.”