After trailing by 11 points midway through the second half, No. 6 Purdue kicked things into high gear and rolled to a 80-74 win over No. 5 Villanova on Sunday in the championship game of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. The Boilermakers hit 11 consecutive shots from the field down the stretch and had six players score between nine and 21 points as they secured a marquee early-season win.
Zach Edey led all scorers with 21 points, and the 7-foot-4 center sealed the game for Purdue with a vicious and-one dunk with 57 seconds left that put the Boilermakers up by 10 points. Purdue shot 53% from the floor, led by Edey's 9-of-12 effort.
Villanova took a 54-43 lead with 9:54 remaining on a Justin Moore 3-pointer during a stretch that saw the teams trade outside shots. But down the stretch, it was all Purdue as the Boilermakers dominated in transition and in the paint. Moore led Villanova with 19 points, while Caleb Daniels contributed 17 and Collin Gillespie added 14. Aside from Edey, it was a balanced effort for the Boilermakers, but Isaiah Thompson's 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range were especially important as he helped Purdue weather Villanova's outside shooting spree in the second half.
Purdue's depth shines
Only two players logged more than 24 minutes for Purdue, and no one logged more than 33 as coach Matt Painter deployed a 10-man rotation. It was no coincidence that the well-rested Boilermakers surged down the stretch against a Villanova team that really went just six deep. Four of Villanova's starters played 36 or more minutes, and it looked like fatigue was again an issue after the Wildcats also faded in overtime during a loss to No. 2 UCLA on Nov. 12.
Developing depth will be a necessity for Villanova to reach its full potential, but the Wildcats should be able to do it. Junior guard Bryan Antoine is on the mend from a patella tendon injury, and freshman forward Nnanna Njoku is recovering from a concussion. If Wright can consistently get Gillespie, Moore and Samuels some more rest, it'll do wonders for this team's ability to close games.
Boilermakers in transition
Edey and fellow star big man Trevion Williams make Purdue one of the most fierce interior offenses in the country, and that was demonstrated in Purdue's 38-18 edge in paint points. But the Boilermakers can get out and run as well. That was evident during their second half run Sunday as Purdue finished with a 17-2 edge in fast break points. The Boilermakers also finished with a 32-15 advantage in fast break points against North Carolina on Saturday.
Poll implications
The Boilermakers will jump Villanova in the polls on Monday, but just how high will they rise? With No. 4 Michigan also losing to Seton Hall this past week, Purdue should at least be No. 4. With two wins over top-20 teams now on its resume, it has a case to be even higher. No. 3 Kansas has a nice win over Michigan State to its credit, but the Spartans were not ranked, and the Jayhawks have only played Tarleton State and Stony Brook since then.
No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 2 UCLA should be safe. But they play each other on Tuesday, which could mean that Purdue will rise even higher in another week, so long as it avoids a slip up against Omaha next Friday.