Purdue’s season opener against No. 15 Gonzaga gave the Boilermakers an early look at both ends of the spectrum: a center who looked ready to take over games, and a supporting cast that still has some sorting out to do.
The biggest bright spot by far was Daniel Jacobsen. Across the board, the staff came away talking about the 7-foot-5 big man’s impact, and not just because of the numbers.
He finished with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block, and several voices pointed to how different Purdue looked when he was on the floor. One assessment went so far as to say Purdue looked like the better team with Jacobsen out there, echoing Bruce Pearl’s view from the game.
Jacobsen also held up against a Gonzaga front line that included Massamba Diop, Izan Almansa and Braden Huff. That made the performance stand out even more.
He played 27 minutes, showed off the hook shot that has drawn comparisons to Zach Edey, and even looked capable of handling more run. The one thing hanging over all of it was foul trouble.
He picked up some costly ones, including a second-half closeout on Xavian Lee that sent Lee to the line after a missed three, and the consensus was clear: he has to clean that up.
Still, the upside is obvious. One staffer said Jacobsen “took The Leap,” while another said he looked like one of the best big men in the country. That kind of showing against a quality opponent is exactly why the buzz around him has been building.
The concerns started to pile up once the conversation shifted away from Jacobsen. Purdue shot just 5-for-21 from three-point range, and the misses were ugly at times, including some airballs late. If this team is going to rely on perimeter shooting, that has to improve in a hurry.
There was also plenty of unease about the guard and wing play. The offense looked disjointed at times and led to tougher shots than Purdue wanted. One staffer noted that this is basically a brand-new team, so the rhythm won’t be the same as last year’s senior-led group, but the early signs still left questions.
Enzo Shahrvin drew the sharpest criticism. In only 8 minutes, he turned it over four times and was responsible for nearly half of Purdue’s 10 turnovers.
The comments on him were blunt: he looked lost, slow, and not ready for the level of play. Another concern was that Purdue may not have a real backup at the 5, something that feels especially stark after seeing former Purdue center Will Berg put up 26 points, 16 rebounds and 2 blocks in 28 minutes.
Burgess got mixed reviews, though the overall tone was lukewarm. He was described as okay in limited minutes, and he did score on a post-up and record a steal, but his five minutes didn’t provide much clarity. Another staffer expected more from him after his redshirt year and called his outing forgettable.
The bottom line from Game One is pretty simple: Jacobsen looks like a difference-maker, maybe even the kind Purdue can build around right away. But the Boilermakers need cleaner guard play, better shooting, and a more trustworthy answer behind him if they want the rest of this season to come together quickly.
In Other News...
Purdue Needs A Much Cleaner Response After That Opening Loss
Purdues season opened with a reminder that even a veteran program can be forced to reset in a hurry. Matt Painters team dropped its opener to No. 15 Gonzaga, only the second time in his 22 seasons in West Lafayette that the Boilermakers have started with a loss, and the performance left plenty of room for a cleaner showing as the schedule moves on.
There were still some encouraging individual signs in the loss, with center Daniel Jacobsen giving Purdue a scoring presence inside and newcomer Caden Pierce making an immediate impact in his debut. The next chance to settle things down comes against Valparaiso, which arrives with some momentum after opening its own season with a win over Western Illinois, and Purdue will be looking for a more polished response. [Read more 🡒]
Purdue Gets A Maryland Team Thats Reeling But Still Dangerous
Maryland comes to this one still searching for its first Big Ten win, a season that has already included a midseason coaching change after a string of losses. The Terrapins have shown some defensive improvement lately, but the overall picture remains uneven, especially on offense, where quarterback Malik Washington has been inconsistent and the attack has leaned more on the pass than the run.
For Purdue, that makes Maryland a tricky opponent rather than a comfortable one. The Terrapins have been in a number of close conference games, which is usually enough to keep a team dangerous even when the record says otherwise, and the Boilermakers will need to treat this like a real test instead of a get-right spot. The late-game swings have been a theme for Maryland all season, and that kind of volatility can make a struggling team harder to pin down than its standings line suggests. [Read more 🡒]
Purdue Faces A Progress Test It Cant Afford To Fail
Purdue enters this matchup with a chance to show the progress that has been building in recent weeks, and the timing matters. Maryland has been going the other way, with a six-game losing streak and a coaching change adding even more uncertainty to a program already searching for answers. For the Boilermakers, this is the kind of game that can either validate the improvement people have been pointing to or remind everyone how fragile momentum can be in November.
The conversation around this one keeps circling back to whether Purdue can control the parts of the game it should control. The Boilermakers will need steadiness on offense and a clean overall performance to avoid letting a struggling opponent hang around, and the details in this matchup figure to matter more than the records suggest. It is the sort of test that can say a lot about where Purdue really is, even before the final score tells the rest of the story. [Read more 🡒]