Purdue Men’s Basketball: What Did We Learn From Game One?

With the first game of the men’s basketball season in the books, a loss to #15 Gonzaga, I reached out to the staff to get some quick thoughts on highlights, or maybe lowlights, from that first game.

Ledman:

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The most obvious thing that was a highlight for me was the play of Daniel Jacobsen. The big man looked like the guy Casey and I talked about while he was still in high school. The guy that Casey told me could come in and be a dominant player for Purdue. I recall him and I talking about him when we covered a game at Maryland and we were chowing down on pizza in the media room. Against Gonzaga he finally showed the talent against a very good team that had length and size of their own. He’s got to cut down on the fouls but that will come with time.

A lowlight? Has to be the three point shooting that faltered not just down the stretch, those airballs woof, but throughout the entire game where they went 5-21. If this is a team that’s going to live at the three point line they’ve got to do much better than that. My second lowlight has got to be the play of Enzo Shahrvin. In just 8 minutes he turned it over 4 times and accounted for nearly half of Purdue’s 10 turnovers. For a guy touted as ready to step in at the 4 for the Boilermakers I was not impressed. There surely is a learning curve with different rules here in the NCAA but Purdue needs improvement fast.

Jed:

There were some things that were really positive in that first game against Gonzaga but none more so than what Daniel Jacobsen showed in Las Vegas. The 7’5 big man looked like one of the best big men in the country as he dominated what many consider one of the best front courts in the entire country with Massamba Diop, Izan Almansa, and Braden Huff. His 22 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block were impressive but how much better the Boilers looked when he was on the floor was striking. In fact, I agree with Bruce Pearl when he stated that Purdue looked like the better team when Jacobsen was on the…

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Publish date : 2026-11-06 12:03:00

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