Purdue Boilermakers
2014-215 Overall Rank: #23
Conference Rank: #6 Big Ten
Purdue Team Page
The Boilermakers are looking for their 25th trip to the NCAA Tournament and fifth in a row as they come into this season. Despite bringing back two starters, Purdue brings in a young squad, with five freshmen and two sophomores among their 12 players. The team has had success in the Big Ten Tournament recently, having won it twice in the past three years.
2013-14 Record: 22-9, 11-5
2013-14 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Sharon Versyp
Coach Record: 183-88 at Purdue, 300-153 overall
Strengths:
The Boilermakers bring back a lot of size, with seven of their players being at least 6-0. Six of those seven are 6-2 or taller. Purdue brings back two starters, Liza Clemons and April Wilson. Wilson, a 5-7 junior guard, averaged 10.0 points and 4.8 assists in her 31 games, 28 of which were starts. Clemons, a 6-2 senior forward, averaged 9.4 points and 55 rebounds per game. Whitney Bays came off the bench to average 12.1 points and 7.9 rebounds.
Weaknesses:
The Boilermakers lost three starters from last year's team, including the team's top two scorers, Courtney Moses and KK Houser. Moses led the team in three vital statistical categories, points per game (15.5), three-point field-goal percentage (44.7) and free-throw percentage (92.6). Houser, also a guard, played and started in only 23 games, but finished second on the team in scoring with 15.2 ppg and was first in assists, dishing out five dimes per contest. While Purdue does have a lot of size, three of the seven that are 6-2 and taller are freshmen.
Final Projection:
The Boilermakers get a test right away, as they host perennial NCAA Tournament participant Green Bay in the second game of the year. Other non-conference games include a trip to Jamaica, the Big Ten/ACC Challenge against Florida State, Dayton, Kansas and a four-team tournament hosted by Purdue, amongst others. The Boilermakers bring in an impressive recruiting class, led by Justine Hall, who was named Colorado's Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 15.9 points per game as a senior.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA Tournament
Projected Starting Five:
April Wilson, Junior, Guard, 10 points per game
Liza Clemons, Senior, Forward, 9.4 points per game
Whitney Bays, Senior, Forward, 12.1 points per game
Bridget Perry, Sophomore, Forward, 3.8 points per game
Justine Hall, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 74.6 (48th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68 (195, 10)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.1 (89, 7)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.6 (181, 8)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.8 (67, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.9 (8, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 78 (7, 2)
Rebound Margin: 3.5 (86, 5)
Assists Per Game: 16.3 (24, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 16.1 (195, 8)
Madness 2015 WNBA Draft Rankings:
#26 Whitney Bays
Madness 2014 Women’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#82 Justine Hall
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