Iowa set to battle gigantic Purdue front wall

IOWA CITY — No basketball team in the Big Ten can match up physically with Purdue's front wall, which means no team in the nation can do it, either.

Senior center A.J. Hammons stands 7 feet and weighs 250 pounds. He alternates with sophomore Isaac Haas, who's even bigger at 7-2 and 282 pounds. Then when you add five-star freshman forward Caleb Swanigan (6-9, 250), it's like battling through an offensive line. Only taller.

'Not only do they have two big strong guys, but they both can score,' Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said. 'Sometimes you've got one who can score and one who's a hammer guy. They got two guys that can score and now you throw Swanigan in the mix, and he can score. So they've got three big guys who can score. I don't know that there's another team in the country that has three guys that big, that gifted offensively that creates (that many) problems for the defense.'

The No. 22 Boilermakers (17-3, 5-2 Big Ten) come to Iowa City at noon Sunday (BTN) for a rematch with the No. 9 Hawkeyes (15-3, 6-0 Big Ten). On Jan. 2 in Mackey Arena, Purdue led Iowa by 19 points late in the first half before the Hawkeyes rallied for a 70-63 win. Iowa kept Purdue's post players in check, while turnovers and a reversal in 3-point shooting for both squads proved pivotal.

In the teams' first meeting, Purdue hit seven 3-pointers in the first half to build a seemingly invincible lead. But Iowa switched defenses and relied on a 1-2-2 trap, which forced 10 second-half turnovers. Purdue missed all but one of its 11 3-point attempts after halftime. In the second half, Iowa shot 64.3 percent while Purdue knocked down just 30.8 percent.

Purdue ranks eighth among Big Ten teams in 3-point percentage (35.5) and seven players have made at least 16. Ten different Boilermakers average at least 13.4 minutes a game.

'I think the strength of their team is they've got depth — obviously they've got size — and they've got shooters,' McCaffery said. 'When they're making 3s, they're really almost impossible to beat because of the mix of out and in. I think they're getting good play from a lot of different people.'

It all starts in the post. Hammons' talent was obvious well before he landed at Purdue. Many people considered him a potential early-entry NBA prospect, but each year he came back. Hammons' return for his senior year was dramatic enough for him to announce it at halftime of Purdue's spring football game.

Last year Hammons guided the Boilermakers to the NCAA tournament and led the team in scoring (11.9), rebounds (6.6), blocked shots (96) and field goal percentage (54.0). He's only the second player to lead the Big Ten in blocked shots three times, and he ranks second behind Iowa's Jarrod Uthoff in that category this season.

'He could always score, and if you're a 7-footer who can score, that creates problems for the defense, no matter who you're playing against,' McCaffery said. 'The thing that I think has changed with him is his energy has gotten to the point where he just keeps coming. Where when he was a young freshman, sometimes they get tired and you've got to take them out. He sustains that. He wants the ball. He's got a great knack for making some tough shots. He can shoot the faceup jumper.'

Haas ranks second in scoring for Purdue (10.9 points) in less than 16 minutes a game. Swanigan, who famously spurned Michigan State for Purdue last spring, leads the team in rebounding (9.0) and scores 10.4 points a game.

'You've got to decide, are you doubling, are you not doubling?' McCaffery said. 'What are you going to do because in a one-on-one situation, (Hammons is) probably going to score. You've really got to play and scheme your defense for him. Now, the problem with that is, they've got other weapons and I think that's what helped him. He's got some serious weapons around him, which enables him to be a dominant player.'

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