The game against the Thundering Herd was at least competitive. But the collapse in West Lafayette was stunning, even though they were facing one of college basketball’s behemoths. It was decided in the first 12 minutes.
“For everybody, for our program, it was a little bit embarrassing what happened to us. I don’t know how else to put it,” Nagy said.
The Raiders purposely compiled a challenging nonleague schedule after returning four starters from a team that finished 75th nationally in the NET computer ratings. The Boilermakers agreed to the game because they felt they needed one more top-100 foe.
But with no chance to ease into the new season, the Raiders were exposed.
“You can say we’ve had two tough games, but in my mind, that’s what losers say. I’m not in that camp,” Nagy said. “We’re 1-2, and I don’t care who we’ve played. There’s no way we should be happy with what we’re doing right now.”
“We need guys to have a different view of this and expect more from our program.”
The Raiders hadn’t given up 90 points in back-to-back games since losing to Michigan State (95-52) and Dayton (94-63) in 1997-98.
The 192 total points were the most since falling to Wisconsin (94-91) and UD (98-90) in 1995-96.
They last time they gave up more than 192 in consecutive games was when they lost to UIC (109-85) and Milwaukee (95-80) in 1993-94.
“I don’t say it to beat our guys down, but the truth is the truth: We’re not very good defensively right now,” Nagy said. “My focus will always be defense and rebounding. The scoring will happen when it happens. But we’re not there yet. We can say that’s our focus, but clearly it’s not.”
The problem isn’t just on one end. Hurried shots and turnovers are leading to fastbreaks the other way.
The Raiders had nine shots blocked at Marshall to go with 17 turnovers. They allowed the Herd to shoot 52.4% (opponents hit 40.1% last season).
Purdue had four blocks, forced 17 turnovers and had a staggering 37-17 edge on the glass. What bothered Nagy most in that one was his team’s mental approach.
“You can talk about believing you can win games like that, and it’s easy to say. But the way you play shows how you believe,” Nagy said.
The Raiders seemed to wilt against Purdue’s massive frontline, including 7-foot-4, 295-pound center Zach Edey and a pair of skilled 6-10 forwards.
“At the start of the game, we got great shots. The ball went in and out. That can completely change the way you play the whole game. But I’m not sure how much it would’ve changed how badly they beat us on the boards,” Nagy said.
“I don’t know all the metrics for rebounds. I’m old school, and I just look at totals. And I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a team of mine get out-rebounded like that.”
The Raiders play three consecutive days against a strong mid-major field in the eight-team Naples Invitational, starting with George Washington at 2:30 p.m. Monday.
They don’t have another home game until Dec. 15 against Akron.
“We’ve got to own who we are at this point. The focus is on the process of trying to get better — not trying to fix it all in one day,” Nagy said.
“I don’t feel we’re anywhere close to who we want to be.”
MONDAY’S GAME
Wright State vs George Washington, 2:30 p.m., Flohoops.com, 103.9
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