Purdue's success this season is bound to be inextricably linked to its defensive identity.

But the team seen the past two weekends in preseason scrimmages has looked the part of a much more dynamic one offensively than it's been.

"I feel like we can be really good offensively," point guard P.J. Thompson said. "We have shooters, bigs, guys who can handle the ball, really good passers. I feel like we have everything we need.

"It's just going to come down to wanting it more than the other team, playing hard, taking care of the ball and playing defense. If we do those things, everything else will (fall in place), because we have the talent and the people we need."

Purdue maintains formidable options offensively on the interior and will again look to exploit them, but it's the Boilermaker forwards that give its front line a far more dynamic look.

Edwards now looks like more a guard with forward skills as opposed to a forward with guard skills. His improved athleticism and skill level were on display Saturday when he canned three-pointers and threw down a one-handed transition dunk - he'd never have done that last season - but his tenacity on the offensive glass remains a constant. He grabbed seven offensive rebounds as part of a 25-point, 10-rebound, six-assist day.

"I just think he's better," Coach Matt Painter said. "The No. 1 thing he's been able to do is make threes. When you have to closely guard him, he's such a good passer. Now he's able to move the basketball, pass the basketball and also make shots, but then be able to break people down off the dribble because you have to get up on him on closeouts because his shooting is improved."

Edwards is now playing the 3 because Swanigan assumes the 4, though he may sometimes play the 5 in certain situations. As a center, Swanigan can be a devastating matchup facing the basket, as Hammons and Haas both well know from first-hand experience. But Swanigan's power can make him an equally lop-sided matchup for the smaller players - and they'll almost all be smaller - he'll match up with as a power forward.

Swanigan went for 22 points and a team-best 13 boards Saturday a week after leading Purdue in both scoring and rebounding in last weekend's scrimmage.

"That kid is big and he's strong and he's so advanced for his age," Edwards said of Swanigan. "People don't realize he should still be in high school, but he's out here in college with grown men, playing like a grown man."

Purdue's frontcourt is loaded with options, including Hammons, who scored 10 points with 10 rebounds Saturday; and Haas, who scored 13 Saturday but more impressively cut his turnovers from seven last weekend to zero this weekend.

But its perimeter corps has options also, options that are delivering based on practice-floor performances.

Purdue needs to shoot better this season, that much is well known.

In last weekend's scrimmage, it made 41 percent of its threes; this weekend, it made 44 percent.

There's a big difference between making shots in practice or in a scrimmage and making them in games, as Purdue well knows, but that can't be viewed as anything but resoundingly encouraging.

Kendall Stephens made 7-of-13 threes; freshman Ryan Cline made all five of his threes in succession during the second scrimmage session, giving the Mackey Arena crowd a thrill.

"It happened in practice probably a week-and-a-half, two weeks ago," Thompson said. "I think Coach (Brandon Brantley) was talking stuff and it made Cline made and I promise you, he probably made eight threes in a row in the drill. It was ridiculous. Cline's one of the best shooters in the country if not the best and with we've got him on our team. With him, Kendall, Dakota, Ray when he's making shots, me when I'm making shots, and Vince, we can be pretty dangerous. It was good to see him play with confidence and do it in front of fans so they can see what I've been seeing for years."

(Also on the shooting front, Purdue made 81.8 percent of its foul shots for the second consecutive scrimmage.)

Saturday's scrimmage may not have provided much clarity on the point guard front, where Thompson and Johnny Hill are competing for the job.

Hill missed the scrimmage due to a graduate school class, same way Jon Octeus missed a scrimmage a year ago at this time for the same reason.

Thompson may not have taken full advantage of his chance to run unopposed.

"I didn't really shoot that well. I shot the right shots which is important for me because sometimes if I don't make shots, I won't shoot it. But I shot the right shots, which was good, but I had a few bad turnovers I shouldn't have made.

"I thought I did a better job talking. They've been getting on me about talking, being loud and having a presence and I tried to focus on that."

With Hill out, Mathias played significant minutes in a point guard role, and Painter liked his play there, but noted that he wasn't pressed or didn't have different defenses thrown at him.

"We didn't go after him the way some other people might go after him," Painter said.

Purdue now prepares for next Sunday's "secret" scrimmage against Dayton in Indianapolis, a closed-doors affair in which Painter will hope the Flyers' strong guard play and small-ball proficiency will expose some vulnerabilities in his team right out of the chute.

One thing has been evident in Purdue's scrimmages: the Boilermakers have some real offensive potential.

"I like our mix," Painter said.

Stay tuned for much more from the scrimmage.

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