Skyline Semifinals Preview: Purchase VS Yeshiva

The Macs sent one group of Panthers packing; now it’s time for an encore in the Skyline Semifinals. Win, and You’re Playing for a Banner.

This is the third meeting between the clubs, but it’s the only one that matters. Purchase is playing its best basketball of the season. They’re confident. They’re physical. And they’re letting it fly — nearly 50% of their shots come from three.

Purchase mainly plays a man-man defense. This is going to be forty minutes of force. YU has beaten them twice. Once comfortably. Once by late execution . 

Yet this version of Purchase is different,

and this version of YU has to be sharper. They must be as sharp as that 71-46 win back in January, when YU was coming off that brutal non-conference stretch. The record didn’t look pretty. The confidence was shaky. They needed something to stabilize the season.

They got it that night. However, the rematch at the same Max Stern Athletic Center, where the teams will square off Friday afternoon, saw a much different tone. Purchase shot 44% from three in the first half and led 55–46 with 12:37 left. Then Zevi Samet hit four second-half threes, including the clutch one with 40 seconds left. Dothan Bardichev buried a massive three late. Max Zakheim attacked the rim relentlessly and went 11-for-11 from the line.

Yoav Oselka continued to be steady inside, and the Panthers were boxed into shooting 13% in the second half, as Yeshiva kept their perfect Skyline title defense intact with a tidy 79-72 victory. 

Now it’s the third meeting. Purchase knows they can score on the Macs. Yeshiva knows it can beat the Panthers if it defends and rebounds. This isn’t a mystery anymore, but about execution. Chapter Three isn’t about surprises. It’s about who imposes their identity first.

The Macs host Purchase on Friday afternoon with a spot in the Skyline Semifinals on the line. (JJ Stein)

Win the Possession Margin (Rebounding + Turnovers): 

This game can swing entirely on math.

In Game 2, Purchase grabbed 12 offensive rebounds and forced 13 YU turnovers. That’s potentially 20+ extra scoring chances when you factor in kick-out threes.

YU’s Defensive rebounding rate must be elite. Guards must rebound down. No live-ball turnovers above the break. If YU wins the possession battle by even +6 to +8, their half-court efficiency should carry them. If they lose it? The variance increases — and that favors Purchase’s three-point volume.

Control the Three-Point Game:

The Panthers offense is built on spacing, pace, and downtown makes where they swish a 50% clip.

For the Macs there can't be unnecessary help off strong-side shooter. There must be Clean rotations and sharp X-outs on skip passes and high hands without fouling

If Purchase gets rhythm threes in transition, the game becomes volatile. If they’re forced into contested, late-clock attempts, the advantage swings to YU. The goal isn’t just to lower their percentage. It’s to reduce their .

Attack Man Defense Through Paint Touches:

Purchase will probably be in your face with a feisty man-man defense. That simplifes the reads for YU, but it raises the standard for execution. There won’t be gaps handed to them — everything has to be earned through movement and physicality.

In the first meeting, the Macs controlled the paint and imposed their will inside. In the second, early backdoor cuts punished over-aggressive pressure before Purchase adjusted. The blueprint is to play inside-out.

When YU generates consistent paint touches, the defense collapses. That creates kick-out threes, dump-offs at the rim, and, most importantly, free throws. Zakheim’s 11-for-11 performance from the line in Game 2 is the model — aggressive drives that force contact and reward discipline.

If the Macs settle for early-clock perimeter shots, Purchase’s defensive confidence grows. However, when YU forces rotations, plays through the lane, and values shot selection, their efficiency climbs dramatically. Their sharp paint pressure will create foul trouble, disrupt rebounding positions, and long-term control of the game.

Transition Defense Will Decide the Pace:

Purchase is at its most dangerous in transition. Their offense thrives when the floor is broken — when shooters trail into space, when cross-matches occur, when rhythm threes come before the defense is organized.

If YU allows the game to become a sprint, the math shifts in Purchase’s favor. A plethora of the Panthers makes are generated before the defense can get set. Transition defense isn’t just about sprinting back, but also reliant upon communicating, matching up early, and stopping the ball before it reaches the arc. If the Macs consistently force Purchase into halfcourt possessions, the advantage tilts back toward structure and discipline. 

This is one last ride for a senior group that changed the trajectory of this program. They’ve been through the non-conference gauntlet. The bus rides. The film sessions. The growing pains. They’ve already authored one banner together. If the ride is going to continue, it has to be earned possession by possession. Control the pace. Control the math. Control the moment. And give this group at least one more game together.

How To Watch:

Tip-off Friday (2/27) at 12:00PM from the MSAC. You can watch the game on the MacsLive YouTube channel.