Monday, January 28, 2008

I didn't expect 'em to be ranked...but come on.

File this under getting what you ask for- Many Purdue fans want Purdue to stay under the radar for as long as they can. Well, nationally, they'll continue to do so. The AP Poll came out and while I didn't expect Purdue to be ranked, they didn't receive ANY votes??? Huh?

-Wisconsin loses to the very same Purdue team that didn't receive any votes, and they were vaulted 6 spots...I guess that's based on their big 3-point win over Michigan?

-IU loses to unranked, undermanned UConn and goes up two spots...But they did beat Big Ten powers, Penn State and Iowa.

-Arizona State loses their last THREE games and is still ranked, with 5-losses.

-Villanova loses two straight to unranked Rutgers and Notre Dame...now has five-losses...They're of course 18th.

-Dayton gets DUMP TRUCKED by 23rd-ranked Xavier, then loses to Richmond (their third loss in three games) and is now a 4-loss team in the Horizon League-esque A-10.

-Xavier is still ranked...and had an undefeated A-10 week. Congrats, Muskies. But, they lost this season to both Ohio University and 9-9 Temple.

-Pitt is still highly ranked for their 4-loss record...but they lost to the 9-11 Cincy Bearcats this season.

What's my point? Well, I understand that Purdue has lost to some lousy teams...So has much of the top-25. But, Purdue has one, and arguably three (if you count receiving votes Louisville on a "neutral" Conseco court) quality wins and is one of the hottest teams in the nation winning 8 of their last 9 and 5 in-a-row, including two road wins and a near-win on the road in East Lansing.

I'm pretty sure that Matt Painter doesn't care about rankings...but the problem is if Purdue is on the bubble, come March, they'll need every bit of help they can get to land a bid. Without weeks of national exposure, it will be hard to get into the dance. We'll see how this plays out, but I'm going to go ahead and call the polls, at this point, BS (not Boiled Sports).

Keep winning and it all comes out in the wash...Leave no doubt, Coach Painter & Co!

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's last week's poll, still. CBS updated everyone's record, but nothing else. I'll be pissed, too, if Purdue doesn't get any recognition this week.

boilerdowd said...

I corrected it to ESPN's poll...not much different.

If CBS and ESPN don't have updated polls, who does?

boilerdowd said...

Just checked four other sites...all the same thing.

What the heck?

Anonymous said...

ESPN date stamp as of now is 1/21

Patience is a virtue

boilerdowd said...

I don't have patience!!! I've got deadlines...my boss is tough.

J Money said...

Excellent points... and piling on, 'Nova is now 3-4 in the Big East and Pitt also lost to RUTGERS this weekend...

Purdue should be ranked, perhaps around 23 or 25. It's inexcusable if they're not, given their 6-1 B10 record and quality wins.

But we all know the polls mean little. And this Purdue team should really not be on the bubble come March... I mean, don't you think they're becoming the very definition of the "team you don't want to play"?

boilerdowd said...

Those losses to ISU and especially Wofford at home are what's killing Purdue right now. That said, I don't think most of the nation even knows who Purdue's played, let-alone lost to...they're just following the media's playbook.

Anonymous said...

Personally, I think it is fine if they stay unranked, but get some votes right now. Wait a few weeks, see if they keep rolling. If so, then they better be in there.

I was very skeptical at the start of the season that this would be a 20 win team. I was wrong - 21 wins looks possible after watching the game on Saturday.

How many more games are on ESPN? I've seen BT games now.

Just win, baby. That's all that counts.

Anonymous said...

Personally, I think it is fine if they stay unranked, but get some votes right now. Wait a few weeks, see if they keep rolling. If so, then they better be in there.

I was very skeptical at the start of the season that this would be a 20 win team. I was wrong - 21 wins looks possible after watching the game on Saturday.

How many more games are on ESPN? I've seen BT games now.

Just win, baby. That's all that counts.

boilerdowd said...

Purdue receiving votes...

http://sports-ak.espn.go.com/ncb/rankings

Anonymous said...

hooray!

Ross McLochness said...

Purdue's strength of schedule is the largest thing holding them back.

They're starting to receive recognition on tournament projections, but in that deadly 8-9 game.

Give it time and wins over Iowa and Illinois this week. They'll be big players in the national picture if they come out 2-0 on Saturday.

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