It was really nice to be able to watch Purdue on a screen that was larger than my hand...but boy-oh-boy, does FCS have some work to do. But I'm happy I got to see it.
In the first half, our Boilers struggled offensively...nothing at all seemed to be working for the first 12 minutes or so, but a few good things happened as the half came to a close. The 8-to-9 point lead that the Hawks consistently held started shrinking as Kramer ran around with his head aflame...his defense was pretty monstrous and reminded everybody why he's so important. His defense led to offense as JJ and Hummel helped put Purdue in the lead as the half drew to a close.
This one reminded me a ton of a lot of the games we watched in '08. The offense was non-existent, but the defense was there...and it kind of felt like once the offense came along, Purdue would put the game away.
They did just that, very early in the second half. The one-point lead swelled quickly to a double-digit lead. JJ began getting a ton of the closest shot possible as he flushed time and time-again with authority. Johnson looked like the JJ of last season after an uncharacteristically-poor game versus SDSU and finished with a great-looking line-18pts, 10reb and 2 blocks (I actually counted 3).
At the same time, Ryne Smith began heating up and showed off his vastly-improved game. He flat-out was bombing as he took over in a three-minute stretch of the game...but with the good, came a few bad plays- he flopped a couple of times that were pretty horrible. If he's going to act, he'd better learn how to do it more convincing...because his poor theatrics got him a warning from the officials after an attempt to draw a charge- you don't see that too often. It was actually pretty reminiscent of a Duke player; not a good thing in my book. But, he didn't play a ton finishing with 16 points in 15 minutes...not shabby at all.
Purdue's lead got up to 29 points before Painter gave a ton of young guys and all the walk-ons 4:00 to play out the game.
I think it's clear that Byrd and Barlow are solidly-in the 8-man rotation and both display a ton of upside...but might not be completely-comfortable with their role, yet. But, I think they'll both find their niche soon.
This was a much more solid victory than Friday night, but Smooge, the Ostrich and Grant didn't seem to get into rhythm; the team can, and must do more offensively. Purdue just beat a team that was predicted to finish in the bottom-half of the A10...The next opponent has been predicted to do much better.
Up Next
Tennessee struggled mightily with DePaul as the game was in contention right up until the clock hit 0:00. In their Friday night game, the Vols scored 100+, on Sunday evening, they couldn't reach 60.
My gut tells me that they'll struggle versus Purdue's defense and will get frustrated by the way Purdue keeps coming on that side of the court. I also like the fact that Hummel and Moore didn't play too well in the last game because those two don't stay down too long. Plus, outside of Smith, Purdue shot the three very poorly...I don't think that'll happen again tomorrow.
The two top-10 teams square off at 8:30pm tonight.
13 comments:
Sorry, but I gotta do it: Rout, niche.
Smooge couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Neither could KG. Hummel played a strong all-around game I thought. Kramer looked very tan. I still don't like the fact that this team seems to always start out cold. It will bite us in the ass a time or two this season, probably in very critical games.
I am a purdue alum but live in Knoxville. I am not a fan of ut and thier athletics. So to say i am excited for this game is an understatement. UT was talking a bit saying they would win this tourney easily in the paper. UT has great athleticism and loves to use the full court press. They are not a smart team. Watching them makes me feel like I am watching an and 1 game. Tyler smith and Robbie Hummel will be the match up of the night. Purdue has a major advantage in the post with Johnson. Ut will play him dirty and try to draw fouls. The best way to play ut is to slow them down and play half court. They want to run. Playing half court will force them into turnovers. I hope the Boilers can get the win and i can talk trash. Boiler up!
I didn't see any og UT's game vs UNC-A but it's hard to beat a team by 75 unless you're trying to run it up. I hope Purdue dominates them. We're not DePaul.
Scotty- really sorry our staff of editors didn't catch those egregious errors. I hope it didn't ruin your morning.
Inspector #47 will be fired promptly.
I'm glad you guys got to watch it. Dish Network in the south didn't play it. At least I get to see the game tonight.....thank god.
I paid for a $10 sports package just to get these 2 games on Uverse. Glad I got to see it, though there was a lot of cursing in the 1st half. JJ should not be taking 3's, we should try more of the inside/outside game, our shots surely will start falling (I hope!!), and the D was excellent the last 30 minutes of the game.
Side notes:
The Hawk is annoying...
The announcers were horrible- how many times can you warn the players to "avoid the wet spot"?
I've never seen a "5th-grader" with that many tattoos!!!
Inspector #47 must've gone to the IU School of Journalism. You guys usually don't have many/any silly errors. I just had to point out one in the headline. :)
The production quality of FCS was on par with a poorly produced high school morning announcements show.
Why is the hawk annoying? Is it because it never stops flapping its wings.
Purdue has struggled against the full court press before - I believe it was the Northwestern game last year where they gave us fits by pressuring our point.
Tenn is talented, but they aren't very disciplined. Purdue has struggled shooting the three the last two games, so I think that will be the key to the game. It's a lot easier to climb out of a 9 point hole when you're facing St. Joe's than it would be against Tenn.
The hawk's not annoying, it is annoying, to me anyway, that FCS showed it literally every 5:00.
That little kid on St. Joe's must have had tattoos in utero.
My favorite part of the coverage was the interview with Coach Keady before the game where they asked him about recruiting. Part of his response: "...you gotta make a lot of phone calls, at the right time (hehehe), and make (hehehe) sure you're following NCAA rules..."
Loved that he couldn't stop him self from laughing while saying that! If I ever figure out how to get it off my DVR and into my computer, I'll send you a copy.
FWIW, the Fox Sports family is showing the consolation and championship games today (although not in HD, boo). I've got the Sports Pack on DirecTV and thus a selection, but it doesn't look like either FS Midwest or FS Indiana is showing it (for local people without the package).
I'm actually fine with being outside the limelight. Just keep winning, Boilers, and TV can suck it.
For those with Comcast Sports Net in the Midwest, they are showing the game too. Channel 665 on DirecTV.
Post a Comment