If you watched it, you saw what I saw- a team that looked rusty and uninspired at times versus a team that really wanted to win, but just didn't have the firepower to do so. Thanks to a pal of mine, who is a fellow Purdue grad, I got to watch the game as it's intended- In a Founder's Level Box. While rubbing elbows with the important people, here's what I saw:
-Purdue fans in Conseco are more-receptive to my vociferous ways than those in Mackey. Even in the expensive seats, I generally got a positive reception...that's not normal amongst fellow Boilers.
-Purdue fans in Indy actually come to games, unlike those in Chicago (ooh, burn).
-Indiana State fans, like the team they root for are a spirited bunch. They represented their team/school well.
-A few of ISU players kind of looked like white supremacists that had just gotten out of prison. I'm not saying they were either, it just looked like they were from the stands.
Now for the obvious stuff:
-JJ was absurdly-good in the first half of this game. With about nine minutes left in that half, the score was 15-13...JJ with 15, ISU with 13. He shot the ball well, demanded it in the blocks, played tough defense...didn't dominate on the glass, but you can't have everything. Johnson finished with 31pts/4reb/3blk.
-It seems ISU was determined to stop Moore in the first half as they rotated into the double team on 33 on multiple occasions. As they did this, it left JJ either wide open or guarded by someone who didn't belong guarding him in the first place. Honestly, the 'Mores (can I call them that?) didn't have anyone who was close to matching up with 25. All that said, Smooge was playing a bit lazy in the first half as he wasn't asserting himself on either end...that changed in the second.
-Not surprisingly, after keeping Moore quiet for 20 minutes, ISU couldn't contain him in the second half. They stayed packed in a bit more in an effort to stop Johnson and E'twaun seemed as if he had a wake-up call at the half. He had a couple of key steals and drove the ball assertively instead of just taking the easy jump shot. On top of that, he followed his shot aggressively. If you've played gradeschool ball, you've heard a coach say that you need to follow your shot- Moore was fundamentally sound and it led to multiple second-chance buckets. He finished with 16pts/5reb/2stl.A closer look
-It's pretty simple to say Johnson and Moore were/are good, but when the rest of the team totals
18 points, the positives aren't as obvious.-I continue to love watching DJ Byrd. He plays with a similar intensity to Chris Kramer at times, but does in on offense without the ball and disrupts the opposition as much as anything else. He hit Purdue's first non-JJ points of the night with a three in the first half, sadly, he only had three more points in the next 30 minutes. But, he had 6pts/5ast/4reb.
-Barlow has to be the single most-frustrating player for me, as a fan. His length creates problems for the teams Purdue plays, and his numbers show that- he finished with 3pts/11reb/2ast. He demonstrated his athleticism by attempting to jump from the bottom of the circle and dunk over an ISU defender. The missed dunk was one of the most jaw-dropping plays of the night...and ended with Barlow being whistled with the charge.
-Marcius only played for 4 minutes, but had 2 rebounds. I know he has a long way to go in his game, but he does seem to understand that it's his job to crash the glass when he's in...Hopefully that can rub off on Carroll and Bade (and hopefully Patrick is back in the regular rotation again soon).
-Purdue shot their free throws well tonight as JJ, LewJack, Smooge and Barlow all took advantage of the easy ones. Byrd was 1-4 from the stripe, but the team combined for 80%, ISU was only 53.8.
Playing the cards you're dealt
We hear it all the time- someone's gotta step up and be the third option for this Purdue team. J and I discussed this a few days ago- I think the third guy doesn't have to be any one player, but can be the combo of different guys on different nights. But, someone simply must have hart's mindset which is to look for his shot...and Painter-coached players seem to have that beaten out of them. Whether it's Byrd, Jackson, Johnson, Barlow or Smith, someone has to begin looking for his shot. I'm hoping that guy is T. Johnson, but he seems to have hit a bit of a wall already. Perhaps Matty & Co. are kicking his butt in practice to prepare him for the BT schedule? Hope so.
Looking Ahead
Purdue played a team that was inspired tonight. They were coming off of their best game of the season and, after playing Notre Dame tough two weeks ago, they saw Purdue as an opportunity to gain momentum. Our Boilers, on the other hand looked tired at times and didn't play an inspired brand of basketball. And, for the 5th time this season just seemed out of sync for big chunks of the game. This Purdue team is still a work in progress and I think their best basketball is in front of them. That's not a bad place to be as they sit at 10-1. The final tuner before the BT season is in three days v. IPFW, then to UM, and back to Mackey versus a scary match-up against Northwestern.
16 comments:
Michigan took care of Oakland pretty well I think they are going to be tougher to beat.
If I have to hear one more BTN announcer ramble on about how we need a third scoring option, I'm gonna throw something at the tv. I understand they get paid to be unimaginative buffoons, but this is ridiculous. How many good teams are looking for 1 or 2 consistent scoring options?
I'm with you ICET (and Boilerdowd)...this 3rd scorer stuff is bunk. If we are playing with our defensive identity, the offense will open up on the other end, regardless.
What I am much more concerned about is getting out rebounded by an Indiana State team.
Something has to give in that department or it will inevitably cost us some games down the road.
If you want an honest answer IceT, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Iowa are the only other Big Ten teams that don't have at least 3 players in double figures. Wisconsin is good of course, but we don't play at the same ridiculously slow pace as them.
It annoys me too, though.
John Hart. The lack of blocking out on the Defensive end leads to poor rebounding, which is apart of Defense by finishing off the possession. This fundamental flaw on a Purdue team baffles me.
when I read the headline, I thought you just gave Jajuan a new nickname, which I like:
JJ Powers
finn- I think our pall JJ has a little way to go before we give him that nickname...but when he decides to play with gumption and authority, he's definitely a force. It just doesn't happen consistently-enough for me...yet.
BG- couldn't agree more. It's been a problem for years.
Ryan, to be fair though- how many teams have two players averaging around 20? Plus, Hart is at 8.4. The real problem is the media tends to get group think going and then all they do is say the same crap over and over. There's no thought that goes into what they say.
I think the way they should be wording it is that to ensure they can compete at a championship level, they'll need someone (not necessarily the same guy) to step up alongside JJ and Moore - in other words, someone to replace what Robbie was doing. What makes it sound so dumb is that they imply it needs to happen now. Kenpom has the Boilers 54th in offense and 11th overall ... I don't think the "lack of a third option" has been much of a problem yet, even against Richmond. (Hart was also in double figures: the problem there was being unable to shoot well in general.)
Where it could be a problem is against a team good enough to stop one of the two, as we saw last year after Hummel went out. If one guy goes cold, the others tend to stand around and/or pass to the second as if to say "well, you better take it from here, then." It's possible that'll happen in Big Ten play, as once again the conference is strong defensively. Granted, this is against non-conference competition, mostly weak in most cases (MSU's schedule has been pretty good), but anyway, there are six conference teams in kenpom's top 20 on defense: Ohio State 6th, Spartans 13th, Michigan?? 16th, Illinois 18th, Wisconsin 19th (must be struggling up there).
And of course with the production we normally expect from those guys, if one does have an off night, that much more (no pun intended) is needed from the rest of the team. I guess the BTN doesn't pay for top-notch announcers, so we don't get any explanations, just "Purdue needs to replace Hummel" which duh.
It would be better for them to say "in Hummel's absence, for Purdue to be a top-5 team, they'll need to replace him at one end of the floor, either by getting more scoring from other players or by continuing to play the brand of solid defense for which Purdue is known." Because they've done the latter, it's not really been an issue yet, except against Richmond.
Give credit where credit is due... That windmill from the ISU player was so sick.
Yah, credit for a dunk in a 20 point loss. I can slap the backboard real hard too when I make a layup.
Agree with zlionsfan. I think the conversation with Purdue for the most part revolves around BT titles and final fours and that's why people are saying that they need a 3rd option. I don't think anyone is saying that Purdue is going to fall off the map or not be competitive without the 3rd scorer, just that without one, Purdue's outlook for the season is likely 3rd or 4th place in the BT and a sweet 16 appearance.
I think as it currently stands, Purdue can compete with and beat anyone in the country. However, without that 3rd scorer, Purdue is going to struggle to beat the higher end teams with the frequency needed to get over the hump.
JJ is really good.
By the way, did you see that Hagen left for IU? Good start.
(I had to find a way to get this in.)
Dozer... Sarcasm? Or are we happy to get rid of Hagen? I'm lost.
I think he's serious, BB.
I could go either way about Hagen, but I'm glad to seem some change, honestly.
We've been putting little blurbs on the FB and Twitter feeds- lots of quick-hit news this week over there.
Bloomington Boiler:
I was serious. For the last several years, the middle of the field has been wide open for crossing WRs and TEs. How many replays did you see where Boilers LBs weren't even in the picture?! Also, our LBs always seemed to be out of position to make solid tackles.
Hagen could recruit, but apparently he didn't know what to do with that talent once it arrived on campus.
I think some new blood is just what the Boilers need. I hope they get someone that can turn Lucas and Beckford bloodthirsty headhunters.
uh..I meant "INTO bloodthirsty headhunters."
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