tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36696801.post2364057704116160372..comments2024-03-07T05:17:49.252-05:00Comments on Boiled Sports: Boilers Gut-Punched In West Lafayette, 66-64J Moneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925161304409415806noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36696801.post-79052074747730909342012-01-25T09:29:24.890-05:002012-01-25T09:29:24.890-05:00I think the problem with hoping for 6-4 is that ne...I think the problem with hoping for 6-4 is that neither the team's play nor the schedule makes that a likely scenario. You can break down remaining games like this:<br /><br />-- Easiest games: vs. Nebraska, vs. Penn State. If these aren't wins, you can book Mackey for a first-round NIT game.<br /><br />-- Easier games: at Northwestern, vs. Northwestern. A solid NCAA team would win both of these, but kenpom has the game in Evanston as a slight edge for the Wildcats. <br /><br />-- Harder games: at Illinois, at Michigan. Both of these could be good tests for the Boilers, especially given Michigan's win last night.<br /><br />-- Challenging games: vs. Indiana, at OSU, vs. MSU, at Indiana. At this point, there's little to suggest Purdue will take any of these games; we'll have to hope for rivalry craziness.<br /><br />The problem is that there are four games in that last category. To go 6-4, Purdue has to either win one of those games or sweep the remaining games. I'd feel comfortable predicting that in another year, in another conference, or with another team ... but this is a bad year to have a below-average Painter team. The Big Ten is clearly the best conference in the country, and even the teams at the bottom can be threats, as we've unfortunately seen already.<br /><br />If there is a benefit to their current projection, it's that they'll play a Thursday game in Indianapolis, and that'll be a chance for one more win on their resume, possibly against a team like Minnesota that would actually help RPI/SOS. <br /><br />There is plenty of time to right the ship, and in basketball, all it takes is a good run to finish strong and get a decent seed. A win at Northwestern would be a good start. I'm just starting to wonder if we'll have to wait till next year for a team that can make a run in March. (At least on the men's side. It's a good time to start following women's hoops: they're 7-0, 17-3 overall, alone in first, and with a 16-game conference schedule, they catch each of the other top teams once only. With first- and second-round games in Mackey this year, Versyp's team should cruise into the Sweet 16.)zlionsfanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02966540737106797756noreply@blogger.com