Purdue Basketball: Change is a Good Thing

Purdue basketball has already had many movements this offseason.  It started with the obvious loss of Anthrop and Byrd as graduating seniors, and continued with the loss of Anthony Johnson, Jacob Lawson and Sandi Marcius.

Midseason there were rumors of these departures and most make sense.  There was a culture issue at Purdue this year.  During a season that was dismal, Purdue fans looked to the future, and so did Painter.  I'm not going to imply that Painter forced these guys out, but one has to wonder if an ultimatum was put on the table.

Aside from Marcius, attitude has been a problem with these guys.

Lawson seemed to just be out of it most of the time on the court, sure he showed flashes of brilliance and was extremely athletic, but being athletic only gets you so far. Especially at Purdue, where athleticism is given less appreciation than hustle.

Johnson just never seemed to get a groove going.  Sitting behind some talented players didn't help, but with the leadership of Lewjack, it seemed like he should have grown faster.  In reality though, Johnson didn't fit well into the system.  Shoot first mentality is not Painters thing.

Losing these guys is going to affect this team a bit when it comes to experience, but in the end it won't matter much leadership wise.  Chooch will be missed next season as a leader, but the leaders have been all but established for 2013-2014. From an outside point of view, Johnson and Lawson were not positive leaders on this team and weren't moving the program forward.

Going forward I hope Painter learns from his mistakes and starts to recruit program players, not just talented players.  After a team culture that was far from ideal this season, it was time for something to change and these players leaving gives us an idea of what was going on with the team this season.  I have doubts that this program will go through a year like it did last season again under Painter.

I wish the three guys transferring the best of luck wherever they decide to go and I hope they succeed in their future endeavors, but the train must keep steaming.

Current students, enjoy your grand prix week, and if you see a panda out, feel free to buy him a drink.  Choo Choo Muthas.

Anthony Johnson Joins the Parade Out of Town

Following the lead of Marcius, then Lawson, Sophomore, Anthony Johnson is now set to transfer elsewhere...following nearly a half season in which it was rumored he'd be leaving at the season's end.

Johnson was a four-star recruit, according to Rivals, out of high school, but was pretty slight...Many thought this was the reason for his redshirt during the first year on campus. In hindsight, I believe Painter wanted him to morph a bit from his high school mentality- a shooter first, passer and defender second...But with LewJack and Barlow in front of him, it made sense at the time. Now, that redshirt year will put him in a position in which he'll have only one more season of eligibility following sitting out next season due to transfer rules.

AJ's high water mark was against Nebraska in the '12 B1G tourney in which he scored 17 points...his low water marks might have been when he got into it with both Hummel in '12 and Byrd in '13 while on the court.

Those incidents specifically made fans question his attitude behind closed doors...and rumors about his attitude were also rampant.  What we could see with our own eyes wasn't great though.

Johnson was a great shooter in high school, and showed flashes of that ability while wearing gold and black, but seemed to struggle when shooting over a defender.  That said, he was pretty effective on the drive, a solid free throw shooter and a decent passer.  The toughest thing for me to handle, as a fan, was  his body language when things weren't going according to plan.  I'm not sure what kind of teammate he was, but I know a few of his best friends are no longer on the team; who knows how that affected his outlook on the program.

So, three of the four guys who were rumored to be looking to leave are now gone from the program.  I believe all of the post-season interviews or conversations with the head coach are completed...and I don't think it's a coincidence that Johnson was ready to head out after his wrap-up with Painter; but like much of what surrounds transfers, that's conjecture.

The good news is Purdue Purdue suddenly has a ton of space for transfers or walk-ons right away, the bad news is, after seven players, Purdue will need to lean heavily on players who haven't played any college basketball, if another player isn't added soon. Whenever a team loses a Junior who had had started a few games, even if it wasn't the majority of the time, the rotation feels it.

I've said it before- Purdue needs players that want to play for Purdue...the last few days they've lost some that didn't...and this season, it looked like much of the team held a similar attitude, sadly.

Here's the way the scholarship situation looks as of now:

Terone Johnson Sr.
Travis Carroll Sr.
Donnie Hale RS So.
AJ Hammons So.
Ronnie Johnson So.
Rapheal Davis So.
Jay Simpson RS Fr.
Kendal Stephens Fr.
Bryson Scott Fr.
Basil Smotherman Fr.
(three open scholarship slots)

If Purdue doesn't have a traditional transfer, JuCo transfer or screwy Senior rule transfer, Beshears or Toyra will more than likely be the beneficiaries of the recent tumult within the program.

Purdue has now lost five players that played minutes during the conference season in '12/'13.

We'll be able to tell in a few years if this rash of transfers was a good or a bad thing for the program.  What we know for a fact was that what we saw on the court last year was unquestionably bad.  Was it an issue that stemmed from bad attitudes, youth, lack of coaching control or a combination of all of these factors?  We might not ever know the full truth.

Lawson Becomes Second Off-Season Departure

In a move that surprises no one, Jacob Lawson has decided that it's time to move on to someplace else,

LBD and 34 in Dec. '11

probably closer to home for the '13-'14 season.

Much like Marcius, Lawson was a bit of a gamble when he was recruited. When Branden Dawson decided to play at MSU, Painter was left in a bit of a lurch...and found the athletic, but raw Lawson to attempt to fill a bit of the void.

I was immediately shocked by Lawson's highlight video which resembled a dunk contest, more than a recruiting video...very few jump shots; but clearly the guy had potential.  Plus, he could block shots.

Well, we got to see a bit of both of these skills in the last two seasons.  But the oooohs and ahhhhhs faded quickly as Lawson's minutes seemingly dwindled early each season.  He looked out of position often, which one might attribute to youth, during his first season, but in the second season, Painter and co. seemed to have less leniency.  Lawson developed a bit of a jump shot in the fall of '12, which was promising...but it didn't translate into more minutes.

Lawson, like Marcius was a nice guy in person...and I liked his sense of humor.  But, he'll be taking his potential and his sense of humor elsewhere in the very near future.

Louisville Lessons and Looking Ahead

Purdue's team in '12-'13 was tough to watch for a myriad of reasons.  It's funny, when you wade into the murky waters of message boards and just listen (read) you'll hear Purdue fans admonish others for not grinning and bearing it while ignoring the awful brand of basketball our Boilers played this season. You'll hear others, on the opposite end of the spectrum, act as if the world has come to an end because of Purdue's sub-par, fundamentally-unsound season.

I think the BS staff falls into the middle.  We like good basketball...and like most Purdue fans, we really like good defense, and there's there's the rub.  Purdue's defense was generally bad this season...granted there were a few flashes of the old Purdue, but those flashes were fleeting at best.

Atop of that, Purdue's offense was painful to watch. Watching back-to-back games, as many of us did this March showed just how bad Purdue was on offense.  My wife noted when watching IU and Michigan play, that it looked like those two teams played a different sport than did Purdue this year...and really, they did.  They were fast, spread the floor out and had the option to score from about anywhere. Good shooting creates space...shooters like Hulls and Stauskas force defenses to respect a team to 25 feet...and athletes like Oladipo and Hardaway slash teams and push the pace.  Purdue looked slow and unathletic for stretches of the season while they made fewer three pointers than any Purdue team in the last 25 seasons.  Not a good combo.

Now, let's contrast this with the number one overall seed of the tournament, Louisville.

They play stifling defense that mentally and physically wears out opponents.  They have two very experienced guards in Siva and Smith that make good decisions, can score and make their teammates better...and they are experienced as a team.  One Freshman on the Cardinals played 16.5 minutes...two others played around 3 minutes/game.  With experience comes understanding of a system...and this is one of Louisville's biggest advantages- the players buy in to the system and play hard.  But, that's not why Louisville is great, in my opinion...They're great because of their chemistry, and I'd argue that their chemistry is great because of great leadership.

I posted a video on Twitter of Kevin Ware's interview yesterday in which he detailed what happened just after the gruesome break to his leg. He said he looked at Pitino, who was just feet away...and the coach looked sickened. He said that he thought he had only hurt his ankle...but when he looked down, saw something completely different.

Some of his teammates reacted in horror; I would have acted like them. A few of them threw up...but a couple of the upper classman came and just started talking to him.  And most importantly, Ware acted selflessly.

When he saw that he had a compound fracture, he knew the injury could hurt the team...but instead, the Sophomore said he quickly tried to change the focus with his teammates. He told them he'd be alright and they needed to go out and win the game.  That might seem like a big deal or may just seem like athlete speak...but I think it's indicative of Louisville's focus as a team.  This is why they're great.

When you look at Louisville's roster on paper, you don't see horses like Kentucky, Duke or North Carolina. They're actually pretty similar to UM and IU; the three and four star guys do the lion's share of the work and they all know their role.  But, everything with Louisville is clicking right now (much like Michigan, actually).  And one more thing, Louisville has Pitino at the helm; that doesn't hurt.

Make now mistake, I'm no fan of Pitino. I think he's nearly-impossible to like and root for because of his scandalous past and the fact that he's actually been found guilty of major NCAA violations...once a cheater, always a cheater. But it's tough to deny how good of an in-game coach he is...and his tournament record is crazy good.

Now let's flip back to the reason you come to this site- what's this have to do with Purdue? Well, other programs' successes as well as Purdue's failures should both teach us a lot.

Above, I talked about how Louisville doesn't have to rely on Freshman for many minutes...that surely wasn't the case this season for Purdue.  Purdue had Freshmen that averaged 19, 23 and 31 minutes...that's a lot to ask of guys in their first year at this level.  31 minutes specifically from a Freshman point guard is Herculean. Relying heavily on Freshman and having a Freshman point guard generally leads to inconsistency, inability to win close games down the stretch and an inability to compete with physically and mentally mature teams...things we saw from this Purdue team this year.  This chart shows Purdue's inconsistency.

College Basketball Stats

Louisville's leadership, cohesiveness, talent and focus on a common goal are obvious, when you watch them play...in the same way, Purdue's issues were obvious.  There is hope for Purdue's future, in my opinion, but it's tempered.

Ryne Smith talked to us on the Handsome Hour a few weeks ago about the importance of losing a leader like Rob Hummel...and sadly for Purdue, I'm not sure if I see another leader like that on the roster right now; leadership is something some guys just have, but very few guys lead teams as Freshman or Sophomores. Next year, the team will be TJohn's.  Not a bad guy to have as the leader...but leaders need to be consistent and set a precedent of doing things the right way all the time. Johnson is a capable scorer and solid defender, at times.  In order for Purdue to make a huge jump next season, it'll take TJohn making a quantum leap forward in his consistency.

Next, leaders need good followers...this is something Purdue might do better in '14, simply because so many of the key contributors are a year older. Players like RonJohn, RayDay and Hammons are the key here. If these three guys can develop on the off-season, Purdue can be solid...and Purdue can get 10-15 minutes of solid contribution from two of the incoming Freshman as well as Simpson, the rotation will be better than what we saw this season.

The biggest questions about next years team though are still yet to have been answered. GBI has all but assured Purdue fans that there will be multiple transfers this off-season.  Will it be two or three players and which ones will it be? A few seasons ago when Lutz, Vandervieren, Uchendu, Watt, Spates and Minnoy all transferred in a two year period...that's a ton of attrition.  But, none of the guys were fitting, for one reason or another. It's pretty clear that there were a few square pegs in round holes this season...some of that is because of youth, but some of it isn't.

Watching Louisville in March and IU in February this season, you could see two teams that had a bunch of guys with their focus in the right place.  Until Purdue has a bunch of like-minded guys, success will be limited.  That's a simple fact.

Regardless of whom (if anyone) decides to leave in the next few weeks, Painter will have his work cut out for him in the off-season.  I've heard as many as five different names rumored to be looking to find greener pastures next fall.  The problem with these rumors is I can only find a solid root on one of those (Marcius' request for release) but think a few of the others seem to be logical based on what I saw with my own two eyes during games this season in Mackey.  My hope is that everyone returns with a better attitude...but if guys aren't willing to work, they should head elsewhere; it'd be better for all parties.

Back to Coach Painter for a minute. I've heard some say that 2013-2014 is a make-or-break season for him.  The problem with this idea is no one really knows what the breaking point is in this equation.  I think another sub .500 season would be unacceptable; I actually thought this team should have been better than .500 in '12/'13.  What I believe is a coach with his resume and his contract simply should not average 15 losses a season (which he has over the last two years).  But most-importantly, I'm confident that next season will be much different.  I do know that many of you who visit this site disagree with me on this opinion.  I guess we can debate this until next fall.

Does Any of this matter in 2014?
Last night, Iowa got crushed in the championship of the NIT by Baylor. Unlike Penn State's fanbase a few seasons ago, Iowa fans didn't seem to catch NIT fever...but I think they thought the NIT was a positive for the team (at least until last night).

The question often asked by fans is how does a blowout loss in the NIT championship affect the team the next year? Or how does a defeat at the hands of might Santa Clara at home in the CBI affect a team the following season?  Would Iowa had been better had they edged into the dance and lost in the first round? Would Purdue had been better had they not been invited to the CBI?

The truth is, there's no formula.  Some NIT teams come back stronger the next season, others return to the NIT...some CBI stay mired in mediocrity, others are ranked next year.

Painter wanted the team to play because he thinks basketball teams should play basketball and want to play basketball. As it turns out, many of Purdue's players looked like they didn't want to be there.

What really matters for Purdue as they prepare for next season is if these guys are competitors, if they want to play with the guys who are their teammates and if they buy in to the coach's philosophy.

Screw Conference Loyalty, Everyman for Himself.
As UM and Wisconsin lose three starters and IU potentially loses four, Purdue and Iowa will only lose one player in their 8-man rotation.  The problem is, the same can be said for MSU and aOSU.  The B1G will still be the best-coached conference in the nation in 2014 in spite of two rookie coaches taking over at Minny and Northwestern.  It gets no easier for our Boilers in '14 as the conference will once again be the best in the nation.

Santa Clara Withstands Pounding From Pair of Johnsons; Ends Boilers' Season, 86-83

You can finally (and mercifully, some might say) put the 2012-2013 Boilermaker basketball season in the done column, as the Boilers fell to the Santa Clara Broncos tonight, 86-83. Some might argue the season was done quite some time ago, but our Boilers showed heart at varying points throughout this trying campaign and tonight's game had so many familiar sights that reminded us of the season as a whole. Maybe they should have played One Shining Moment over it all game. Or not. You know, just an idea.

The Boilers did not make a jump shot in this game until almost midway through the second half. For those of you new to the game of basketball, that's hardly ever a good thing. It's exceedingly rare to make layups from beyond the three-point line, for example.

Purdue did somehow manage to overcome a first half deficit to storm (storm being a relative term) ahead at the break, 37-34. Was there defense played in the first half, or were both teams just not very good? It's the CBI, so I think we know which way to lean.

The second half was a 53-46 barnburner that almost equaled the total score of the Purdue-Iowa game mere weeks ago. Do I have a point in sharing that? I do not.

The Boilers -- who again, couldn't hit a jump shot for 30 minutes of game action -- somehow came to life late in the game. With about 1:46 to go in the contest, it was 76-66, Santa Clara. (Little known fact: Santa Clara is actually named for the lesser-known sibling of Santa Claus.) Suddenly, Purdue realized they were a Big Ten team playing a school from (*checks*) the WCC, which like most WCC teams, spent the season helping prop up Gonzaga's bid to be the first 1-seed to lose to a 16.

The Boilers began playing aggressive defense and making circus-like shots -- and I'm including free throws in there because with this Purdue team, free throws have been a circus. See what I did there? But tonight, the Boilers made (and you might want to sit down for this) 22/28, which is 79%, which I would be thrilled with on an ongoing basis. Of course, maybe it was Santa Clara's weak, WCC-level free throw defense that is to blame. I'm no expert.

But it was not to be tonight, as the Broncos' Kevin Foster channeled his inner MJ and went bananas on the Boilermakers voyeur defense (jusssst watching), ringing up 34 points on 11/24 shooting, including 9/13 from the line. He only made three treys, but if you were listening to Cliz, apparently the line was blurry tonight because Larry thought everything Foster shot was a three. He did make some insanely clutch buckets down the stretch to hold off the furious Boilermaker rally. While many questioned (rightfully) the Purdue defensive effort throughout this season and this game, they did attempt to lock Foster down late and he honestly couldn't miss in the final minutes. That's tough to overcome...and the Boilers didn't.

All that said, though, they kept chipping away and Terone had an open look at the three to tie the game and send it to overtime. If you were watching the online stream of the game, it must have just been the feed from the video board, because for a while I thought it was pretty good -- right up until the final couple of possessions where the feed of the game was replaced by a 1980s "MAKE SOME NOISE" graphic. It's almost like there's a cosmic force out there driving me (and other Purdue fans) to drink hard liquor on Monday nights.

Random note from this game: Brandon Clarke, sophomore guard for Santa Clara, was said to be the "godbrother of E'Twaun Moore." The what now? Never mind, carry on.

As for the individual Boiler player efforts of note, Sandi played his Croatian ass off once again, showing effort, emotion and downright talent. He had nine points, four rebounds, two steals and an assist, to go along with zero turnovers and 1/1 from the FT line. You could almost say he has soft hands now; you could not have said this in the past, so that's a very nice development out of this abysmal-feeling season.

The star of the game for Purdue tonight, though, was Ronnie Johnson, who took an utterly asinine 21 shots from the field, making 11 of them and scoring a career-high 27 points. He also hit 5/7 from the line (say what?) snagged three steals, dished six dimes and grabbed a pair of rebounds. No matter what you may think of this team, this season or Ronnie himself, this is a hell of a stat line for a freshman.

Terone almost kept up with his baby brother, scoring 22 points on 8/22 shooting (and 6/7 from the line).

DJ Byrd played his last game at Mackey (and second since Senior Night, which must feel odd) and scored nine points, including the only three of the game made by Purdue. DJ also went 6/6 from the line.

Hopefully AJ Hammons will wake up and stop what appears to be out-and-out regression when the '13-'14 season begins. AJ was 1/5 from the field today and 1/3 from the line for 3 points in 16 minutes.

As for the dearth of threes, that was certainly the differentiator in this one. The Broncos shot 41% from three (9/22) while the Boilers show a frigid 9% (that's not a typo) on 1/11 shooting. As I mentioned earlier, there's another familiar issue from the season -- shooting going cold. The Boilers had their games when things were falling and DJ and Terone were filling it up, but they also had games where absolutely nothing would fall. I guess it's actually quite impressive that with such poor jump shooting, the Boilers still managed 83 points. The team FG% was actually pretty respectable at 44%, though I guess that just means they made their layups when they had the chance.

The Boilers outrebounded their opponent once again and had a double-digit percentage advantage on FTs (interestingly, the FT attempts were absolutely even at 28 each). So again, make some of your threes and even with Foster's game, this one is in the win column.

Going back to the defensive effort (and the effort overall), I can see why some of the fans I connected with were pissed. Giving up 86 to a WCC foe on your home floor is kind of irritating. Scoring 83 should be enough to walk away with a victory. That said, watching this game I felt like the Boilers never quit and were hustling to the end. Down ten with under two minutes to go is often a time when a sub-.500 team might be expected to fold the ol' tent, but it didn't feel to me like Purdue did that. So while I respect all of your opinions, those of you who've had enough of this season and are glad to see it gone, I also note that many of you were either in the building or were making the effort to track down the live stream. All I'm saying is... I wish I could quit them, too.

The Boilers next game will be in November. Let's hope the 34 games guys like Ronnie got to play will serve them well. I think it will, but time will tell. And now, for a change around the halls of Boiled Sports, we anxiously await football season.

CBI Dream Scenario or Nightmare?

When the 16 team CBI field was named, I liked that a historically-strong Texas team was invited.  Like Purdue though, they had a down season and weren't very motivated for their opening game of the third tier tournament.  But if you think the Purdue season didn't meet expectations, look to the Longhorns to be reminded that it could be worse.

First off, Kabongo's season started poorly as he was suspended in December...but the former McD's AA and 5-star recruit didn't give the talented Longhorns enough of a boost to get them to .500 overall.  Texas' rotation is pretty much all 4-star players along with the 5-star Kabongo...but Texas reminds us, as did Kentucky, that stars matter little when a team doesn't gel.

With Texas bowing out early, the CBI is now Wyoming (65), Richmond (79), Santa Clara (92), Wright State (127), Purdue (121), Western Michigan (122), GMU (144) and Houston (195).

If you're like most of America, the CBI wasn't available to you or you didn't care it was going on...so if Purdue falls in a tournament and no one is there to see it, does it count? Yes it does...and this is why this tournament is such a tough proposition for the Boilers.

I said it yesterday in my post, Purdue truly is the underdog now; they're the only sub-.500 team remaining and are in the bottom half of the rankings of those still playing...the truth is tough to swallow.

But in spite of Purdue being the team with the worst record left in the event, those that are still watching probably think Purdue is the favorite...and since the strongest conference represented, after the B1G, is the A-10, why wouldn't they think that way?

This tournament is a two-fold exercise; continue to get the young guys experience...the more basketball, the better...but also, Purdue needs to win to save some face.  Since Painter is a basketball junkie, he probably enjoys the chance to have his guys playing, regardless of the competition.  But clearly, many of the players didn't share his perspective yesterday; perhaps that's the main problem with the state of the program right now?

Boilers Roll in Riveting CBI Opener: 81-67

While Purdue fans seem to have a disagreement about the importance of this game, I think none of us disagreed on one thing: Losing to Western Illinois would have been unacceptable...but for about 15:00, it looked like that outcome was a very real possibility.

Purdue was flat on offense, lethargic on defense and generally apathetic. Switches were even slower than they had been during the season...and the recurring lapses left Leathernecks open time and again. Western Illinois was having their way with Purdue around the 10:00 mark in the first half. With a seven point lead, Purdue seemed to be OK with the idea of bowing out of the CBI...at home versus a Summit League foe; a league in which Purdue was 12-0 against coming into the game.

I really believe this: Purdue should have been able to dress 7 scholarship players and beat WIU soundly. The talent of the two programs is simply not on the same level. But, the eyeball test and what was happening on the court didn't match up. Hammons was allowing a shorter, weaker and less-skilled PF grab boards and get open. Byrd allowed his man to get lost with just one screen, RonJohn wasn't using quickness to create problems...Purdue looked atrocious...but after just a few defensive stops, Purdue was back in it and at the half, the good guys had a one point lead.

Early in the second half, WIU decided it'd be a good idea to leave Byrd open, time, and time and time again...and he made them pay. His three early second half threes were his only points. Then they thought they'd double team him, and RayDay, Hammons and TJohn got open looks. Purdue's athleticism and effort took a potentially disastrous game for the Boilers and made it a blowout loss for the visiting Leathernecks.

Cornell v. WIU
in '99

RonJohn finished with 14 pts, 4 assists...but a couple early turnovers tarnished his day a bit. That said, as the game wore on, it was clear that he was the fastest guy on the court and could do whatever he wanted to do with the ball...he hit a few open jumpers as well.

RayDay had 12 points and 5 rebounds and went 4 for 5 from the field. Hammons, in spite of a frustrating effort on the glass, finished with 15 points and 4 rebounds. He missed a few bunnies too; probably could have easily had 20 points and 8 rebounds; but he had no physical match.

TJohn had 10 points and 5 assists, but turned the ball over too much early. Sandi had 8 points in 13 minutes of action and went 4/4 from the FT line.

The only guy that played hard in the first ten minutes of the game for Purdue was Anthrop...he was hustling after loose balls and selling out. As J Money said to me via text, he kind of had a Senior night of his own tonight...and was the only guy on the team to fill the stat sheet (so to speak).  He only had 4pts, but added 6reb, 4ast and 3 steals in 24 minutes of action.  His game earned him a very awkward exchange with AXStv's color commentator (who I can't remember, and had never heard of).  He called #14 "his kinda guy" as he rubbed his back during a quick post-game interview; it was pretty odd. A Dru could do was respond by saying, "Thanks." Anthrop played hard and deserved the attention of a pretty co-ed, not a middle-aged man.

At the end of the game, Matty emptied the benches and played a guy that I didn't even know was on the roster.  The line-up looked like this: Beshears, Hale, Lawson, Toyra and Mckeeman. If you knew who John Mckeeman was before tonight's game, you're a better fan than I.  Mckeeman's one official minute was his only of the season.

Purdue's lead was over 20 points with around 4:00 before the dogs were officially called off. Our on-site reporter, Mr. Evens said the atmosphere was comparable to that of an IHSAA 1A women's sectional game...but 5,000 (or so) whimpering fans were the difference maker in this one*.  The lowlight of the game wasn't Purdue being down in the first half...It was an ad for a pre-con game next season on Purdue's press LED board between aOSU and UND. I have no idea why that was allowed or at whom in the audience they were marketing. I can tell you who won't be watching it though.

Purdue will play Santa Clara on Monday at 7:00, I believe in God's country. If they win, they'll be in the semi-finals and the remaining field will be re-seeded according who has the most-handsome coach.

Western Illinois was without their leading scorer and lost their hottest hand to an ankle injury during this one...but they were very motivated and Purdue simply wasn't. Santa Clara's RPI is about 30 spots better than Purdue's...and their 21 wins overshadow's Purdue's as well.  Their win over NCAA dark horse, St. Louis was their best win of the year; so clearly, Purdue is the underdog...hopefully they'll act like it as they prepare.


*not really

Half Empty or Half Full: Another Look at the CBI

J and I discussed this earlier today, and I think our opinions are a bit different about the CBI draw.

On one hand, no Purdue fan should think the CBI is an acceptable destination for this or any other Purdue basketball team.  There's too much talent on this team for them to be in the third-tier tournament.

On the other hand, Purdue is exactly where they should be, based on their play this year.  In late December, it looked like Purdue might have figured some things out as they began to play with some cohesiveness...two months later, after getting shellacked by good and not-so-good teams alike, they seemed to be in disarray...THEN, they played a really solid stretch of basketball in which they looked like the team I thought they'd be in February/March.  Finally, they completely soiled the bed versus Nebraska in an uninspired game loss v. Nebraska.

The wake of that last game felt like the first Northwestern game, the second Iowa game or either IU game...The team didn't look like they cared to be playing that much.  And when I see a team play that way, I feel regret for wasting my time watching them.  Sadly, I'm an addict, and will watch Purdue play, even when they're bad...over and over and over and...

I still have a sour taste in my mouth from the Nebraska game. A team that looks like a MAC team controlled Purdue for most of the game. Their coach had them hustling for 50/50 balls, fighting and playing their best ball...Purdue, on the other hand was playing well below their ability, and worse, seemed to not want to be there. If there are any Purdue players or coaches reading this, I'm sure they can understand why Purdue fans don't really like watching a team that doesn't seem to like itself much and seems to play hard every now and again.

I'm not condoning giving up on Purdue basketball...but I do understand why many have wanted to take a break until next year.  This was a tough season for all parts involved. And now, the fruits of Purdue's labor for the '12-'13 season is college basketball's equivalent of the participation trophy: the College Basketball Invitational tournament invite.

Like all addicts, I've been trying to find a way to get my next fix this morning. I want to go up and watch the football team practice this week and might also see if I can get some tix to the Western Illinois game while I'm at it on Wednesday. I've legitimized my poor behavior by saying I'm already going to be on campus, the real tourney isn't even playing that night and my son's basketball league ended on Saturday...I'm sick, I know I won't feel good about myself on Thursday morning; Beating a Summit League foe in March will be tough scenario to get excited about...and God forbid how my head will pound on Thursday morning if they should lose the game.

But let's look to the very recent past for positivity and perspective about the CBI to help us through this, shall we?

The 2012 CBI had a couple basketball powers in it- Butler; a two-time tourney finalist in the last five seasons and Pitt who is almost always ranked in the top-15-20 (but typically underwhelms in March).

This year, those two teams are both in the dance- Butler had a solid season, same goes for Pitt...but both showed a ton more fight than last season.

First off, Butler was pretty young in '12...in the wake of losing three of the best players in program history in the previous two seasons (Heyward, then Mack and Howard), Butler lacked identity and continuity and experience.

Next up, Pitt.  They began the season as a top-10 team.  But, an 8-loss streak and a 5-loss streak toward the end of the regular season made them a team that no one outside of the city of the 'Burgh cared too much about.  They had three Seniors on the roster, one didn't play much...the other two carried much of the load...but experienced depth was a problem.

One big difference from our Boilers in '13 and these two in '12 was they both finished over .500.

Pitt won the three game championship series v. Oregon State...Butler lost to Pitt in the semis.  Did the CBI give these two teams momentum heading into this season or were they just cases of big fish in a small pond; I think an argument could be made for both sides of that discussion.

Oregon State, like Purdue's opponent in the CBI this season, kinda seems like they're stuck in neutral.  Neither program has progressed since last season.

So what will Purdue gain out of this largely unimportant tournament? Will they be like Pitt and Butler and take a step forward after next season after playing hard in the tourney, or will they be like TCU who wasn't that good last year, and got worse this season?

Time will tell. What we do know is Purdue is that if Purdue deserved any post-season play at all, it is a tournament that is little more than a bunch of scrimmages that no one cares about outside of the two fan bases involved...and even within those fan bases, it's tough to find people that really, truly want to watch the contests.

The good news is, it's really tough to find these games on TV. The former HDNet, now AXS.tv network (I didn't know it existed) will be carrying these...but I think your best bet might be a nostalgic listen to the Cliz, if you're not heading to God's country for football practice the game.

Texas also made the CBI...Texas, whose Coach Rick Barnes made an awful deal with the devil, has had a horrible fall from grace since ye olde days in which they'd be highly ranked before disappointing in March...He got his squad to a game under .500 this season.  If both two teams win two games, they'll play in the semis of the CBI.

*addendum- I just read that there is no football practice that's open to the public on Wednesday...

Debacle in Chicago Puts a Stake in the Heart of the '12-'13 Season

The Boilers' season effectively (and likely literally) ended tonight in Chicago on Day 1 of the Big Ten Tournament in a 57-55 barnburner loss to Nebraska.

Not to disparage Tim Miles (who we like a lot) or the Nebraska basketball program, but you know you've hit bottom when you're losing to Nebraska. The Huskers are a bad team, plain and simple. They went 5-13 in league play and were the proud owners of a grand total of five victories in 2013. The Boilers beat them in their house on Jan 16 and the Children of the Corn rank 332nd nationally in points per game, 292nd in rebounds, 336th in assists and 299th in FG percentage. So as you can see, I'm not being a jerk (no more than usual anyway) when I say they're....bad.

And yet, somehow, the Cornhuskers shot over 50% in the first half en route to a two point lead at the break. I will admit I was actually not overly concerned. I've seen Purdue play cold first halves -- especially in the BTT -- and then come out with more life in the second half. Plus, as I said, this was a bad team the Boilers were overlooking playing.

However, the Boilers did what they've done all season -- when things go cold, they go astonishingly icy cold.

If Purdue is rolling and DJ is streaking in a positive way (not that way, ladies), then Terone usually finds his groove, too, and as defenses struggle to contain those two, other guys chip in and get their double digit points, too...and all is well in the world. See the Minnesota game just four short days ago for Exhibit A. Tonight, however, was basically the story that has played out in every game in which the Boilers struggled -- DJ and Terone were cold and with them went everyone else and the Boilers' dreams of ruining some other squads weekends.

Purdue wound up shooting 40% from the field, but they were dreadful for the majority of the game (as the 16% from three will attest). 40% isn't good, but it doesn't look atrocious, but the Boilers were pretty damn atrocious. Let's face it...they'd have to be to be down by double digits to this Nebraska team. They managed to come alive late and begin making shots, which is what pushed that percentage into the 40s. DJ led the way with 15 points in his likely final college game on 6/14 shooting. He was only 2/8 from three, though, with both threes coming very late to make this a ballgame in the end. I (and I'm sure many of you) will remember DJ fondly, as we discussed on the Handsome Hour last night. He had a rough night, but he still led the way, as I said, and I am proud to call him a fellow Boilermaker.

Terone had a stinker of a night, scoring 9 points on 4/14 shooting and, unconscionably, 1/4 from the line. Speaking of the line, the Boilers shot 50% there, so once again, the game often comes down to simple things. The Boilers didn't play well at all, their leaders didn't have good shooting nights....but if they made their FTs, it's a very different game and likely a different outcome.

AJ Hammons and Anthony Johnson were the other Boilers in double digits with 11 and 10 respectively.

Of note was the short bench, another Matt Painter March trademark. RayDay started (along with DJ, TJ, AJH and RJ) and played 29 minutes. The only guys who came off the bench were Sandi (who scored 4 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and was whistled for 5 fouls in 14 minutes), Anthony Johnson (20 mins, 0 points) and Donnie Hale, who only played three minutes.

Of course, it doesn't really matter now, as the Boilers squandered not only the opportunity to piss in Ohio State's Cheerios tomorrow, but they almost certainly missed their outside shot at the NIT and the opportunity to play potentially a few more games, which as Hank said on our podcast last night, is crucial for the development of such a young team.

This is a disappointing night on a lot of levels. For one, obviously the Boilers reverted to their bleak form from earlier in the season, after a sizzling finish that saw them scoring tons of points and beating or nearly beating good teams. As the saying goes, nobody wanted to see the Boilermakers in this tournament. Well, except for Nebraska, apparently. Of course, as with many Purdue losses this year, the Huskers kept trying to open the door and let them in, but the Boilers were too midwestern and polite, insisting on only stepping onto the porch but never actually kicking in the door and taking over the party. No, I have no idea where this metaphor is going. I'm tired and hungry and why are you even still reading about the '12-'13 Purdue basketball season?

Going back to postseason aspirations and whether or not this was indeed the last game of the season and DJ's (and Dru's) careers...We're not huge fans of the NIT, obviously, but for this year's squad, it would have been useful for the reasons mentioned and also would have been something of an accomplishment considering where the season was heading during the February swoon. The NIT no longer requires teams to be .500 or better, but they generally still wind up only taking winning teams.

As for the next step down, the CBI, we're not fans of the Boilers participating in that. I don't think they necessarily would, but you never know. I do know that in the CBI, you pay to host games. So I guess in theory, if you guys are into the idea, we could field a team and host it in my driveway.

Let me know, okay?

Pre-BTT Extreme Handsomeness

The boys break their silence and quench your thirst for some good ole fashioned pod casting...but they're not alone.

Their good buddy, former Purdue player and current Purdue Graduate Assistant Coach, Ryne Smith joins the handsome duo to give some insider insight you'll hear exclusively on this site (and in classrooms at North Montgomery High School from time to time).

After Coach Smith weighs in, "Hank", formerly of therailroadtie.com, talks gambling, brothels, waffles and parenting.

Tune in, get handsome...and enjoy a few technical problems along the way (of course)...now!

Listen to internet radio with Boiled Sports on Blog Talk Radio

Dare to dream?

This has been a tough basketball season, my friends. Rumors of future attrition, attitude problems, ugly 30 point losses...it's had them all. It's quite a contrast to what Purdue fans have become accustomed to in the last six years.

Hard work, toughness, chemistry, great defense...all seemed to be optional for most of the team for much of this season...that didn't seem right...and the results showed that it wasn't. Purdue fans talked about how far Painter would let the team fall...how he was trying to break them by allowing them to lose, lose and lose again; I don't really agree with that premise- I really believe he was as befuddled as those of us in the stands as to why nothing was clicking.  But after a week of assessment, rest and re-grouping at the hands of IU in Ass. Hall, things changed, as J detailed yesterday.

We had some people ask why we haven't made any predictions about the tourney...I'll be honest- I've never been one to make predictions about the B1G tourney.  Another honest moment- I don't like conference tournaments too much.  Sure, they're fun to watch, especially as teams, horrible teams, like Liberty punch their ticket and others knock you on your arse with unexpected outcomes...but for Purdue fans, the tournament that starts this Thursday hasn't been a ton of fun for us as fans. The championship of 2010 was fun, but that team was supposed to do big things...then lived up to their billing in the BT tourney.  The committee shortly after gave the 27-5 Boilers a four seed.  So forgive me if I don't care too much for the whole conference tourney thing.

This tournament is a different animal than what we've seen the last few seasons...Purdue is expected to win just one game...expectations are low...the pressure is off.  Hopefully, fans and the league in general are all sleeping on one of Matty's worst teams (on paper); but I doubt it.  If they've checked the RPI recently, they might literally miss Purdue...they're waaaaaaaay down the list at 114.

But a few media outlets like the Boilers as a darkhorse; so do I. So let's dream for a moment...

Purdue plays Nebraska in the first game.  The Cornhuskers' biggest win of the season, by far, was that over the enigmatic, Senior-laden Golden Gophers...But that game seemed like a force of nature more than a game, and Goldy just happened to be in the way of a special night. Minnesota has struggled mightily in the second half of the season while Nebraska has fought to get better...so on Senior night, and in the final game in Nebraska's old arena, the Cornhuskers got the W. Sadly for the 'Huskers, the Devaney Center won't travel with them to Chicago...nor will many of their fans. All of their decent wins came in front of a friendly crowd.  A half-empty NBA arena won't be as welcoming, nor will the Boilers.  Without anyone to guard him but a rotund Brazilian, Hammons gets silly and TJohn stays hot.

#7 Purdue 74

#10 Nebraska 59

Next up, the white hottttttt, well-rested Bucknuts play the Boilers.

Byrdy Dancing?

The last time these two met, Ohio State seemed to toy with Purdue...kinda like a bigger kid on the playground, they just wouldn't let Purdue get closer than seven points.  Purdue couldn't stop Thomas' quick release jumper, and let him get comfortable way too often...and Aaron Craft's blush was just right that night as the carrying machine batted RonJohn's hand away and scored 15.  I think both of those guys will still be a tough match-up...and Matta has them dialed in, but they're due for an unexpected loss...and Purdue believes things will be different this time because they are a different team.  RayDay matches Thomas' output, Hammons gets a double double and adds 5 blocks all while Byrd makes it rain in the United Center.

#7 Purdue 69

#2 aOSU 66

The unlikable combo of thuggy size (not quite sure what that is) and a whiny politician of a coach lead Sparty into the semis to play the Boilers next. Hot shooting Gary Harris helped the Spartans slide past Iowa...and Izzo has dominated Purdue of late, both on the court and on the recruiting trail.  The streak ends in Chicago. TJohn plays his best defensive game of the year, cools down Harris while Marcius beats MSU at their own game and muscles Purdue to the next round...TJohn and RonJon seal it with FTs down the stretch (it's my dream, I can write it however I'd like).

#7 Purdue  71

#3 MSU 67

At four wins, Purdue is on their longest winning streak of the season...I guess it's not really hard to believe when you look at the record, but Purdue, at this point in the dream sequence would be in unchartered water and feeling pretty confident. But ahead lies the big, ugly forehead gorilla of the conference, IU.

IU was either #1 in the nation or in the top-5 for the whole dang year.  Not one, but two all-conference/National POY finalist players led IU as the supporting cast was also damned good.  Purdue barely showed a pulse versus IU as we all know too well; if it wasn't for Hammons 30 point game in the first "contest", it'd be tough to remember if any Purdue players even laced them up to play their rivals.

Nobody puts Rayby
in the corner.

The stats and not-too-distant past would tell us this one is a cakewalk for IU...but in the ethereal land where I sleep, things have changed since mid-February.

Byrd/TJohn combine for a masterpiece from long distance as Purdue knocks IU out of the number 1 overall seed for the dance...Sheehey's dunk to win clanks off of the back of the rim as time expires.

#7 Purdue 77

#1 IU 76

If this dream scenario was to play out, Purdue would probably be a 12 seed playing in the so-called first round (play-in round), playing a team like Iona or Virginia.  They'd be 19-16, and miraculously would have salvaged a season made for the junk heap into one that would be remembered and savored for a legendary run.

Purdue has an improbable road ahead of them starting Thursday at 6:30pm...just to get to the NIT.  To get above .500, Purdue must beat the tenth-best team in the nation.

To go to the dance, they'll have to beat #8 and #3 (or possibly #5) as well.  They'll have to best three of the nation's best players along with two of the conference's best Freshman...they'll have to beat three top-10 teams in a four day period, two of the conference's best coaches in March, an up-and comer and a fraud cheerleader great motivator.

It's not impossible...but it's damned close.  It truly would be something that I'd have a hard time believing was anything but a dream following a nightmarish season (at times).

By finishing the regular season the way they did, Purdue gave fans, and more importantly, themselves, a reason to hope for what's on the horizon...if they could even make some noise in the tournament, it might help me enjoy the big dance a bit more than I feel like I will at this point.  I love this time of year, but as much as I love it, I hate Purdue not being a real part of it.

There's typically a surprise story that grabs the attention of the nation during the conference tourneys...The 20 loss Liberty Flames might be the worst team to ever enter the NCAA tournament, but much of the nation doesn't care about this team that will probably be knocked out before 3/21 even arrives. But if Purdue waltzed through this tournament to earn its way to the ball, our Boilers might be the most-unlikely entrant in a long, long time.

Has a switch truly been flipped from mediocre-also-ran to world-beater? One can dream.

Big Ten Tourney Time -- Bet You Didn't Think You'd Care

And so here we are. Tom Crean has acted like a jackass for the final time in the regular season, the standings are set and Purdue has finished better than any of us would have predicted a mere 2-3 weeks ago. At that time, it looked like the Boilers were circling the drain, heading towards one of those early Thursday conference tourney games where you're on the team bus heading home before most of the fans have even found their seats. Not a great situation from a program visibility perspective.

However, the Boilermakers -- in true Matt Painter fashion -- just kept swimming and never quit (like so many of us fans did) on the season. Their reward? Well, only a 15-16 finish, but a hard-earned 7-seed in the BTT and a hell of a final week, in which they upended Wisconsin in the Kohl, had a double-digit second half lead on #7 Michigan and walloped 20-win Minnesota on Senior Day.

After losing 5 of 6 in a two-and-a-half week span (all by double digits) from Jan 30-Feb 16 that included two hammerings from the Hoosiers and a truly listless performance at Northwestern on Feb 2, the season looked bleak to say the least. Amid the downward spiral, Matty lost his composure at Illinois and got tossed for the first time in his coaching career. The Boilers then lost by 28 on  Feb 16 at Ass Hall, stood at 12-14 and looked like they were ready for the season to be over.

Then a funny thing happened -- we're not privy to the details of what goes on at practice or behind closed doors, but the Boilermakers regrouped and appeared to refocus. To our eyes, it looked like Matt Painter finally had enough and told the young, talented guys who were getting lots of playing time that it would now work like this: those who work hard and listen to the coaching staff will get to play -- those who don't do those things will see their minutes reduced.

The Boilers then went out and destroyed Northwestern by 31 (a game that included Sandi starting over Hammons and Dru Anthrop logging a career-high 17 minutes),  kicking off a 3-2 finish to the Big Ten season that included a 13 point road win at Wisky and the fun Senior Day from Saturday.

What does it say about a team that can get bludgeoned by double-digits on a regular basis, but then when they do win, they win by double digits? You can't simply explain it all away with youth, I don't think. Young, bad teams get battered in this manner, but their wins are usually squeakers or final minute nail-biters. The Boilers -- for as lousy as a season as this has been at times -- have won games by 29, 26, 12 (at Clemson), 33, 10, 18, 27 (vs WVU), 31, 13 and 14. And I only left out five games, you'll note. So the Boilers won 2/3 of their victories by double-digits, including 50% of their conference wins. My rambling point? There is still a lot to be excited about here, in case you were wavering. When these Boilers win, it's because they shoot well, rebound well and play committed defense. Their FT shooting is still suspect and will likely be their downfall, in this year and beyond. But some of the fundamentals of being a good basketball team are in place -- and the thing that has been a thorn this year (youth and inexperience) will begin to pay dividends as early as next fall.

The BTT tournament bracket is out and it will take a win the Boilers should get (Neb) followed by one that would be a challenge (OSU) to get them into NIT talk. While stretching for the NIT is often something we might mock, a couple extra weeks of competitive basketball might be great for this group that seems to have finally figured a few things out.

If nothing else, this should be one more example of how Matt Painter never stops working, and doesn't allow his charges to stop working, either.

Purdue Basketball: A New Hope

It is a period of transition. Pursued by the Empire's sinister forehead, Terone Johnson races home aboard his starship, custodian of the game plan that can save his people and restore freedom to West Lafayette ... 

If I'd told you a week and a half ago that the loser of this game would probably get the #9 seed in the conference tournament, you'd have probably agreed, muttered something about Painter, and probably made a note not to watch any Thursday games that week ... because there would have been little doubt that it would be Purdue who'd come out on the short end of the stick.

Instead, coming off a huge win in Madison and a close but hard-fought loss to Michigan at home, Purdue made it clear which team was going into the tournament on a high note, never falling behind in an 89-73 win that was never in doubt. A Terone Johnson 3 gave the Boilers the first points of the game; A.J. Hammons broke a 3-all tie with a basket that would give Purdue the lead for good.

Even this guy would have struggled
at Mackey on Saturday.

Minnesota had struggled mightily on the road in conference play – their only conference win was a 17-point win over an Illinois team that looked, well, like the Gophers do now – and they played no better in West Lafayette. They found themselves down 20-5 and 30-9 in the first half; a D.J. Byrd layup put Tubby's crew in a 17-point halftime hole. It was all Minnesota could do to get the lead back to single digits, and each time they did, Purdue would answer ... the fact that the last three-point basket of the game belonged to Ronnie Johnson, of all people, should tell you all you need to know.

Defensively, the Boilers were adequate on the outside. Andre Hollins led all scorers with 24 points, 18 of those from long range, yet the early hole that the Gophers dug themselves meant that most of those shots didn't have nearly the impact you'd guess; his last basket cut a 21-point deficit to 18 with just over 3 minutes to play, at a point where there was no reason to believe anything he did would make a difference.

Inside, things were a different story. Trevor Mbakwe scored just 6 points on 2 for 9 shooting, his fourth-worst outing in conference play. Rodney Williams had 13 points, but that included a three and 4 free throws; no other frontcourt player had more than 4.

Purdue forced "only" 13 turnovers (a high number for them, but not really enough to be a problem for Minnesota), and allowed 39% shooting from three-point range ... but for a change, the offense was good enough that nothing on the defensive side was going to be a problem. All five starters scored in double figures, led by Byrd and Rapheal Davis with 18 apiece, and team shooting was remarkably accurate: 56.8% from two, 46.7% from three, and a whopping 75% from the line, 18-24. The 89 points was a season high, and it had to be encouraging for Painter that they were as evenly distributed as possible (44 first-half points, 45 after the break) ... this wasn't a case where Purdue jumped out to an early lead and held on for dear life.

I have altered the standings.
Pray I don't alter them further.
(AP photo)

We won't know for another week or so if this was D.J.'s last game in Mackey, but if it was, it was about as good as you could ask. Along with those 18 points, he had a team-leading 7 rebounds (only Mbakwe had more, with 10), 5 assists, and 2 steals, both of which led directly to points (2 on a Davis layup and 2 on Hammons free throws after a foul).

Speaking of Hammons, he had a perfect day: 6 of 6 from the field, plus the two free throws, for 14 points ... not bad for just over a half of work. Without seeing the game myself, I can't say if this came from more effort on his part, but I will assume that the fact that he played as much as he did indicates that he's earned those minutes. Hopefully we'll continue to see hard work on his part: as noted in this space before, he's got too much talent to let it go to waste.

Davis had a solid game as well: 6-8 from the field and 6-7 from the line for his 18. I'd really like to see Davis continue to get major minutes as we go up to Chicago and then hopefully steal a postseason slot somewhere ... Anthony Johnson seems not quite ready for starter's minutes, and Davis' play against Michigan and Minnesota this week has been really good.

Something else I couldn't tell from the box score was Marcius' health: he got 14 minutes against a quality big in Mbakwe, so I don't know if he was largely unproductive because of his ankle or Mbakwe's presence or both.

As you'll know if you've been following The Most Confusing Post Ever, this win ensured that Purdue wouldn't drop to #9, because it gave them a tiebreaker advantage over Minnesota no matter who else was tied with them. Iowa's win means that Purdue will be seeded #7 if Illinois loses to Ohio State or #8 if they win, and the Illini will have the other seed. The #7 seed will face Nebraska, and the #8 will play Minnesota*. Minnesota is much better than the Cornhuskers, and I don't know if Purdue needs another quality win as much as they simply need a win, but if the Boilers play like this on Thursday, the opponent might not matter. (On the other hand, the #8 seed will almost certainly play Indiana on Friday if they win; the #7 will get not-Indiana. As much as I'd love to see Purdue knock IU out of the Big Ten tournament, there are ... other potential outcomes.)

*there are scenarios where Minnesota would finish #8 and Illinois #9, depending on who ties Indiana for first; an IU win over Michigan gives Illinois the tiebreaker against the Gophers.

Anyway, the Good Guys have won 3 of 5 in conference play, including two wins over tournament-bound teams.

Choo choo, muthas.

Boilers Run out of Gas In Spite of TJohn's Heroics

Best shot of the night: Three Purdue legends, GRob, Cardinal and Keady
enjoying the game together

As a fan, I wondered if Purdue would take any of the momentum from the Wisconsin game into tonight's game...one guy did...but the rest...not so much.  Sandi started Purdue off right by scoring our Boilers' first 7 points...but in that same period, TJohn and RonJohn seemed to be sleep walking.  The good guys had an astounding amount of turnovers in the first four minutes. Lazy passing and head down dribbling gave Michigan gift after gift...and UM jumped out to an early lead.

Purdue was down by 12 at the half way point of the first half and UM was in control.  But after a lil' time on the pine, TJohn's head got screwed on straight, Chooch continued to spark the Boilers and RayDay showed again what might be next season. Within four minutes of gametime, it was a four point deficit...in four more minutes, Matty's boys had the lead.

Purdue was playing a higher level of basketball for the second-straight half versus one of the nation's best...with a lot left to play for.  Wisconsin was a better match-up for Purdue; kinda always have been, the way they slug teams into submission, but UM's horses; at least two NBA players on the current roster, seemed shocked by Purdue's effort, active hands and tight defense; something that had been lacking for much of the season.

After the four point halftime lead became 12 at nearly the midway point of the second half, UM gained composure and calmly started chipping away.

Marcius' ability to get difficult rebounds and come up with loose balls, Davis' big play capability, RonJohn's vision and quickness and TJohn's will tonight were noteworthy.  But when Marcius rolled his ankle badly, Purdue lost steam...and as UM's athletes started making plays and big shots, you could feel the air go out of the building a bit.  Much like in the first UM game, Michigan took it at Purdue and started getting calls...specifically, Burke drew a ton of fouls in the closing minutes; some legit, some simply protecting the All-American. But Purdue wasn't helping itself and just couldn't keep up with Burke's quickness.

Much like Purdue's first half, Michigan fought back and took the lead in the closing minutes; around the 4:00 mark in fact...Purdue got it back seconds after. But one minute later, Michigan took a lead that they didn't relinquish. TJohn did everything humanly possible to keep it close, and unlike the game in Crisler, poor officiating and general adversity didn't cause Purdue to fold like one of J Money's fine Italian made suits.  Instead, it was at least interesting until the closing moments, but UM's Burke did what he did v. MSU earlier in the week and simply closed the game out by making plays.

Final score: 80-75

I'll be honest, seeing and hearing a raucous Mackey Arena and a Purdue team that fights is good for my soul.  My son's basketball team's schedule forced me to give up my tickets to tonight's game...but as Purdue played yet another good game, I bargained with the basketball gods- I'd sacrifice being there if these guys played like this each game. Sure, my attendance, or lack there of had nothing to do with it, but it felt like it did (I also couldn't make the Illinois game).

Hammons continued to struggle.  A few weeks ago, if I told you that Marcius rolling his ankle would be a killer for this team, you'd call me as crazy as Tom Crean after a Red Bull.  But Marcius' injury was huge because Hammons had that same look in his eyes that he had v. Wisconsin; distant, tired, passionless.  The dude has more talent and God-given gifts than anyone on the team, but can't put together a five minute run of solid effort right now; tough to watch. His sub finished with 13 points and 5 rebounds...in the same amount of time (18 mins) that he got 5 points, 4 rebounds.

Byrd's up and down season continued- after his most-complete game and definitely his best half of the season, he went 1-7 from the field and finished with just 3 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. UM double teamed him a lot and made shutting him down a focus of their defense...and it almost killed them. As they sagged off of 21, TJohn was going crazy: Game high, career high, 32 points on 12 of 17 shooting (3/5 from deep), and he added 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

His brother played pretty damned well too and matched one of the nation's best PGs' quickness at times.  He had 7 assists and just one turnover...but the TO came in the closing minutes as he looked for his brother on the left wing in an attempt to tie the game.  I really wanted to see Byrd get a shot as UM had started focusing on TJohnson, especially since Byrd had just hit his first three, but it didn't happen.  Te'Ron's assist:TO ratio the last two games has been 5:1...definitely showing growth.

RayDay doing the little things...

RayDay had a great closing 10 minutes of the first half and was one of the catalysts of the comeback.  He finished with 15 points, 9 rebounds, a steal and a block.

I asked, wished actually, for Purdue to give themselves something to build on for next season...and they've done that the last few games.  They've shown that the scrappiness is still alive in the program, that there is talent in the stable and that there is a reason to be, at minimum, cautiously optimistic for what's coming late next fall.

With this loss, Purdue drops to two games below .500...so an NIT birth is a bit of a pipe dream.  Purdue is now locked into playing the 11:00 am game next Thursday versus either Minny or Illinois...their second round opponent is still very much up in the air depending on what happens this weekend (I believe*).

Next up, Minnesota at high noon on Saturday.  Hopefully Byrd can get back on track and go out with a big game on Senior Day.

TJohn's Herculean effort not enough

*Read Z's post from earlier for more info

Credit AP's AJ Mast and Getty Images for all photos

Rooting Guide for Season's End

Updated through Ohio State-Illinois. Purdue will be the #7 seed and will face #10 Nebraska.

(Sorry about the wall of words. There's really no other good way to do this.)

aghast at the thought of
rooting for Tom Crean

You might not be aware of this, but Purdue could actually finish ... sixth? It's actually possible that they could finish alone in sixth place in the conference, which would be amazing when you consider how they were playing not too long ago. It's also possible that Christina Hendricks could appear at the door of my hotel room with some story about her key not working and blah blah blah and would I mind if she stayed with me. (Answer: that depends. Are you an IU fan?)

What is somewhat more likely is that Purdue will finish tied with one or more teams for something between sixth and eighth, and their resulting seed will be something between sixth and ninth. In case you don't think that will make a difference, keep in mind that the #6 seed will play the 9 PM game against Northwestern or Nebraska, and the #9 seed will play the noon game against the #8. For NIT purposes, you want the #6 or #7 seed - ideally the #6 to set up a Friday game against #3 instead of #2. (Also, the #6 seed pretty much assumes that Purdue won both games this week ... otherwise you're talking about playing until at least Saturday.)

Big Ten Tournament tiebreaking procedures, in short:

1. Head-to-head competition. Unlike the NFL, the number of games played does not matter: all that matters is winning percentage. (This is key, as you'll see below.)
2. Record against each team or set of tied teams in the standings, starting with the champion (or co-champions) and descending until records differ.
3. Strength of DI schedule (W-L record of DI opponents, that is).
4. Coin toss. Yes, you can do a coin toss among three or more teams. You never saw Friday Night Lights? (Yes, that coin toss happened in real life, too, although one of the teams was different.) Go fix that and come back when you're done.

So, here's where we stand. Purdue cannot finish in a tie with Minnesota unless they beat the Gophers, and not having faced them this season yet, that 1-0 record would give Purdue the edge in a two-way tie. (And by beating the Gophers, they now have that edge.) Purdue split against Illinois and Iowa, so those ties would go to step 2, which we'll cover in a bit.

Like Purdue, Minnesota also split against Illinois and Iowa. Iowa played Illinois once and beat them. So any tie that includes either team but not both will go to Purdue, thanks to everyone else being .500. If Illinois and Iowa tie with Purdue, and Minnesota isn't included, then Iowa has the advantage; if all four teams tie, Iowa and Purdue split out first.

OK ... record against each team or set of tied teams. (What does that mean? It means that you ignore tiebreakers in other groups when computing a tiebreaker yourself: you look at record against all teams with a particular conference record.) Purdue lost to Michigan tonight and Illinois will finish against Ohio State, but the other games against teams ranked 1-5 are done, so we can look at them individually and even as a group (you'll see why in a moment).

Indiana. Illinois 1-0, Minnesota 1-1, Iowa 0-2, Purdue 0-2. Bad for Purdue. Unfortunately, they're kind of included at the top no matter what.
Michigan. Iowa 0-1, Minnesota 0-1, Illinois 0-2, Purdue 0-2. The loss to Michigan was painful, but doesn't hurt them much since no one else beat Michigan.
Michigan State. Minnesota 1-1, Iowa 0-1, Illinois 0-1, Purdue 0-2. Again, bad for Purdue. In general, root against Michigan State.
Ohio State. Illinois 1-0*, Purdue 0-1, Iowa 0-1, Minnesota 0-1. Bad for everyone except Illinois, even if the Buckeyes split. A sweep is very bad. Root against Illinois.
Wisconsin. Purdue 1-0, Iowa 1-1, Minnesota 1-1, Illinois 0-2. (Which contender struggled against second-tier teams?) Good for Purdue. Root for Wisconsin.
*will change after this week's game

Take note of a couple of things: there are a lot of losses in that group, and most of the wins are by Minnesota, who can't win a tie with Purdue because of the head-to-head loss it would require. It's a lot better than it seems.

Let's roll. (I was totally going to do a really cool chart for this with logos, but then I remembered my work laptop doesn't have Photoshop. Just pretend it's there.)

• Purdue wins out, all others lose out. Purdue is 9-9 and #6, no tiebreakers required. Commence rooting for Nebraska. No longer possible with the loss to Michigan.
• Purdue ties with Minnesota. Boilers win head-to-head tiebreaker.
• Purdue ties with Illinois. It depends who ties for first. If it's Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan, Purdue wins the tiebreaker (1-3 vs. 1-4). Any other combination of teams, tied or not, goes to Illinois because of their record against IU and their better record against everyone other than UM and UW.
• Purdue ties with Iowa. Purdue's win over Michigan (necessary if they are to tie only Iowa) gives them the advantage in any combination or order of teams; Iowa's only win is against Wisconsin, Purdue is 1-0 against them, and even if MSU is also tied (Purdue 0-2, Iowa 0-1 makes up for the Wisconsin difference), Purdue's 1-1 record against Michigan would take care of the rest. This was actually somewhat wrong, because Iowa and Purdue could tie for eighth at 8-10. If that happens, see the four-way tie below.
• Purdue ties with Minnesota and Illinois. Purdue wins the tiebreaker based on head-to-head records (Purdue 2-1, Illinois 2-2, Minnesota 1-2).
• Purdue ties with Minnesota and Iowa. Again, Purdue wins the tiebreaker (Purdue 2-1, Iowa 2-2, Minnesota 1-2). 
• Purdue ties with Iowa and Illinois. Iowa wins the tiebreaker, Purdue finishes next (2-1, Purdue 2-2, Illinois 1-2).
• Purdue ties with all three teams. Purdue and Iowa win the first tiebreaker based on head-to-head records (3-2 vs. 2-3 for Minnesota and Illinois). Breaking this tie: even though unlike the NFL, we don't go back to individual head-to-head record, it doesn't matter because they split. 
• If they tied at 9-9, then see above: Purdue would have the advantage in any combination of teams 1-5.
• If they tied at 8-10, then the only wins Purdue and Iowa have are against Wisconsin, so it depends on who Wisconsin is tied with:
• No one. Purdue wins the tiebreaker (1-0 vs. 1-1).
• Both MSU and Michigan. Iowa wins the tiebreaker (1-3 vs. 1-4), even if Ohio State is also part of the tie. (Indiana can't be, because MSU still has to play Wisconsin.)
• Either MSU or Michigan. That cancels out Purdue's 1-0 vs. Wisconsin, .000 winning percentages eliminate the rest, so we go to ... 10th place? 
• Northwestern. Iowa wins the tiebreaker (2-0 vs. the Wildcats to Purdue's 1-1).
• Nebraska. Purdue wins it (1-0 vs. 0-2, as Nebraska would have to beat Iowa to send the Hawkeyes to 8-10).
• Both. Purdue wins it (2-1 vs. 2-2).

So ... for whom should you be rooting the rest of the way?

This guy. Root for the guy with
the big head. (No, not that one.)

Wednesday

Purdue over Michigan
√ Nebraska over Minnesota (for Purdue to have a shot at sixth)
Summary: Purdue can't finish 6th by themselves with the loss to Michigan; Minnesota blows the same chance with the loss to Nebraska. Boilers can be part of a four-way tie for 6th, a three-way tie for 7th, or a two-way tie for 8th.  

Thursday

Wisconsin over Michigan State (to help with Iowa and Illinois tiebreakers)
Summary: Purdue now loses a two-way tie with Illinois for 8th, should it occur.

Saturday

√Purdue over Minnesota
Nebraska over Iowa (to prevent a tie with Iowa and not Minnesota)
Summary: 6th and 9th are no longer possible, thanks to Purdue's win (which meant they would finish ahead of Minnesota) and Iowa's win (their 9th in conference play). If Illinois beats Ohio State, Purdue will be #8 and Minnesota #9; if Illinois loses, then it'll be #7 Purdue, #8 Illinois, and #9 Minnesota. In either case, Purdue will face Illinois in the 11 AM game ... just like boilerdowd said. (There were other possibilities. Iowa just ruined them.) If I were paying attention, I would have noticed that #7 and #8 do not play each other; Purdue cannot face Illinois. An Illini win will pit Purdue and Minnesota in a rematch of today's game; a loss will give Purdue #10 Nebraska.

Sunday

√Wisconsin over Penn State (same)√Ohio State over Illinois (generally speaking, avoid being tied with Illinois)
Michigan over Indiana (to help with Illinois tiebreaker)
Northwestern over Michigan State (mostly, although there might be a scenario where we'd root for MSU)
Summary: Other results plus the OSU win make the last two games irrelevant for Purdue: they are the #7 and will face #10 Nebraska.

'The Marcius Game' and cutting down the nets...Basketball gumbo.

I said it on Twitter a few days ago, and I'll expound here today- Dan Dakich is pretty good at his job when he's not talking about IU.

I started liking the guy while listening to the radio in Indy a few years ago and IU was down.  Every time IU would come close to beating someone, a sycophantic IU fan would call him and say they were back.  He'd quickly shut them down and remind them why that wasn't the case with facts- record, last time they had a big win, etc.

BUT, he changed his tune last year and lost all objectivity when talking about IU as they started winning.  So I've learned to enjoy him, but only when IU isn't in the picture.  Purdue's game v. Wisconsin was one of those occasions. If you're a Purdue fan that can't stand the guy because of his antics while talking about the Purdue/IU rivalry, I understand...but he does know basketball when he can remove his heart from the equation.

Let's not forget that he's a former Bobby Knight recruit and interim IU coach...it's probably impossible to separate from that.  BUT, his knowledge of basketball and his sense of humor are entertaining, at least to me, at times.

As Purdue finished off Wisconsin, he had a couple great points:

First, Purdue was much better with Hammons on the bench on Sunday. Marcius' hustle and attitude made the offense and defense work better...and that's all on Hammons, in my opinion.  Hammons is a superior basketball player, but his attitude sometimes comes off as lackadaisical. It might just be his demeanor or it might be a conscious decision...regardless, Painter doesn't seem to like it when it's in full bloom...and Purdue is not as good when #20 is doing his Joe Barry Carroll impersonation.

But when he's good, there's no one on Purdue that's better.  I guess these are the growing pains of a Freshman who is growing into a role; hope so anyway.

Second, Dakich referenced the Wisconsin game as "The Marcius Game".  He said next season, when Purdue is back to where they belong, we Purdue fans will refer to this game as the game in which Sandi took over and made a difference. He's probably right...unless, Marcius can find a way to become consistent.  He's strong, big, works hard and runs end to end...lots of good tools in the shed for 55.  There have been rumors that he might seek to go elsewhere after this season...I haven't heard one credible source to back that up, so I expect Marcius to be back for his fifth year in 2014.  If he wants to avoid Purdue fans referring to that one game as his, he'll have to make some new memories...It'd be great if he joined the line of Rowinski, Sheffler and Riley (big bruising white centers that were forces to be reckoned with) and departed from that of Ten Dam's line (gigantic European players that never panned out).  Time and a few games might tell.

Big Balls?

I didn't see it...I tried to go back and see it, but still couldn't find video evidence.  BUT, Sandi supposedly referenced his lower intestinal fortitude after hitting a few free throws in the closing minutes of that Wisconsin game.  We all know what happened in his action's wake- he went over and shook Matty's hand and apologized for getting out of hand. While Painter didn't love it, Sandi's teammates did...and it showed.

There's no doubt that Purdue wouldn't have been in the position to win that game without DJ Byrd going nutty from deep.  BUT, to beat Wisky's bigs, it sometimes takes a hammer to do it...Sandi's force and clutch free throws cemented the deal.

I don't think we've seen anything close to Barlow's choke sign from a Purdue player in the last few years...but Marcius' alleged Big Ball Dance has some similarities.  But the differences are great too- he didn't direct it at the other team and it wasn't as obvious on TV...nor was it versus IU.  That said, it endears Marcius to me a bit more; he was having a good time playing a kids game...and doing his job while doing it. We haven't seen a ton of that this season.

Victory! (not really)

Cut 'em Down!!

The phrase in entertainment, "The show must go on" was applicable early this morning in Bloomington  as IU kept with their original plan in spite of one pesky detail- they lost the game.

IU was in the driver's seat for an outright B1G title; their first in 20 years.  But, they couldn't seal the deal on Senior night...couldn't beat a team, on their homecourt, that they had shellacked earlier in the season on the road.  Last night's IU loss was like a wet blanket on IU's festivities...well it should have been anyway.

After EsPN cut away from their coverage, IU's Seniors did what Seniors do on Senior night- talk about what they had been through and how far they had come...nothing wrong with that.

BUT, as the crowd thinned, Crean decided they still wanted to cut down the nets. In a sad display of what modern sports have become...and a stark contrast to the Bobby Knight way (in his house, no less), a few hundred people clapped in a half-assed manner as Crean added another trophy to his small-time trophy case.

These nets should fit nicely go along side the Sweet 16 rings from last year.

Last night's post-game stupidity in Ass. Hall is why the "IU Sucks" chant by the Paint Crew makes so much sense, even when IU is good at basketball.  

B1G Race

So here are the standings right now:

As well all know too well, Purdue is an also-ran at this point...But, the interesting part of the puzzle, from a Purdue-centric view, is that Matty's boys will have at least some effect on the race.  An improbable win by Purdue over UM would knock the Wolverines out of a chance to part of the title...they already knocked Wisconsin down a rung this week.  But, this UM team is a much more difficult match-up for Purdue...and who knows how these Boilers will handle a small taste of success.

But we do know that every game effects every other, at this point...And the hard thing about this time of year is I'm forced to root for teams like aOSU, UM, MSU and Wisconsin.

In the grand scheme, my wishes are pretty simple: I want to see IU lose in the tournament before the Final Four...I want to see Oladipo, Zeller, Thomas and Burke all leave for the NBA this year...and I want to see Purdue win a few more games as to have a bit of momentum heading into next season.