Boilers Lose Cinder Block Fight in Iowa City, 58-48

J, Panda and I wrote each other about midway through the second half to try to figure out who would get to have the joy of writing this one up; After a tournament of mother jokes and a mini-spelling bee, I was the champion...so now I get my prize: writing about tonight's loss in Iowa City.

The game was only
slightly prettier than
this painting.

It was tough to start this one so closely after the end of the game...my eyes were still partially bleeding and that makes it difficult to check your own work.  But I'm a Boilermaker, so I powered through it and now I bring you the many highlight from the game.

Donnie Hale and AJ Hammons played well. Hammons had 12 points and 9 rebounds, Hale had 13, but played with a ton of energy and looked to be moving faster than about everyone on the court, except for RonJohn...but the younger Johnson's speed caused him to have some ugly TOs; his ratio was 1:1 (6ast, 6to).  Byrd played OK, but missed a lot of makable shots.

Purdue only got to the line ten times...and made seven of those attempts (pretty solid).  Iowa, conversely, shot 29 FTs, made 21.

Purdue had 16 points at the end of the first half...Iowa had 23.  In the wake of the first half, Purdue's 32 point second half was an absolute offensive explosion; but it still made me tired to watch it.

Purdue's effort was better- Anthrop had a few minutes in which he seemed to be in the right place, right time over and over again.  But Purdue's offense looked extremely inept.  The sharp shooting from the Northwestern game that Byrd and TJohn displayed was nowhere to be found.

Crappy weather (and crappy basketball) kept the fans away from Iowa's Hawkeye-Carver Combo (Boston Market Reference) Arena.  Iowa's 92nd-best RPI rating surely got a huge bump after tonight's game...and in a few weeks, Iowa will be dancing thanks to this quality win over our Boilers.

Alright, maybe not.  As March quickly approaches, Iowa fans will wonder what might have been had a few injuries not affected their Hawkeyes...and we Purdue fans will wonder if our Boilers will be able to climb out of the sewer of the B1G conference standings next season.

Purdue stands at 13-15 (6-9), and the season will mercifully be over in less than two weeks...then, for the first time in over a month, things will get interesting as we wait to see who decides to transfer. I'm still hoping for everybody to stay...but with a warning that if they don't buy in, they won't play. We'll see.

Next up, Purdue goes to Wisconsin to play Bo's Badgers who are very much in the hunt.  Painter has historically been one of the most-successful coaches in the Kohl Center...but I don't see Matty's boys putting up much of a fight on Sunday afternoon; hope I'm very wrong.  Because, like you, I'll be watching and yelling at the TV, regardless of what happens.

Boilermetrics: Centers of Attention

There haven't been a lot of good things to say about this season, as you may have noticed recently, but there are a couple of guys who are having noteworthy seasons. In particular, a young man from Carmel has made Boiler opponents sit up and take notice.

I don't think so.
(Photo by Al Goldis/AP)

It's possible that the one thing separating the Boilers from having a Penn State-caliber season is A.J. Hammons. Despite the fact that Purdue can go several games without being a threat from the perimeter, Hammons has been a solid inside presence in nearly every game. He's scored in double figures in all but three conference games, rebound rates at both ends of the floor that rank him nationally, and an outstanding block percentage: 8.3%, 63rd in the country, and the majority of the guys in front of him are either eating up weak conferences or feasting on weaker teams. (Someone explain to me how a guy with the name Shaquille Duncan isn't leading the country?) He's drawing fouls (4.8 per 40, basically 3 fouls drawn per game given his minutes), hitting free throws, and not committing many fouls: only 3.2 per 40. (And that's playing in a conference where even at this moment, Ed Hightower is calling a foul on someone.)

As tempting as it is to project him as the next Lew Alcindor, it would be unfair and more than a little silly. (How many people even remember Kareem's old name anyway?) But we can take a look at other Purdue centers who had quite an impact in their day, and maybe look a little more closely at what Hammons might do if he stays. (He's not listed below, but I do want to mention Terry Dischinger, a two-time consensus All-American who played against guys like Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek. I'm also leaving out JJ because as good as he was when he played center, he never really had the bulk for the position. If Purdue had had a real center alongside him, I think Johnson would have been almost unstoppable. Finally, Brad Miller did a lot of things well, but wasn't outstanding at any one thing: I'm looking for exceptional more than simply effective here.)

"Do that dunk thing again.
That worked pretty well last time."

Joe Barry Carroll came off the bench as a freshman: Fred Schaus chose to start co-captain Tom Scheffler (Steve's older brother) ahead of the new guy. (After the 1977-78 team went 16-11 despite having Carroll and Jerry Sichting, Schaus was replaced by Lee Rose. Coincidence?) Carroll played just 20 minutes a game, but still averaged 7.4 rebounds and nearly 3 blocks per game: his 206 rebounds and his block average are still freshman records, his block average is second overall, and his block total (82) is third.

Starting full-time as a sophomore, Carroll still got only 31.7 minutes ... but posted 105 blocks for a whopping 3.9 blocks per game, both school records that stand today.

Out went Schaus (and Walter Jordan departed for the NBA); in came Lee Rose. Carroll got 35 minutes a game, and was a dominant force on the team that lost the NIT final to Indiana. (In these days, the NCAA tournament was significantly smaller, and people still cared about the NIT.) Carroll's 352 rebounds are a school record, and his 70 blocks (7th) and 798 points (3rd) are still in Purdue's all-time top 10. Carroll posted a career-high 42 points against Alabama in the NIT semifinals; he would not top that his senior year, but would play on a slightly bigger stage, slightly closer to home.

His senior-year numbers tailed off slightly: 736 points (still over 22 per game) and 302 rebounds (tied for 7th). He did block another 92 shots, second on the list, finishing his career as Purdue's all-time leader in blocks (349; only JJ is within 100) and rebounds (1148; only Dischinger is within 200, although Terry played just three seasons).

Carroll was instrumental in Purdue's Final Four run that season, the last time they made it to that level: 33 points against La Salle in the first round (at West Lafayette, no less), and 36 in an upset of 3rd-seed St. John's. He was held to 11 points, but the Boilers knocked off 2nd-seed Indiana in Lexington, 76-69, as sweet revenge for the NIT loss, despite 30 from Isiah Thomas. Carroll then poured in 26 over Mike Gminski as Duke fell in the regional final.

In Market Square Arena, the Boilers' quest for a first title would end at the hands of Cheatin' Larry Brown, as ineligible Kiki Vandeweghe scored 24 and held Carroll to 17 in a 67-62 loss. Carroll would finish his career in style in front of the semi-home crowd, though, with 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks in a 75-58 win over Iowa for third place. (They don't do consolation games any more.) Carroll's 35 is the fifth-best total for a Boiler in NCAA tournament action; the 12 boards are tied for ninth-best, and the 4 blocks are tied for second. He finished his career as a consensus All-American; whether or not his reputation as an NBA player is deserved is a topic for another time, but in college, there was no question as to his greatness.

Purdue fans despairing after Carroll's departure had to wait exactly one game for the next force in the post. The Boilers opened the 1980-81 season against Colorado State with freshman Russell Cross at center; Cross would miss exactly one game in three years at Purdue and would come off the bench in only three others. (The man who made this wise decision was this Keady guy ... turns out he was pretty good at coaching.) Cross averaged at least 35 minutes in all three of his seasons at Purdue – he left after his junior year, and considering that he was the #6 pick overall, I'd say it was a wise move on his part. (Cross actually was Carroll's teammate at Golden State in 1983-84.)

This is not the 1974 trophy.
Do you really want to see it?
No, you don't.

With Carroll's departure, there were points to be had, and Cross scored them: his 16.9 average and 540 total points are still freshman records ('Twaun finished with 437, but just 12.9 per game; Walter Jordan's 14.1 is second in average). Cross blocked 60 shots, second to Carroll's freshman-record 82 and tenth all-time, and pulled down 202 rebounds, third behind Carroll and Jordan's 205. For a third straight season, Purdue made a Final Four ... but for the second time in three seasons, it was the New York version. Cross' team fell to Syracuse in the semis and defeated West Virginia in OT to win the third-place game.

Cross' production tailed off somewhat during his sophomore year, as he was unable to post any numbers that remain on the top-10 lists in West Lafayette. His teammates struggled as well, finishing with just a 14-13 regular-season record, but that and their previous tournament success was enough to earn another NIT bid ... which became yet another Final Four appearance. Again, the Boilers failed to take the title, losing to Bradley in the NIT final.

In 1982-83, there would be no NIT appearance. Cross scored 514 points, blocked 68 shots (tied for 8th), and pulled down 216 rebounds to get Purdue back to the tournament they really wanted to play in. It wasn't much different than what most Purdue fans would have guessed, though. In Tampa, Cross was held to 14 points as plucky Robert Morris nearly pulled off the upset, losing to 5th-seed Purdue 55-53. Cross scored 22 points and pulled down 9 rebounds, but the combination of Alvin Robertson and Darrell Walker was just too much, as 6th-ranked Arkansas knocked out Purdue 78-68. The game would be Cross' last with his departure for the NBA; he finished 3rd in blocks with 175, 20th in points with 1529, and 19th in rebounds with 622.

A.J. Hammons is the man under the microscope now. We'll assume that Purdue has just seven games left and that Hammons' production will be roughly the same the rest of the way. This is almost certainly not going to be the case – witness the way Illinois held him to 10 points – but you've got to start somewhere.

Hammons is averaging 6.7 boards per game, with 168 through Purdue's first 25 games. That would give him about 215 for the season, which would be a Purdue freshman record; the 6.7 would be third behind Carroll and Jordan. Carroll's 7.4 rebounds is within reach, but Hammons would have to average nearly 10 boards a game to catch him. (Fortunately, Purdue's shooting will give him lots of opportunities for offensive rebounds.) A tournament matchup with Northwestern would be nice: they are 11th in conference play in OReb% and dead last, with no one even close to them, in defensive OReb% (41.0%; 2 of 5 opportunities become offensive rebounds).

With 52 blocks, Hammons is already third on the list. He'll finish with about 66, which would be a distant second to Carroll's 82. Hammons would have to average over 4 blocks per game to catch Carroll, basically double his current rate.

For our final shot at the crystal ball, we'll take a look at Similarity Scores. Short version: looking at advanced metrics for other players with the same eligibility and calculating a number between 0 and 1000, with 0 meaning you're looking at a cat and 1000 meaning you're looking at the exact same player, fool. As Pomeroy says in the linked post, "anything over 900 is a great match[, and a]nything above 850 is still useful."

Hammons doesn't have any matches above 900, but he does have three guys at or above 890. (WARNING: wild speculation beyond this point. Two cars heading in the same direction at similar speeds do not necessarily have destinations anywhere close to each other.)

• Melsahn Basabe, Iowa, 893. You probably already know this guy: he had 12 points and 8 rebounds in the loss to the Boilers this year. This wouldn't be a bad outcome for Hammons, in that Basabe has three seasons of solid rebound and block numbers ... except that Basabe actually dropped off a bit from his freshman numbers. He's also getting significantly fewer minutes now, which means either a) he doesn't fit McCaffery's style well or b) he's doing (or not doing) behind-the-scenes stuff that's costing him playing time. Either way, that won't be a problem here; Hammons would likely come out better if that's his comparison point.
• Omar Samhan, St. Mary's, 890. You probably know this guy if you're a big NCAA fan or if you watch the tournament. He's the guy who got the Gaels into the Sweet 16 his senior year, knocking off Richmond and Villanova before being crushed by Baylor. That St. Mary's team was 20th in offensive efficiency, 7th in eFG%, 6th in FT% ... yes, please. Samhan had an ORtg of 116.6 despite getting 32.5% of the Gaels' shots. He rebounded (13.7 OReb%, 24.9 DReb%), blocked (8.0 Blk%), drew fouls (6.2/40), and hit free throws pretty well (.727). The downside to this projection is that Samhan had a similar junior year, and of course was playing in the West Coast Conference. If Hammons improves on the same track, his 2014-15 season will not be in Old Gold and Black; it'll probably be his second NBA season.
• Alec Brown, Wisconsin-Green Bay, 890. Who? A guy from that school that indirectly brought us Ryanball (ugh). Brown's freshman year saw him post an ORtg better than Hammons', along with a 9.6(!) Blk%. He's currently a junior for the Phoenix, and he's had a bit of a dropoff this season. Again, that won't be a problem, because two solid seasons from Hammons will likely be all that he plays in West Lafayette.

If you could do this, would you stay?
Liar, liar, pants ... on fire.

So ... if Hammons develops like Samhan, he'll have two seasons to make a significant dent in the rebounding and blocked-shot record books, and then some lucky team will get a strong post player with a bit of developing to do. (Or Purdue will be one player away from having a shot at a long NCAA run, and Hammons will decide to stay, because there are few things better than being an outstanding college basketball player in Indiana.) Even if he has a Brown-like career, he'll have had more of an impact inside than a lot of players who preceded him.

I'll be watching the rest of the season from more of a distance, but I'll be paying attention to Hammons. Records are made to be broken, you know ...

Purdue vs The Huskers: WINNER WINNER Husker Dinner?

The Boilermakers have proved in just the last few games that they aren't quite in the cellar of the conference.  The Huskers, just like Penn State, aren't very good, that is for sure...and have been in a state of rebuilding since the 90s. What else do you expect from a team that hasn't gone to the big dance since Chad Austin played for the Boilermakers. That being said, any win on the road in the B1G should be savored...and just a month ago, this Purdue team might have dropped this game. Tonight, they won, 65-56, and led by as many as 20.

I would argue that Purdue played pretty well at times tonight...But, it did look, for a few minutes at least, like they were trying to give it away. Hammons, Byrd, Ronnie and Terone all had had solid games...and kept Nebraska at an arm's length for much of the night.

Purdue's defense held Nebraska without a field goal for five minutes and twenty seven seconds in the first half and almost five minutes in the second half...pretty impressive for such a young team.  But they also showed their youth in the fact that they let Nebraska hang around in spite of the stifling defense.

Overall I liked TJ's play tonight-  Minus a few awful looking floaters, as usual, Terone had 18 points on 7-15 shooting, and six rebounds tonight.

His brother Ronnie went 3-9 for 10 points for six assits and five rebounds.

Hammons continued to build on his great Frosh season with 14/8 and 6 blocks, and DJ stepped up when it mattered late (minus the two missed free throws which were inexcusable) and finished with 12 & 5.

The Boilers are on a two game winning streak going into a tough game against another young squad in West Virginia, back at Mackey.  I've liked this series the last few seaons...But if the Boilermakers want to win, they'll need to play smart basketball. Like him or not, Huggins typically has his teams ready to go...and like Purdue, they're in desperate need of wins.

West Virginia starts three sophomores, one senior and a freshman.  With the large contingent of youth on the floor, we'll probably be getting a foretaste of what's to come...as both of these teams will be very tough in the coming seasons.

A win on the road is always good; even in Lincoln...ask IU if you don't believe that.

Boilers Beat Up Kitties in Snoozer 60-42

If you would have told me in December that Purdue could miss 11 free throws, get out-rebounded in a half and turn the ball over 14 times and still win by double-digits, I'd tell you that you're crazy.  Purdue played like crap today, honestly.  They did a good job getting into the lane and drawing fouls...but had a ton of one-point possessions...especially in the second half.  But it didn't matter. PSU made Purdue pay for none of its transgressions as the Frazier-less Lions are worse than either of the MAC teams that Purdue has played this season. They're undersized, have no transition game, are out of position all the time on defense, can't shoot and have no one that can beat anybody off the dribble.

I had tix to this one, thanks to our pal Ed...but a really crappy forecast between Indy and God's Country made me not want to drive with LBD up to the game.  I don't usually say this, but it was nice being inside, away from the crap, watching this one on the couch with my family.

Ugly outside.

Purdue's play was as sloppy as the conditions outside- a wintry mix (that always sounds like a delicious Christmas snack to me) fell from the sky in the second half, but not many jumpers were raining inside of Mackey...especially for PSU. They finished somewhat strong on offense, and still shot 25.9% from the field...they were below 24% for much of the second half.

Ugly inside.

I'd love to tell you that Purdue's stifling defense made that happen...but it didn't.  Purdue's effort was very good though.  Painter played a lot of guys and there were tons of bright spots...here are a few.

Carroll's effort was noteworthy and effective.  His post defense denied PSU goons the ball and frustrated them. Only three rebounds and no points...but he was good today in limited action (7min), and the beard was STRONG! Fear the beard, dagnabbit.

AJ had a solid, high effort game...Only 5 rebounds and 4 points in 21 minutes, but I felt he was playing smarter than the last few games and his attitude was very good.  He's one of those guys whose body language says a lot...today, he got after it a bit.

Lawson and Hale were both pretty quiet.

RayDay started and his physicality made it difficult on PSU.  He drove into the teeth of their defense forcing them to foul time and again. If he'd hit his freethrows, like he did v. UND, he'd be more dangerous...but he was still effective.  He finished with 10 points and 5 rebounds.

Hammons was a force and PSU didn't really have an answer to his size and strength.  They'd either foul him or double team him...and he was excellent passing the ball today.  His footwork looks better to me as the season goes on, and his hands are very soft.  He'll be a mother next year and is already a mother-in-training.  Teams without legit centers will struggle against 20 for the rest of the way.  He finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 blocks. One chink in the armor was he brought the ball down a few times and had it ripped...pretty fixable.

Byrd kind of patiently waited for his opportunity to get open looks and shot 3-4 from distance. He finished with 12 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 30 solid minutes. Like most of his teammates, he shot 50% from the FT line, sadly.

Ronnie Johnson's quickness was noteworthy today.  No one on PSU was as fast as him...and this enabled him to get way too deep into their defense.  When give the opportunity, he would slice up their D, draw a foul and miss a free throw shortly after. He was 1-4 from the FT line...but better from the field.  He finished with 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. He had a couple turnovers, one was awful...but also played good-enough.

His brother, Terone played his worst game in recent memory. He got himself into trouble a couple times in the corner and just wasn't flowing really. He started strong with a 3-pointer very early...but only finished with 5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists...and 3 TOs as well.

TJohn was a bit of a microcosm for the Boiler squad- they can and will play better...but today they just didn't need to to get the W.  Next up, Purdue will make the long flight to Nebraska for a 9:00 tip-off on Wednesday.

Purdue improved to .500 (again) and really needs to win the next two games to keep hopes of any post-season play alive.  After that, they play another tough three-game stretch (@UM, Iowa and IU) before going to Northwestern and PSU.

Let's talk about the kids for a a few minutes...

Parents, Grandparents, big brothers and big sisters and even regular baby sitters know what Matt Painter's going through right now...as a Dad of a 7 year old and a 3 year old, I can empathize.

I refer to my daughter on here as TBD (Tiny Boilerdowd)...she's kind of like her Dad- bullheaded, smart-alecky, and she poops her pants regularly.  OK, on some things we're not exactly alike...she also has blonde curly hair; something I can only dream about at this point.

She's growing up way too quickly, on one hand- uses chapstick and says it's lipstick like her Mom's. She can sing a song after hearing it only once...and sings it over and over...even if she's only remembering 1/3 of it. She has theories on everything- most aren't right, all are pretty entertaining. And finally, she can put her snow boots on herself...and doesn't need your help, dammit.

She's smart and clever enough to try to trick people into doing things her way.  And back to the diaper thing, she knows she's had an accident...right after it happened.  We keep reminding her that her Mom, Dad, aunts and uncles, brother, grandparents and even some of her friends don't wear diapers anymore...but she's not getting the finite details- you gotta prepare before something bad happens in order to have success...you have to train, listen and change habits in order to make something second nature.  But sadly for my budget, I'm still buying diapers...and things have clicked just yet.

The good news is there's been progress...signs that she might not be wearing diapers when she goes to her prom in 14 years. But in the meantime, I'm kinda stressed about this whole thing...something I never thought I'd be- worried about someone else's digestive activity.

Here's the deal, Purdue fans: Our Boilers haven't forgotten how to hit layups...and the guys who used to be able to bomb from distance (specifically AJohnson), haven't forgotten how to shoot.  But like a toddler, nothing is coming easily for them right now.  Everything takes too much thought, too much effort and too much work to be fluid.

We've all thought it...maybe even aloud- Why aren't these guys like the Baby Boilers back in '07?

Well, there are some key differences that we can look at- That team had three guys who shared the point guard duties, and did it very well.  They didn't turn the ball over very often and two of them played hard and consistent on-ball defense.  Grant and Kramer really weren't made to be point guards...but they brought the ball up the lion's share of the time because they knew their role...and Crump, off the bench, was a seasoned option...Purdue really has no one on the roster who's as comfortable running the point, in the college game, as any of the three of these guys were back in late '07.

But probably more-importantly than who's running the point, this team is learning NOW how to play with together.

I'm aware that Davis played in prep school with Simpson...but Simpson was struggling through injury and wasn't getting a ton of minutes at the beginning of the season.  Now, of course, Simpson isn't playing at all...and hasn't been for a few games.  I also know that Davis played AAU with Hammons...but, once again, Davis' minutes aren't even in the top-7 being played on the roster...so the on-court chemistry between these two is a non-sequiter.

Conversely, Moore, Hummel and Martin played AAU together...not for a summer...but for years, prior to coming to Purdue.  It's probably not a coincidence that they clicked right away, and all three were starters nearly immediately.  It's tough to remember, but JJ took time to develop...and Calasan averaged more minutes than he did during his first season at Purdue.

We've already said that this situation the program is currently growing through has to be laid at the feet of Painter due to recruiting misses and poor program fits. But, you could also say some of the blame could rest on the shoulders of the two guys who should be leading this team right now- Byrd and TJohn have been inconsistent...something the young guys, and the greater team, really can't afford to be around right now. But both 21 and 0 had the luxury the last few seasons of playing behind and with some of the legends of Purdue's program in the last 20 years (if not all time). A consensus All-American (JJ), and a pair of second-team all-Americans and perennial all-conference guys (Smooge, Hummel), a four-year starting point guard (LewJack) and the highest-percentage 3-point shooter in the program's history (Smith) might shoulder a bit of the load. That type of firepower allowed both Byrd and TJohn to be accessories...not focal points.

Now, they must be the guys as this crop of young players simply doesn't have the continuity or maturity, at least yet, to carry this team.  We saw versus Illinois exactly what happens when The Leatherman and TJohn lead...the other guys can fall into their roles.

A few weeks ago, Purdue fans might have felt about their Boilers' season; how I feel about my daughter's quest to become potty-trained: a bit hopeless...at minimum discouraged.

The effort looked minimal, the results even worse...things seemed pretty bleak...improvement was tough to find.

developing...

But now, this team is showing signs of life- RonJohn had 7 assists and only 2 turnovers today...all while being guarded by one of the most-handsy best defensive guards in the league...he also had more steals than the former B1G defensive player of the year. Hammons is clearly coming into his own...a bit quicker than I thought he would as he's demanding double teams from opposing defenses on nearly every possession.  And Rapheal Davis seems to be earning more and more minutes, in important junctures, as he's proving to be one of the only guys on the team that can create scoring opportunities for himself consistently.

The kids in '07-'08 weren't normal- they came in and were difference-makers and grew up within a few games, it seemed. The kids in '12-'13 have taken a bit longer (regardless of the reason why), but make no mistake, they're developing...and even gelling a bit, as the competition gets better and the stakes become higher.

The problem is, this team has already dug itself a sizable hole.  The good news is, there's a ton of basketball left to be played...regardless of what their record is, come March.

Just like parents need to learn to deal with frustrations as part of the process of child development, we as Purdue fans have no choice but watch the development for what it is: a process.  And while it's far from ideal, in fact, this season has been pretty painful at times, I'm pretty sure this is all going to seem worthwhile this time next year and thereafter.

Don't wish this time away...you might miss something pretty great.

Wednesday Gumbo

Football Quickhits:
-It sounds like Josh Johnson will be the guy returning punts to start the season for Hope's squad. He's looked sure-handed in practice...and hope likes his cool head under pressure.

-Rob Henry insists he's still a QB first at practice...and he's been getting more snaps recently, probably because of the protests.  But, he's pretty buried.  Seems TerBush has a stranglehold on the first-string job.

-In the extremely-limited footage I've seen of practice, Ibarra looks like a good athlete and can contribute quickly...if nothing else, on ST.  And speaking of Special Teams, Hope likes Feichter as a guy who can bring the fire and attitude to those units that re needed.  He compared him favorably to Carlino in previous seasons.  Like most people from Fishers, Carlino is a badass.

Bellissimo!
-Raphael Davis continues to impress in Italy.  Most-recently, he was named the MVP of the Boilers' third game on their tour while scoring 23 points off of the bench.

-Cliz is really impressed with Purdue's frontcourt.  Painter showed the combo of Hammons and Marcius at the same time...that's a ton of beef.  On top of a seven footer, and nearly-seven footer playing at one time. Hale has been cleaning the glass like a squeegee as he's averaged double-digit boards overseas.

Clisby also says don't sleep on Simpson...he really likes what he sees in practice.  But, he thinks success this season might hinge on if the bigs can get in shape before the season...The good news is there's plenty of time left.

-Purdue is now 2-1 heading into their last game of the Italian trip.

Boilers To Start off 2-0.

This Saturday, we'll get to see the new look Boilers start a new era of Purdue basketball under Matty. Arguably, the best single class of Boilers have all moved on to play for pay.  And while they'll be missed greatly, there's a ton of excitement surrounding what Hummel's departure means for the young guys.

The two-headed monster of Hale and Lawson will surely try to fill the void left by #4...but neither will be able to force defenses to respect them to 21 feet...that's where a combo of Byrd, AJ and TJohn, who have all been working with shooting coaches, will look to make strides forward...in the wake of losing one of Purdue's best three point shooters ever. Next, Davis will probably be the perfect guy to spell TJohn as his frame seems to be B1G ready out of the gate. LewJack, one of my favorite Purdue point guards of all time, and one of the best court generals Purdue's seen in the last few decades is gone...and Ronnie Johnson will need to be ready right away.  There is also some serious beef in the Purdue line-up...the frontcourt will resemble a Xavier, MSU or UConn team...at least on paper, for the first time in my life. Size and braun shouldn't be an issue.

Not Playing Saturday.

All of my theories and prognostication become sight on Saturday in a swelteringly-warm Mackey Arena...as the Boilers rescue me from the summer sports doldrums, if only for an afternoon.

There's been a ton of confusion on the Knucklehead boards and on Twitter- so here's the deal:

-If your kids want autographs from the current team, have them be there at around 1:00.  The team will sign until around 1:40
-The old guys tip-off around 2:00...guys ranging in age from their early 20s up to their 40s will give us a little taste of what we've missed for months...or decades.  Friend of BS, Ryne Smith will be playing, crowd favorites and defensive wizards, Kramer and Lowe will be on hand...and one of my favorite Boilers of all time, Troy Lewis will probably put on a shooting clinic.  In a house that was built by defensive intensity...don't expect much defense.  Do expect trickeration and tomfoolery.
-Rumor has it, there will be a running clock, for at least the second half...and Coach Keady will like that- he never loved calling timeouts.
-The second game will feature the young pups, doing what they do as they practice their Italian accents. Should be a good time.

I would guess the whole thing will be done around 4:30...and Purdue security will be sure to have all of you kicked out of Mackey by 4:45.

Here are a few questions I hope to have answered after Saturday:
-Can I lose weight as quickly as Donnie Hale gained it? He's put on 35 pounds since his redshirt year.
-Will Hale and Lawson be instant-impact guys? (Simpson too...but he won't be playing)
-Have Marcius, Carroll and Lawson improved their defense enough that Purdue can start off the season quickly?
-Can DJ Byrd jump from 6th man to All-Conference?

It should be fun, regardless of which questions are answered.
If you see me, know that I accept cash and checks- I'll be celebrating my birthday while enjoying watching my Boilers go undefeated.

Baby Boilers v. 2 (2012)

Painter's 2007 class was in the top-5 to top-10 depending on which magazine was doing the ranking...and Matty simply had to have that class make an instant impact due to attrition during the spring prior to the original Baby Boilers' arrival in God's Country.

Things are much different now.

The last four seasons, Purdue has been a regular among the best in the conference, is a perennial NCAA tourney team, had been ranked for nearly four-straight seasons and the program is back on sure footing.  But the incoming class is important for a number of reasons.

First, and probably least-importantly, this class helped reaffirm some faith in Painter as a recruiter.  Sure, the '09 & '10 classes had a total of three 4-star players, but they were all guards.  Many thought Painter was having trouble getting highly-touted bigs to take Purdue seriously in the wake of the past few seasons.