Boilers Knocked Out of B1G Tourney: 71-88

It's tough to play an NBA-ready team when you don't get paid to play...Purdue demonstrated that tonight, as aOSU showed how much better they are than Purdue. The end result was an easy 20 point win.  Purdue fought, clawed and scratched for about 30 minutes...and would make runs at the Buckeyes, but couldn't get over the hump.  Then, the floodgates opened and Purdue couldn't do much to stop it.

I watched this game on mute as I can't stand to hear Gus Johnson kiss Jared Sullinger's ass for two hours...on top of that, I get angrier and angrier as I watch Purdue players getting elbowed high, cleared out and held just to have the whistle blown on the guys in black and gold.  Turns out, Matty feels the same way I do...and tonight, he earned a rare technical foul after watching Smith get dragged down by Sullinger followed by 0 putting his hands in Smith's face.  Good for Coach Painter...but probably bad for the team at the end of the day.

Back when Keady would get a tech, it seemed to light a fire beneath the team...this team isn't used to this type of demonstrative behavior...so it seemed to kind of freak them out.  But I'll repeat, I'm happy to see Painter showing that type of emotion...and dammit I can't stand the way officials protect Sullinger.  And speaking of techs, one of aOSU's 4 6'9" PFs got called for a foul...bumped into an official, yelled at the official and received nothing for his poor behavior.  Oh well. None of this would have changed the outcome of the game...but all of it pisses me off.  I've said it before, I don't root for Matta's squad in the tournament...in fact, I don't root for aOSU very often...it'll be no different this year when they receive their two seed.  Here's to watching them bow out prematurely again.  Since the rules won't let them lose in Columbus, perhaps they can get knocked out in Pittsburgh in the round of 32 by somebody like Drexel...one can dream.

But back to tonight's shellacking.  There were some good things- Byrd shot well again- had 20 points...and did an OK job at times defending Sullinger and his forcefield. TJohn played well yet again, scoring 15 and played very good, high energy defense.  LewJack was fearless as usual, driving into the tall trees...playing through pain and scoring 10 points...but more importantly dishing out 10 assists.  Hummel struggled offensively with aOSU's length, couldn't get into much of a flow and finished with 6 points, but a team high 10 rebounds. Smith had a couple big threes that looked like they might be important...but didn't matter as aOSU squashed Purdue.

Purdue was out-rebounded by 12...the Buckeyes blocked 6 Purdue shots and simply man-handled Purdue.  I didn't think Purdue would win as I knew aOSU would give Purdue their best effort; something they don't do each game. But for the first half, Purdue staved off the inevitable beat down by doing the little things...in the last ten minutes of the game, none of it seemed to matter as the high percentage shots were unstoppable and Purdue seemed physically and mentally beaten.

Honestly, I don't know if I care too much about the loss...other than the fact that I wasted two hours watching Sullinger's entitled whining at the officials.  Purdue was an 8 or 9 seed coming in...Wishful thinking said they could play themselves into a 6 with a win.  But as Purdue fans, we should all know better- the committee cares little about Purdue's B1G tourney successes or failure for that matter...I'm just hoping that LewJack's wrist isn't hurt too badly that it'll hamper him at all on Thursday or Friday.

Now, we await what the committee has to say...I do hear Portland and Albuquerque are beautiful this time of year; we'll see if Matty and co. get to take a familiar trip out West in the next week...regardless, I'm glad this team will be in the dance at all-  I wasn't so sure about their chances just weeks ago.  I hope these Seniors fight like they always have and make some noise where ever they land; that's all I can ask.

Also, I hope all four teams remaining in the B1G tournament lose next round...and since that's not possible, I guess I'll be pulling for Michigan...kinda.

The selection show is at 6:00 on Sunday afternoon- Greg Gumbel, Greg Anthony and some no-talent asshat will be hosting the festivities.  Make sure to participate in the BS Bracket Challenge starting shortly after the pairings are set.

Huge Win in Champaign: 67-62

It's pretty simple- if this team plays two halves of basketball, they either win or are in the position to win at the end.  The Forces of Good did just that today and held on for the five point victory in The Assembly Hall.

I never like watching Purdue go into a game in which a team has been backed into a corner...and Illinois was flat-out trapped coming in.  Like Painter said about his squad a few weeks ago, Illinois needed to fight to change its situation...and they did.  But, by the time they figured out the importance of the game, Purdue was up big.

Illinois fought their way out of a 13 point hole that they had put themselves in...but couldn't get over the hump.  The closest they got to the Boilers was a two-point deficit...twice...in the final five minutes.  But Purdue finished.  Perhaps Illinois just tired themselves out while coming back...or maybe this Purdue team has figured out how to finish again.

This was a game that the Boilers would have surely lost earlier in the season...Big lead cut down to a slim margin...high pressure environment...we've seen it before; but it felt differently.

Unlike the other games that put Purdue in this situation, the defensive intensity was there...the effort was there...the smart passing on offense was there...and at the end there was another game in the left column.  As a team, Purdue out-rebounded the taller, more-talented Illini 31-26, and the team that deserved the win got it.

Bruce Weber came out in his orange jacket and the game started out with a thunderous dunk by Illinois' resident headcase, Myers Leonard.  But the Boilers showed that substance over style almost always wins.

Hummel worked like a rented mule on the defensive end, guarding the 7'1", soon-to-be professional basketball player, Leonard...and frustrated him pretty soundly.  During more than one deadball, you could see Leonard chirping like a baby bird...but it didn't matter.  Not only did Leonard not score a whole bunch, he didn't even get the chance to shoot very often.  But it wasn't just Hummel that was playing big on defense, but Travis Carroll was sound as well.  His box score doesn't tell a fair story for what he did today for Purdue...but the fact that Carroll can clamp down Leonard the way he did today and in Mackey earlier in the season must drive Leonard nuts...gotta love that. Big. Ugly, Effective.

Let's get back to Big Shot Rob for a moment.  He and Jackson's two-man game helped Purdue put this one away...and he made big, difficult shots, pulled down key rebounds and looked like #4 from yesteryear.  He let the game come to him...and it did.  He finished with 19 and 11 in another high-minute game (37).

Jackson was back in the starting line-up today...and had an up and down game.  He had two of the best stop-and-go drives I've seen this season as he toyed with Illini defenders to get to the rack.  On both cases, he finished the play and didn't even end up hammered to the ground. He finished with 13 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds.  His fellow Senior class member, Smith, started on the bench for this one as Painter continued to play with the starting line-ups based on what he thought might work instead of a formulaic starting five.

Who wants it more?

TJohn had an efficient night- 12 points, 6 assists in just 23 minutes while shooting 50%.  His teardrop proved to be difficult for Illinois to stop. DJ Byrd hit a few more big shots, as we've become accustomed to, while going 3/6 from three, and earning 13 and 5 in just 25 minutes.

I don't know if a ton of Purdue fans expected victory tonight in spite of Purdue coming into this one with a 6-game winning streak over the Illini...but it seemed that Painter and Co. fully expected it. I said it after the loss to aOSU- This team will be defined by its work ethic and effort at the end of the season...Tonight's victory showed just that.  Next up, Purdue gets to welcome Class A Asshat talented Freshman Branden Dawson and co. to Mackey Arena.

I'm looking forward to being part of the crowd for this one...and I'm pretty sure Matty and the boys are excited about this one as well.  Time to protect Mackey again, gentlemen.


Sidenote:
Gus Johnson sucks at his job.  People who don't see that he's an attention whore from the same mold as Dick Vitale, Ed Hightower, and Kim Kardashian need to look at when and why he gets excited during games.  Teenage girls are exempt from this criticism...everyone else has no excuse.  He used to be better at calling games; at this point, he is a caricature of himself.