Boilers Grow Up at Clemson; Win 73-61

"This way to victory."

DJ Byrd started and TJohn finished as Purdue got an important win versus a solid Clemson squad in the B1G/ACC Challenge...which ended in a tie after Wisky and MSU surprisingly lost tonight.

Byrd started off by simply shredding the nets from three, scoring 20 points in the first half alone.  Sure, he only finished with 22...but he had 7 reb, 2ast and 2stls to go along with his game-high points.

Purdue didn't hit everything from the free throw line, but hitting 71% of your FTs is a ton better than around 50%, which is what they had shot the last few big games...and the shoe was on the other foot, with the Tigers only hitting 55% of their freebies.

Purdue's lead got as big as 20 and our Boilers were in complete control for the middle 20 minutes...but the game got tighter, at least for a few mintes, late in the second half.  But each time it looked like Purdue might lose it's grip, the Boilers would pull down a key rebound or close out Clemson to keep them from getting an open look at the bucket.

TJohn had a couple clutch buckets and played cool under pressure...he ended the game with 13 and 6.  While his cool demeanor helped keep Clemson at an arm's length, both AJ and Byrd struggled a bit with Clemson's press...something that Purdue will see a lot of until they figure out how to beat it consistently. But RonJohn looked better against the trap than he did in NY...off the bench, he had 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists...and just one turnover.  But overall, once again, Purdue had a few too many turnovers; 13.

AJ Hammons started the game, and had another good one.  His combination of size and strength will eventually make him nearly unstoppable...as for now, we'll have to deal with him being just pretty damned good.  He had 10 points, 6 reb, 2 ast, and 2 blocks.  The starting line-up of Hammons, Lawson, Byrd, AJ and TJohn was solid...the coaches might have found the combo as RonJohn was sixth man...and was solid in the role.

Purdue won the rebounding battle by 15 (38-23)...and the bench got a bit shorter as Painter only went 10 deep...and Simpson and Davis only played two minutes each.

While Clemson was without one of their starters, that wasn't the only story.  Purdue built a lead and forced Clemson to shoot the three more than they probably would've liked to...but unlike the games v. Oregon State and Villanova, Matty's boys were defending the three much better...and really were just playing better defense.  Purdue did a lot more correctly than they had been in their last two losses, and go figure, they end up getting a 12-point road win.

The six days between games clearly helped Purdue figure some things out- the half court offense looked very crisp at times...and Purdue seemed to show a match-up zone at one point in the second half.  Overall, they were solid and finished strong after building a big lead.  Who knows if this is just an uptick in a roller coaster season or a turning point...regardless, it was a much-needed win.

Next up, they'll host Xavier at Mackey on Saturday.

Purdue v. Clemson Wrap-Up

I was looking forward to the Clemson game as one in which we'd learn a lot about the Baby Boilers- I think we did.

-We learned that Nemanja Calasan will be a vocal leader and will look for his shot. His hook shot might become quite a weapon as the season progresses. He is going to need to stay out of trouble as he is the most-veteran Purdue forward.

-Scott Martin can create his own shot and looks to shoot nearly every time he touches the ball...that doesn't mean he gives into that urge, but he's a shooter.

-Rob Hummel is a Cardinal-type player...except maybe a bit more fluid and a better athlete. I do think Cardinal was probably a better shooter. But, Hummel seems to always come up with loose balls when Purdue needs it. I think he's a lot like the goofy-looking players from Minnesota and Wisconsin in past seasons. You look at him and say, "I'm not going to let that guy beat me"...and then he beats you it burns you to the middle.

-Kramer has to slow down a bit. He seems to play with reckless abandon, which I usually think there isn't enough of. In Chris' case, I actually think he might want to scale it back a bit. I think if he doesn't, concussions and other injuries will eventually cut his career short. All that said, I love the style of his play.

-Moore is pretty good, but isn't the take-charge type of player I thought he'd naturally be. I think he can develop into what he was in high school, but it might take a season or two.

-Keaton Grant played pretty poorly and seemed to be a liability, especially offensively during stretches of the game. I knew he hasn't played in all of the games, but I expect more since he has a year under his belt.

Overall, Purdue has a defense-first philosophy which I think will win them a lot of games...Plus, when you're not shooting well, defense can bring you through those slumps. I was really pleased with the way the team handled the hostile environment and even when the crowd seemed ready to erupt, the young Boilers didn't fold. Lastly, it sure looked like Purdue had three extra opponents on the court during stretches of the second half (ref. free throw count)...but they still almost pulled out the upset.

Regarding the telecast- great job, ESPN. Jon Sciambi is an over-talking moron. I take that back, I take that back. He was great, please don't send Vitale to any Purdue games!

I really don't give a damn about the BT-ACC rivalry or "conference pride". I want Purdue to win and would really like to see IU lose every game as long as Sampson is their coach. Outside of that, I'm not too worried about the rest of the conference. I won't be going out of my way to root for a Big Ten team merely because they play in my Boilers' conference. That said, Wisconsin embarrassed themselves pretty badly tonight despite their top-25 ranking.