BS Predicto: The Other Indiana School vs Purdue

Good times

Panda says:
It is that time of year again when the hatred starts to spew and the message boards are lighting up, must be time for the Purdue Basketball game against that school to the south.  If you haven’t heard yet, that school from the south is pretty decent this year at basketball, at home anyway.  One could argue that this is there first true road environment that they have played in all season, minus Iowa and Nerdwestern.

After their loss to Butler, Tom Crean decided to make the dumbass comment of the year saying that it was a road environment in Indy.  Sure Tom, that 2/3s of the stadium that was wearing red was surely cheering for Butler, just like the NCAA Tournament.

Anyway about Mackey Arena’s atmosphere tonight... It’s going to be deafening. There is a buzz about this game that I haven’t felt since being on campus for the game against aOSU in 2011. The fans are fired up and it would be a great program building win for this team to knock off the number three team in the country.

Show up, get there early and cheer loudly the whole game; I know BDowd and I will be. 

The game itself is going to be a struggle if Purdue expects to win.  Oladipo is going to be the toughest match-up for Purdue.  The cocky guard had a coming out party of sorts last weekend against MSU and with his length and quickness, it’s going to be hard for Purdue to handle him, but he can be contained.

Although some IU fans might have given up on Zeller, I haven’t.  The guy is a stud and might kind of be in a slump right now, but that’s debatable as well.  Crean doesn’t get him the ball enough and that isn’t Zeller’s fault, it's Tom’s lack of basketball knowledge. 

The most intriguing match-up of the night will be Kevin Ferrell against Ronnie Johnson.  Both know each other well and it’s surely a start of another great on the court rivalry among these two.

Overall if Purdue can contain Zeller, Oladipo and Watford while they are on the court at the same time I think the Boilers have a shot at winning this game. The key is going to be getting Terone isolated on Hulls who isn’t a good defender, at all.

I’ve been wrestling with this prediction for a while, but I think Purdue loses a close one.

IU 72
Purdue 68

Bdowd says:
IU's got horses and is as talented as any team in the nation. Period.

As poor of a game coach as Crean is, he's that good of a recruiter...and the fruits of his labor are a well-rounded team that can beat their opponent in a myriad of ways.

Last year, Purdue had no answer for Zeller.  In the game at Mackey, Carroll was doing everything he could versus Zeller...but after getting whistled for a bogus foul as Zeller arm locked Carroll, Purdue was forced to try other things to stop the seven footer. Hummel and Marcius weren't any more formidable that day.  In Bloomington, it was worse- Purdue had to double- team Zeller; that left Roth open for much to long and he made Purdue pay...over and over again.

This year, both teams are different.

Hammons is definitely a bit better of a match-up...But guarding the premier big man in the nation as a Freshman will be a learning experience for Purdue's rising star.  Hulls is no longer running the point, now, IU has a true PG in Ferrell doing the job; his game is much more polished than RonJohn's; at least at this point. But the wings are the toughest match-ups for Purdue.

TJohn will have the nearly-impossible task of trying to slow down Olidipo...then off the bench, Sheehy will probably be guarded by AJ or Byrd.  Both of these guys are tremendous athletes that can play above the rim and shoot from the outside.

Basketball is about match-ups...and I don't like this match-up at all.

aOSU kept Purdue at an arm's length with their talented youth and timely scoring.  IU is a better scoring team...and a more complete one, at that.  We saw Purdue fight for a half versus UM before getting manhandled in the closing ten minutes of the game; I think we'll see a similar outcome here.  Purdue's inability to score will kill them first...and their struggles in transition defense will be their ultimate demise.

Hope I'm wrong...But I would be shocked if my Boilers can keep this one as a single-digit defeat. The only thing that might keep them in this is Mr. Harbaugh's ineptitude. I firmly believe he's one of the worst in-game coaches in the nation.  If Matty can cheat off of his pal's (Brad Stevens) notes from earlier in the season, it could stay close...but Byrd will need to be knocking down his shot.

Forehead's Squad  77
Purdue  62

J says:

In memoriam

Rivalries bring out silliness in all of us. We're lucky at Purdue to have such a truly hated rival -- not every school really has this. Oh, they may think they do, but until you've lived this one or one like UNC-Duke, you don't really get it. And that one is just a bunch of rich kids against another bunch of rich kids.... it's kind of evil vs. evil. This one is midwest, Indiana, where basketball belongs... between those who want to rub decades old titles in your face and those who are proud of their program no matter what.

As for the silliness I mentioned, I find myself thinking that I'd make the tradeoff that I'd give up any and all postseason possibilities for Purdue this year in exchange for an ass-whipping of IU tonight. I really would. And I wouldn't make that trade for any other win, in any other sport. Beat up ND but go 2-10 in football? No way. But here, I'll take it. I hate them. I want them to lose. Them and their ignorant, uneducated, mouth-breathing, parroting fans....and their poor sport, talentless jackass coach.

However, I'm also usually a realist and I don't have a good feeling about tonight. It's not that I think a win is out of the question -- it's not. But Purdue is still a young team making young team mistakes at times and going through odd slumps... like letting Iowa close a double digit lead in the final minutes. I mean, honestly, what kind of lead would Purdue need to have to make you comfortable? What if it was 52-27 in favor of the good guys at halftime? I don't know about you, but I'd still be scared to death. This team hasn't been able to consistently close, so I continue to worry.

The good thing is these guys already hate IU and I love that. They also have very little to lose and IU has everything to lose. If you're IU, you cannot lose to Purdue this year -- because you are going to lose to the Boilers in the coming years. So the pressure is on the goobers in the candy striped pants. Here's hoping AJ Hammons makes Zeller begin to doubt himself -- seeing the lemming fans pile on would be wonderful. And here's hoping Tom Crean makes an ass of himself in the handshake line again. Tom, you're so easy to dislike.

I want to see this all happen, but in my heart I think IU pulls it out. (So this post was a great, rah-rah idea!)

IU 77
Purdue 67

Bucket Predicto

After a rip-roaring 3-0 out of conference start, the Hoosier faithful were once again excited about their Hoosiers. Ben Chappell's offense was humming as they averaged 40+ per game and Lynch's squad was feasting on tasty cupcakes that would've made Joe T. blush. But, the BT schedule has not been kind...so, a lousy IU team heads to Ross-Ade to play a banged up Boiler squad.

If you're not in Indiana or an alum of Purdue or IU, you probably don't care...but the players will.

What will happen tomorrow at high-noon?

J says
If you're a pessimist or think the team is cooked, then I can't fault you for worrying about this game. A loss here would be a really terrible way to finish the season. Not just because it's IU, but because this is an 0-7 in conference IU team. They're really bad. So is Purdue, sure, but I think Purdue's still got better athletes. That plus being at home plus Danny Hope's ability to get them up for certain games... like this one... and I think it's enough.

Purdue's defense was able to severely slow down Michigan's vaunted offense as well as Wisconsin's, so I reason that they'll be able to handle IU's offense. On the other side of the ball, that's where it could be hideous. Purdue's offense is just terrible right now and IU's defense is... perhaps even more terrible. Ah, but what about last week? For three quarters, Purdue's offense actually moved the ball effectively....and against a team that in any other year would be in the national title discussion right now. IU can make no such claim.

If THAT offense (from the MSU game) shows up tomorrow, then this will be another Purdue blowout and likely, one would think, the end of Bill Lynch's time at IU. If the typical Purdue offense shows up, then it'll be a closer game, but one that I would still expect the Boilers to win. When was the last time they played this game at home and didn't come out fired up?

Purdue hasn't lost a home Bucket Game since the Wabash was clean, Boilerdowd was young and Tim had hair.

Sorry, that's just me being silly.... the Wabash wasn't clean.

Purdue 35
IU 21

"Hey ladies...did you know we have a football team?"

boilerdowd says
If you like statistical rankings, this intro will be as delicious as Thanksgiving leftovers:

Weakness v. Weakness:
The worst scoring offense in the BT (Purdue) plays the worst scoring defense in the BT (IU).
The worst pass offense in the BT (Purdue) plays the second-worst pass defense in the league (IU).

I could go on as IU's defense is the worst or in the bottom three in nearly every category. At the same time, we have reason to believe that Purdue's offense has figured out its identity, finally, as the rash of injuries has settled down and Rob Henry's finger seems to be healing each week.

Offensively for the Hoosiers, Chappell is a very good quarterback with some very good receivers. Purdue has a few pretty good DBs, a great DB and the best pass rusher in the league...possibly the best we've seen in a Purdue uniform in the last 20 years (that says a lot). Kerrigan should make that official on Saturday by passing Colvin's all-time sack mark (he needs 1.5 to tie).

As we've seen time and time again, Bill Lynch teams get worse as the season progresses and Purdue has been able to benefit from this a couple times. They will again. Without a rushing attack, look for Kerrigan to get three sacks...and at the same time for Henry to give us a lil' something to look forward to in '11.

Purdue 33
IU 17

To Your Call Once More We Rally;
Alma Mater Hear Our Praise.
Where The Wabash Spreads Its Valley;
Filled With Joy Our Voices Raise.
From The Skies In Swelling Echoes
Come The Cheers That Tell The Tale
Of Your Vict'ries And Your Heros,
Hail Purdue! We Sing All Hail!

Hail, Hail To Old Purdue!
All Hail To Our Old Gold And Black!
Hail, Hail To Old Purdue!
Our Friendship May She Never Lack.
Ever Grateful, Ever True,
Thus We Raise Our Song Anew;
Of The Days We've Spent With You,
All Hail Our Own Purdue!

Bucket Predicto

J says:
As we discussed on the Handsome Hour, Tiller was good at dominating the MAC, Minny, NW and IU but pooped the bed on the road, against ranked teams and esp against UM @ Ann Arbor. Hope, however, beat OSU when they were #7, won @ UM and competed well @ Oregon and vs. UND. Ah, but they lost spectacularly to Minn, NW...and a MAC team. Uh-oh.

Still, I think this team remembers how to dominate IU. And the last two senior Purdue QBs finished their Boilermaker careers by hanging 60 on the Hoosiers. Wouldn't it be great to see Joey (the Duke) do that?

He won't be quite that good, but he'll win.

Purdue 42
Indiana 35

Tim says:
I hate to say it, but the Hoosiers scare me more than I'm comfortable admitting. They've hung tough with some good teams, and they nearly beat a team (Wisconsin) that completely dominated Purdue. What does all that really mean in the end though? They're on a 4 game skid,
that should extend to 5. Purdue lost it's bowl chances last week, and I'm wondering if they'll have lost some of their fight as well.

As has been well documented this week, I doubt that the hate is really there for IU like it used to be. They've been so soft and cuddly the past few years that it's just hard to hate them.

All things considered, Purdue needs this game more than IU (even though they both have no bowling to do), so I think the Boilermakers will get it done. It will be close though.

Purdue 33
Indiana 28

Boilerdowd says:
Plain and simple: If Purdue can tackle consistently, they will win. But, if they come into the game like they did v. MSU and refuse to wrap-up, and are forced into a shootout, I think IU will finally finish-out a team. IU has big, strong receivers that can cause trouble in the open field...and their returners can cause even more havoc. On defense, IU has great DEs, a couple good linebackers and a some talent in the backfield. This is not the same IU team from '08...even if the record tells you otherwise.

I look for IU to get out in front early, possibly on the back of a special teams return for TD...but I also think Purdue will settle down, IU will shoot themselves in the foot, and "The Duke" will end up bringing the bucket back home...rather, Jaycen Taylor will bust a run or two and take advantage of IU speed upfield.

Purdue 30
Indiana 24

To your call once more we rally, Alma Mater, hear our praise;
Where the Wabash spreads its valley, Filled with joy our voices raise.
From the skies in swelling echoes Come the cheers that tell the tale,
Of your vict'ries and your heroes, Hail Purdue! We sing all hail!

Hail, hail to old Purdue! All hail to our old gold and black!
Hail, hail to old Purdue! Our friendship may she never lack,
Ever grateful ever true, Thus we raise our song anew,
Of the days we've spent with you, All hail our own Purdue.

Old Oaken Bucket of Crap

Alright, honestly, I feel a bit icky (yes, I said icky) for all of the positivity on this site. Granted, I'm part of the problem...I honestly think honoring Coach Tiller this week was the right thing to do. That said, please make no bones about it, his time at Purdue has been far from perfect...We all appreciate how he brought the program back to respectability, but we're all in accord that it's absolutely time for a change.

One thing Joe has done very well is prepare his guys for games versus Purdue's second-biggest rival, IU (sidebar- it seems the IU game is bigger for Purdue fans over 35...UND for the younger set). He's gone 9-2 versus the Hoosiers and beaten three different coaches...Saturday, he'll look to make it four as the Hoosiers come in to a nearly-packed Ross Ade Stadium on a blustery Saturday...Here are our predictions of what will go down.

boilerdowd says:
During the ebbs and larger ebbs of this season, I've been steadfast in my belief that IU is not good and Purdue would beat them. After seeing that Painter has remembered how to play the game, I'm even more sure Purdue will win. I look for a listless crowd of 50 and 60-somethings to keep it quiet as Purdue's student section does its job by seeing off Tiller the right way, with a final "W".

All of IU's quarterbacks are healthy, but sadly for them, Hardy won't be available as he's busy in Buffalo...and Lynch will still be the guy calling the plays. Purdue might allow a big running play from both Thigpen and Lewis, but I look for big days from Baker, Magee and Heygood as they keep IU's offense stunted. This might be one of those rare games under Tiller in the last four seasons when the offense, defense, and heck, even the special teams put in solid efforts.

Painter unleashes a season of frustration on the lowly Hoosier DBs...and Sheets kicks them in the ribs when they're down...Yeh! We suck less and are 4-8!

Purdue 45
IU 24


Tim says:
I think they're going to party like it's 1995. It's going to be sloppy. It's going to be messy. IU's defense is going to play like a bunch of pansies.

Purdue is going to send Tiller out as a winner.

Purdue 38
Indiana 20

J says:

When college football season ends, it's usually kind of a sad time for us.... we all look forward to it during the summer and then, so very quickly, it's over. Sometimes it's over long before the twelve weeks are up, too. Such as this season for Purdue. And so while it's a little sad that another season is in the books, I think we can all say this wasn't fun to watch and we're all looking forward to basketball and next year's Danny Hope-coached football squad.

However, we still have one game left to look at, and it's the pillow fight of a rivalry game with IU. Now, granted, things could actually be worse -- we could be alums of Washington or Wazzu, who have to watch their teams club each other over the head for the Apple Cup. Ugh.

No, in West Lafayette, it's apparently going to be a nice sendoff for Coach Tiller, with rumors of special guests. I sincerely hope that the Boilermakers bear down and send the Coach out with a nice win. Losing this game would be awful, plain and simple. IU is horrible, and while we've had a down year, they've gotten absolutely crushed multiple times and lost to MAC schools twice. In truth, IU has played one really good half against Purdue in the 11 previous meetings with Tiller at the helm. The 13-7 loss wasn't exactly good football by either side and then last year, IU played solid, focused ball for the first half before almost surrendering the bucket it what would have been a brutal (for them) fashion.

I like to think you'll see some of the Joe Tiller of old. Maybe some sneaky plays, maybe some straight-out trick plays... wouldn't it be fun to put both Siller and Painter in the backfield? Things like that... could be a lot of fun. Regardless, I always think a team like this year's Boilers has at least one dig-down-deep kind of performance in them. And I have to believe the players want to send Tiller and the seniors out well. It's Joe's last game, Painter's last game, it's the bucket game and it's essentially our bowl game (damn, I hate saying that because it's so sad)...and it's at home. I cannot imagine us losing this game and it's probably the most sure of any game I've been this year other than Northern Colorado.

Purdue 42

IU 14

Weekly Prediction: Insight or Motor City???

Man oh man, we are one day from the Old Oaken Bucket game, and I am just stoked (drenched with sarcasm)!!! Two teams, both bowl eligible, both seeking to better their status with the bowl committees, both not very good. Many IU fans think Lewis' decision-making ability is so bad that he should be benched...many Purdue fans think Painter's decision-making ability is so bad that there should be an open contest during spring and fall to see who starts next season. One team is led by a bristly veteran coach who would have to go Kyle Williams to get fired, the other has taken his team to a .500 record for the first time in a long time and probably won't have his contract renewed for '08. So, there are differences in these teams and there are similarities.

So, what do the not-so-wise sages of BS think will happen tomorrow afternoon in Bloomington? Let's find out...

J Says:
Like my colleagues here at BS, I'm deflated by Purdue's recent play. Our season feels sorta "over" even though it isn't yet. And that's not good. If that translates to this weekend's game, we're in SERIOUS trouble. I'm talking, embarrassing loss to IU kind of trouble. And that's something that didn't even happen much when Jim Colletto was the coach. Still, a win means an eight-win season which is at least respectable and gets us into a decent bowl in a decent venue. A loss locks up a Motor City Bowl... maybe.

I don't know what else to say.... but I will have faith for one more week. I say the seniors decide to turn it on one more time.

Purdue 44
IU 31

Tim says:
I think Purdue is going to lose. The Penn State game feels exactly like the 2004 Wisconsin game. It completely took the wind out of the sails.

I'm not even going to predict a score because it sucks so bad.

Boilerdowd says:
Last Saturday, as Purdue fell to a 17-point deficit with about 13:00 left, I said aloud, "It's over." A young lady who sits behind us in 119 said, "Of all people, I can't believe you're giving up..." I responded, "Sorry, but this team doesn't have the fight in it that some of the teams did a few years ago. Sadly, as the time melted off of the clock, my premonition turned out to be true. Our Boilers went down with little more than a murmur. Now that there's no possibility of a quality bowl, I think the fight will be gone yet again. If Purdue would have beaten MSU, I'd think otherwise...MSU isn't good, but they manhandled my favorite team.

Last year a pretty bad IU team almost beat a marginal Purdue team in Ross Ade...This year, nearly the same Purdue team faces an improved IU team at IU. This is why I think our Boilers lose.

It should be a perfect late fall afternoon in Bloomington...for me to poop on. I look for IU's pressure up front to create problems for Painter all-day. Perhaps the Sheets & Taylro tandem will have a big day. Conversely, I think Lewis will have lots of time to decide whether to throw the ball up to Hardy or scramble. I do think there could be a lot of points scored by both teams, but unlike last week, I have a really bad feeling about this one.

IU's breaking out their retro '68 Rose Bowl unis for the contest...and they're bringing back members of the team to lead them on the "Walk" to the stadium. So all of the stops are being pulled in Memorial Stadium tomorrow afternoon. That emotion puts IU over the top in the contest.

Purdue 27
IU 39

Here's to me being wrong two weeks in a row...but I doubt it.