However, since those two have shuffled along, the rivalry has lost a little bit of its zing, at least to the mainstream media. I remember being a Purdue student and Dick Vitale actually saying that Purdue-IU was as good as Duke-UNC. Now, think about that for a second -- we all know how much Dick loves to slobber on Duke, so that's pretty high praise. But you don't hear that too much anymore.
The reason, of course, is that Purdue got pretty bad for a while there as IU was remaining competitive or better, reaching the title game in 2002 and then climbing the rankings under Kelvin Sampson.
Around this time, Matt Painter had righted the ship and Purdue was now competitive again. The Baby Boilers were growing up, while IU was being viewed as a legit Final Four contender. Remember, these two things only coincided for a brief stretch in about '07-'08. And those games were pretty intense. And, in fact, IU's last win in the rivalry was Sampson's last game at IU.
So it's been three years this month since IU beat Purdue. However, this was also in the middle of those couple seasons where Purdue and IU only played once a year. So there has only been one of these games at IU since the Sampson era. Hard to believe, right?
Rivalries come to a boil for lots of reasons, but among the most critical ingredients are both teams being good and frequency of meetings. Purdue and IU basketball haven't had those ingredients, but for a couple of games, in more than a decade.
I've made this comment on our podcast before and I think it bears repeating. I think we have a current generation of Purdue students and fans who are actually used to IU being terrible. They're comfortable with it because it's enjoyable to have a nearby rival to kick around. And it remains enjoyable because no matter what, they chirp about their 20 to 50 year old titles. I also think that these younger Purdue loyalists don't want IU to get better because, well, the thought of finishing behind IU is simply too hard to handle.
But some of us remember living through the eras where IU was either as good or better than Purdue. And let me tell you something... winning games in those days was incredible to experience. There was a different pitch to the screaming at Mackey in the '90s when IU came to town. It's one of the few times I used to lose my voice. As anyone who goes to games with me knows, I'm not much of a screamer most of the time. (That's what she said.)
However, these days, Purdue is in a true lose-lose situation. You're expected to beat IU and beat them badly. Purdue only winning by three last year in Bloomington was almost seen as a victory about some Hoosier faithful, or that they were close to busting down the door. If Purdue wins, it's because they're supposed to; if Purdue loses, well, they must suck. Never mind that it makes no sense -- most things the Hoosiers say do not.
What I'm getting at is that as much fun as it is to see IU flounder, I almost want them to get back to respectability. I want wins over them to matter in more than just the beating up and taking lunch money sense. I want them to think they're going to win the conference and have that taken from them. I want Purdue-IU to be a showcase game on a national sense.
Until then, though, I'll wish for multiple Purdue domination each year. That's fun, too.
10 comments:
Love the post and agree completely about the younger boilers beating up on IU. I wouldn't mind IU being locked in the basement of the Big Ten for all of eternity...however it looks like they are going to be very good (basketball at least) in the coming years, based on their recruiting class. (Assuming the loosiers decide to stick around for more than a year)
As for the game being a national showcase...I'm not really sold. That would mean that the Big East whore known as ESPN would be there with Dick Vitale yelling at me through my tv, as I watch in Texas. Although the opposite end would be the morons from BTN...
Also, it seems our boilers are struggling in the spotlight games in recent memory, but don't get me wrong, a THRASHING of IU as the entire country watches, is nothing short of deserving.
Mark, your memory is very short- MSU was a spotlight game. In fact, the nation was almost solely-focused on that game. Similarly, last season, the WVA NYD game was a great showing for Purdue on the national stage.
Let me get this right- are you saying Vitale is not a moron??? Hope not, because he is.
The games in the 90s where Purdue/IU rivaled UNC/Duke were amazingly-fun and hostile atmospheres...I think it'd be good to have that back.
IU should be respectable again in the coming years...don't expect anything huge with Zeller coming on campus...I think wins in the high-teens would be best case scenario for them in '12.
I wouldn't mind if IU stayed in the basement.
I miss the days of red sweaters, chair throwing, and phone smashing. I hope the rivalry picks up a little over the next few years.
Until then, I hope we drope them by at least 15.
I miss the hard fought rivalry. I was young during the Gene v Knight days, and it would be great to experience something like that at a time where I actually understand what is going on.
I always found it amusing, when wearing my Purdue shirt, walking into a gas station to pay cash and having the toothless clerk "razz" you about the shirt. "Yeeeeerrr a Purdooooo faannnnn? Yuuuuukkkkk." Made me even prouder to be a Purdue fan and alum.
I think you hit the nail right on the head with this post. I'm a 23 year old 5th year senior at Purdue. My earliest memory of a specific moment of Purdue basketball is Chad Austin hitting the shot in the corner at Assembly Hall to beat iu. When I started to get old enough to really appreciate what I was watching, Purdue started to stink. Luckily my first year at Purdue was Painter's 2nd so I got a taste of what the rivalry can be, and I want to see it like that again.
Paul, you almost got your wish...exactly.
In a sense, it's become what football has been, pretty much forever (or at least since the '40s) ... sometimes IU is competitive, but for the most part, it's a lose-lose game: win and you get little credit for it, lose and it's a year-long disappointment.
It's good that Purdue has gained the edge in the sport most important to the state, but yeah, beating Crean's teams isn't nearly as satisfying as beating the teams that actually earned the support they got.
I agree that Crean's performance recently has been surprisingly poor. The Sampson debacle and subsequent cleansing should have worked in his favor: while it cost him some experienced players, it also gave him the chance to bring in "his players" early on. (Of course it'd be easier in the SEC ... do they oversign in basketball too?) Sure, they've had injuries, but there shouldn't be any problem bringing talented players to Bloomington, and there should be enough to provide depth for Indiana. Where is that depth?
I don't know that I necessarily want IU to get better - I enjoy the silence generated by obnoxious fans who can't say anything at all; it's bad enough for them that their beloved program is in shambles, but worse yet is the knowledge that Painter regularly has Purdue within reach of a Final Four appearance - but it is better to beat a better opponent. Football wins over Notre Dame are more enjoyable to me (partly as an Ann Arbor native, true) than football wins over Indiana.
Great post. And totally agree. I WANT IU to get better to make this rivalry worth something. I was also at Purdue in the 90s (94-99) and the IU games were INTENSE. Lost my voice at all of them. My Freshman year I had tix all the way at the top. The reverb from the back walls was ear drum smashing.
I can distinctly remember the days when IU/PU was as good as dook/heels. To watch the Cameron crazies during those games and realize that we had something at the same level was awesome. If Purdue had the Gene Pool back then.....
Keep up the good work -- just found your blog/twitter in the last couple of weeks.
John
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