Losing a Virtual Friend

Social media now allows to "know" people we previously wouldn't have had much chance of knowing. This then leads to things like today, when Boilerdowd called me to let me know that one of our regular site visitors and Twitter followers, Matt (@m___o___b on Twitter) had passed away.

Matt was a friend of one of B-Dowd's high school buddies who went to IU, a guy who I've also gotten to be friends with despite his Hoosier diploma. So we didn't know Matt, per se, but then again, we kind of did.

Matt would often send us messages via Twitter or drop an email with something like a link or vid he found and wanted to share, etc. He was a Texas Rangers baseball fan and he and I went back and forth a bit last fall. He was also a big Steelers fan, no doubt looking forward to his team being in yet another Super Bowl. "MOB" also enjoyed beers, dogs, and outdoor sports. But more than anything else, Matt was a Boilermaker.

He was a loyalist who had tickets for basketball and football and he seemed to always be the optimist, truly enjoying his experience as a fan. He would send us messages via Twitter that didn't so much ask what we thought as proclaim things like, "Black N Gold will get it done tonight." His last tweet to us was about the Purdue-MSU game last weekend... and at 5 AM that morning he was at Triple XXX. Not a bad last game day experience.

Matt's obituary includes: "Matt was a 1996 graduate of Zionsville High School, and a proud alumnus of Purdue University." I guess my point is, Matt wanted it known by all that he was a proud Boilermaker -- and it looks like all did indeed know that.

In addition, towards the end of the obit is the following:

In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Matthew may be made to St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic Church, Purdue University Athletics, c/o Purdue Foundation, 403 West Wood Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907 or the American Heart Association.

We lost a loyalist... and anyone who reads BS regularly knows what it means to be such a Boiler.

Happy trails, MOB. May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be always at your back... may the sun shine warm upon your face, and the rain fall soft upon your fields... and until we all meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Poll Dancing 1/31/11

This week's polls are out and our Boilers land at a respectable 11/10. Their composite computer ranking is 8.7...so they're pretty close to where they should probably be.

A couple of things perplex me about the poll though.

While I understand that the reigning national champ deserves respect, Duke was crushed by an unranked team who was on a 5-game losing streak...and dropped to 5th. Duke has not beaten a team in the current RPI top-35.

Syracuse, who now has lost four-straight, has only dropped to 17th. Keep in mind they were whipped at home in the last week by a team barely in the top-100.

Hopefully, the mid-season malaise has worn off for the top teams in the land...or at least those named Duke and those in the Big East. If not, the pollsters heads are bound to explode.

In other media news: JJ averaged 23/7 in two games versus ranked opponents, yet wasn't honored by the Big Ten as a player of the week. In his place, PSU's Talor Battle (22.5/2) versus one ranked opponent, one lousy one & Darius Morris (triple-double & 17/8 games v. two unranked opponents) take home the imaginary hardware.

(After glancing over the polls, I must have missed IU's ranking after their amazing win over Illinois and near-win against MSU)

Forces of Good Right the Ship and Beat the Ranked Gophers, 73-61

Tiny Boilerdowd got to see her first Purdue basketball game today and she brought home the victory. This was a Big Ten-style game- big bodies, physical basketball, horrible officiating, good defense and good shooting from deep. Here are a couple of things I took away from the game.

-Patrick Bade playing like everyone knew he could.

Bade played 20 very good minutes and only had one mistake that was of note. He filled space on defense while guarding some large bodies and on offense set some great picks and was active away from the ball. He finished with 2 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block. But really, the stats aren't important. What is paramount is that he was very important and to the rotation was prepared to play. Hats off, Patrick!

-JJ was JJ.

Johnson was bottled up for the first 7 minutes or so. But the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half were simply owned by 25. It's no coincidence that Purdue got the lead and put some space between themselves and the Gophers during this juncture. My favorite moment of the night was win JJ rebounded a missed shot deep in under the basket and put down and angry dunk. We love to see him when resolute...and at that point, he seemed pretty sick and tired of being beaten up by the Gophers bigs. At the 13 minute mark, JJ had 20 points. He ended up playing the full 40 minutes.

-Waking the sleeping Ryno.

Ryne Smith hadn't really 'gone off' for a few games, and this game started off as other recent contests had ended- with Smith just a bit off from long distance. But, the new Ryne Smith that Purdue fans have grown accustomed to, doesnt' let a couple of missed shots keep him from affecting the game. After the cold start, he hit three straight and helped put the game out of reach for our Boilers. Atop of 15 points, he grabbed 4 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals and 0 turnovers. Plus, he guarded Blake Hoffarber for much of the night and kept him from doing what he did to the Boilers in Minneapolis.

I got to talk to Ryne after the game and he told me that this game was the first, in high school or college, in which he pulled himself out. After the game, he told me he felt, "a little beaten up."

Relentless high screens by Minnesota's bigs, three officials who refused to blow their whistles and Minnesota's guards running curl after curl after curl around the arch all contributed to Smith's post-game condition.

LewJack is one of the many good guys on Purdue's team who took time to talk to LBD after the game

-LewJack City.

Tubby thought that if he took away the driving lanes from Lew, he'd be rendered ineffective. Guess not. As Minny's guards shaded off of Jackson, he made them pay. After hitting three-straight threes, he cooled a bit, but the game was already changed as his hot shooting softened up the Gophers' zone so JJ could take over. LewJack finished with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal.

-Smooge struggles a bit.

E'Twaun Moore didn't play like I thought he might coming into the game. With Nolen out, I thought Purdue's guards would have more opportunity to get free. But as Smooge (and others) drove, especially deep into the zone, the officials simply wouldn't send the Boilers to the fould line.

He got some good looks from outside too, but ended up shooting 3-13 from the field. But, as always, when his shot's not falling, he still does damage. He tied JJ for the team-high 7 rebounds, had 3 assists and 2 blocked shots, on the defensive side of the court.

-Supporting Cast

DJ Byrd knocked down a few big threes after figuring out how to create space. Minnesota's Mbakwe chased him out on the wings and made him think twice on more than one occasion. He started the game as Matty went big from the get-go (Jackson, Moore, Byrd, Johnson, Carroll). The Byrdman finished with 6 points, 3 assists in 17 minutes.

Carroll didn't have a ton of production (sorry J). But, he had a resolute drop step into the lane early in the game that was very impressive...and might be a glimpse of what we'll see in coming seasons.

Barlow had a couple of rebounds and assists...but pestered Minnesota's guards in the 10 minutes he was in the game. And TJohn finished with 2 points, 2 rebounds and an assist in a quiet 11 minutes.

Good Win

In spite of losing Nolen two games ago, Minnesota looked pretty good, even short-handed. The Smiths (Tubby and Saul) had the Gophers playing well and used their size play a brutally-tough packed zone early in the game. Perhaps they ran out of gas, but regardless of why they couldn't stay with Purdue the stretch, Matty and Co. owed them one (or two) and this win was important. It also helped the team put the aOSU collapse behind them.

Two really important stats are that the Boilers shot free throws well (77%) and won the rebounding battle for the first time in a few games (35-30).

Next up, Purdue plays at Wisconsin in three days. Ryan will have them ready to play as they're coming off of a close loss to PSU.

Nation's Elite Struggling

Here are the teams in front of Purdue that have also lost in the last week:

Pittsburgh, San Diego State, UConn, Villanova, Syracuse (twice) and BYU.

Plus, Texas and Mizzou play later tonight...so one of them also has to lose. That means (including Purdue), 9 of the top-13 teams in the land will have lost by the end of this evening. Six of those losses came today.

Purdue's Computer Composite Ranking was 11th at the start of the day. Who knows what it will be tomorrow. But our Boilers might have picked a pretty good week to lose in the fashion they did (if there can be such a week). We'll see on Monday afternoon.

IU fans, our apologies. That win was huuuuuuge!

I had a discussion with a pal of mine who's currently at IU. He took exception with us giving them a hard time for storming the court after beating a middle-conference opponent who has now lost 3/4 and was barely ranked.

See, my beef is the fact that IU, and its fans, always talk about banners and national titles. We usually counter this banter by saying that 95% of IU's current undergrads weren't even born when the most-recent banner was won. No big deal- national championships are a big deal...whether you know anything about them and how they were won or not. But, those banners that IU fans always fall back on are getting dusty. So, the same athletic department marketing group that came up with the bestest video ever has decided to modernize the wall of Ass. Hall.

(Thanks to our pal Ian for this!!)

Hoosier faithful, it was a big win for you guys...but it absolutely wasn't what you guys made it into. You guys are either a smalltime program whose coach goes through the halls of the arena with his hands in the air after beating an OK team. Or, you're a big time program...you decide and let us know, we'll make fun accordingly.

Wrapping up the Week & Power Rankings

Power Rankings

1. aOSU- These frightening monsters left any doubt of who is the league's best this week...and made me very sad in the process.

2. Wisconsin- By default, they earn the second-place standing this week.

3. Minnesota- Without Nolen, when they visit Mackey this Saturday, I expect them to be exposed like J Money at his favorite watering hole after too many apple-tinis. Until then, they have a nice view of much of the league below them.

4. Purdue- I don't really think Purdue belongs down here...but there's gotta be some repercussions for the performance (or lack thereof) in Columbus this week.

5. Penn State- Ya know, it'd be nice if they could help us out a bit and knock of Wisconsin as they've done to nearly everyone else atop the league. Make it so, oh wise one, Coach DeChellis!!

6. Michigan State- What happened last night in East Lansing is nearly-unexplainable...but as our pal Travis said, this team is in shambles right now.

7. Northwestern- They're officially back in the running for keeping their astounding post-season streak alive...the next two games will probably be losses for those clad in purple.

8. Michigan- Their big win over in-state rival, Sparty, removed them out of the dark, self-imposed dungeon in which they had been placed.

9. Indiana- I'll get into what I think about them in more detail in a moment...but the bottom of the conference is simply deplorable...and they're chairman of the board of that group's weekly meetings.

10. Iowa- They have a very good opportunity to take another step forward and knock Michigan back down in their next contest.

11. Illinois- Seriously, Coach Weber? All that talent...all those upper-classmen and you can't muster more than 17 in a half versus a team that allowed both Iowa and Northwestern to score 90 (+) points?? On top of that, those new unis stink.

Storming The Court Goodness in Bloomington

If you watched the IU v. Illinois game last night like me, especially the second half...I'm sorry! Yikes, was that bad basketball. I'd love (not really) to tell IU fans that their stout defense led Illinois to score so few points in the second half, but even they know that's not the case. IU's defense is horrible. They didn't figure out how to play it just because the Forehead gave a good half time speech. Illinois played their second half like Purdue played v. Minny in the BTT last spring. They have no one to blame but themselves. The Illini have gone from close to the top of the league to sinking to the cellar in just over two weeks.

There are too many Seniors, too many shooters and too much surrounding talent for them to be in the situation they're in. But, they are as soft in the middle as a tasty Devil Dog, and that's not going to change.

If you listened to the Handsome Hour this week, you heard me rant about how IU is making no progress. Well, after last night's game, the students rushed the floor, the Forehead hugged his wife and kids as if he had just won an Oscar, and the announcers acted as if my Savior had returned the court at Ass. Hall. Friends, last night's game changes nothing.

Shut up, and just kiss me.

Beating an over-rated team and storming the court only solidifies the idea that's entrenched within my skull- IU is not good, the heritage of national championships past isn't even a memory, it's folklore (you can study that in Bloomington, by the way) and Tom Crean can't win unless he has a guy with the last name of 'Wade' on his team.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, I introduce exhibit A:

Holy Crap.

BS Wit Featured In The Exponent

As loyal reader Paul points out, we've now made the big time, as Boiled Sports was featured as the Tweet of the Day in Purdue's student newspaper, The Exponent.

Sure, out of nearly 11,000 tweets, they elected to choose one where we made fun of the Alka-Selzer commercial with the most poorly-cast karate master ever. But hey, being famous means we don't get to choose.

Handsome Hour Season Premier 1/26/11

That handsome pair that you love to love is back after a winter hiatus.

Their pal Travis from H&R drops in to weigh in on what's ahead.

They try to help us all figure out what happened in Columbus...

And they investigate whether the trajectory of the season has changed in the wake of last night's debacle.

Slip into something comfortable, find your favorite chair...and savor another Handsome Hour.

Listen to internet radio with Boiled Sports on Blog Talk Radio

Russell Bellomy: A Study in College Football Recruiting and Human Nature

Bellomy Picks Michigan

If you were raised like me, you heard phrases like, "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."

If you've been to my house, it usually is, especially late in the summer. I take pretty good care of my lawn and my house. I put money into the upkeep, I put in time to work on things and keep them in good order. I even pay Terminix to keep bugs from getting too bad and a guy named Earl sprays my lawn so that weeds don't take it over.

But, I refuse to water the grass. Last August, we had a pretty horrible drought in Indiana...and my lawn was the color of Purdue's helmets...but without the sparkles and the shine. The grass was greener around me, and I think some of my neighbors were pretty pissed...but I didn't, and don't care. My lawn didn't die, it went dorment- that's A-OK with me.

It takes money to keep your lawn looking like a fairway. And if you don't have the money for a sprinkler system, the pain of moving a sprinkler around is infuriating, to me at least. I've got two little kids and a wife-they all need my time...and having a family costs money. So I decided my lawn isn't the utmost priority. I'm kinda pragmatic.

Like Russell Bellomy, I'd like to have a beautiful lawn. Unlike Bellomy, I've decided the costs to attain such a lawn aren't worth it for me.

The thing that's so tough about recruiting is that humans are generally fickle. Even more difficult, is generally, the younger the human, the more fickle. Bellomy had been a Purdue guy for months. On recruiting visits, much like Rob Henry a few years back, I heard he did some of the recruiting himself. But the lure of Michigan was too much for the young man out of Arlington, TX to turn down.

Make no mistake, this isn't another Roy Roundtree situation. Roundtree told Purdue coaches he was going to sign with Purdue the night before signing day. It sounds like Bellomy was honest with Purdue prior to his visit to AA (unlike Roundtree). But, like young love is fleeting, so are 'solid' verbal commitments. A prettier girl, a greener lawn, a better paying job (whatever analogy you'd like to use) has come along and Bellomy's going to pursue it.

Simply Irresistable

So you might now understand why we don't talk a ton about recruiting around here. We know it's happening, we're not ignoring it. We just don't want to get too emotionally tied to someone that might or might not ever get on campus...even then, you never know what's going to happen. Waaaaaaaaay back in November and December, Bellomy told Hope and Co. that he was solidly-committed to Purdue. He tweeted the same thing yesterday, this time to UM and Hoke. Good thing for UM that signing day is less than 7 days away, I guess.

Afterall, there's always a better lawn someplace in the neighborhood.

Boilers Sleepwalk to Columbus and Lose Spectacularly

Last season, Purdue was knocked out of the BT tourney in historically-bad fashion as they lost by 27 points to Minnesota. In that game, Purdue barely showed a pulse offensively while allowing nearly 40 points in the first half. The game was over at the break.

This game was similar in its end result...but probably worse. Tonight, the nation put much of its attention on the match-up that many thought would be a real test for the number 1-ranked Buckeyes. They were never tested. From the beginning, aOSU shot its way in the lead while simply stifling Purdue's offense.

The Discount Arena is a pro-style building...and at times, it looked like Matta's pros were playing a high school team.

Gone was Purdue's team defense that cuts off passing lanes, denies entry passes and defends nearly every look. In its place, was a team of Boilers that looked confused about their assignments, couldn't switch as the Buckeyes drove in and kicked out, and couldn't defend three.

After being down 17 just after the ten-minute mark in the first half, it only got worse. Matta's club entered the second half with a 20-point lead and it swelled to 29 before Matta and Painter seemingly tipped their caps to each other and pulled their leading scorers with around 10:00 left. Purdue ended up losing 87-64...but it felt much worse (and could have been).

JJ was effective at times, but couldn't match the physicality or moxy of Sullinger. On more than one occasion, Sullinger threw a hard elbow to get around the slighter Johnson only to see the refs whistle Johnson for the foul. JJ was probably Purdue's most-effective rebounder, and he wasn't very effective. He finished with 7 rebounds to go along with his 22 points.

I'd love to tell you Johnson was a bright spot on a gloomy day. But, I'd bet 25 thinks about this evening like I do- that it was flat-out ugly for everybody. The Buckeyes, and specifically their Freshman made a mockery of Purdue, and the worst part is Purdue did NOTHING to stop it. Our Boilers had no toughness from the starters, no goon off the bench to use up some fouls, no grit to dig in and fight back, no strategy to counter the onslaught. Purdue merely whimpered, put its tail between its legs and crawled out of the arena, thoroughly and completely beaten.

Purdue was out of sync in about every way on both ends of the court. Ohio State was motivated and sharp while Purdue looked over-matched, listless, slow and most-painfully soft. I'm not going to talk about individuals outside of Johnson simply because I might say something that I wouldn't usually say. This was a bad night, and while I hated what I saw, I still love the guys on this team.

Looking Forward

Matty's Boilers can rule out receiving any respect from the national media during the remainder of the season...Simply because respect should be earned. Purdue was tested and they failed in a massive way. And this game, while it's just one loss, is a huge blow to what this team really wanted to do this season. As a result of tonight, they might have a very hard time getting a high seed in the tournament and they'll have to do more from this point forward to be put in a position for success in March.

The Wofford game, in the Freshman season of the then Baby Boilers, became a watershed moment and rally cry for Matty and the staff. The only positive that could come out of a collapse like this, is if it becomes the same.

Next up, Matty's boys return to the friendly confines to face Minnesota...and hopefully take out some of their angst on the 18th-ranked Gophers.

Gigantic Portobello Mushrooms.

Tonight's Upset and Power Rankings

Cutbacks and a tough economy have made the entry to The Discount Arena less-extravagant

I have huge news...I know why our Boilers will beat an Ohio State University tonight at the Discount Arena. Sure, JJ will be tough for Sully to chase. But, on the other end, JJ isn't super-enamored with guarding a banger in the blocks. And yes, Smooge is back...but David Lighty is as good of a defender as about anybody in the league. Ryne Smith can bomb...but Diebler shoots it as well as anyone in the nation from distance. And LewJack is playing the best basketball of his career...but Buford is a tough match up with his length and all-around game. Purdue's a bit deeper in its rotation, but aOSU has two guys off of the bench that are a handful and would probably be starting at most schools in the nation in Craft and Thomas.

I guess these two teams are both pretty good. And if I was going to really analyze this one, and look at how Purdue would win, there's a number of things that should happen. I'd say Purdue needs to throw as many different looks at Sullinger as possible. It'd be good to use up a few fouls and have Marcius, Carroll and Bade use up a couple of fouls while making him work to get the ball. Then, they need get him in foul trouble and dare Matta to keep him out of the game for long stretches. Smith and Moore have to hit the open looks as the Buckeyes switch into zone and use LewJack to change the pace and not let them set up on defense. I don't think Purdue will win the foul battle...nor do we have any reason to believe they will have more rebounds than aOSU...so it'll come down to making the most of possessions, shooting well and scoring off of transition while not letting the Buckeyes dictate the pace of the game.

The main reason Purdue has a good chance to win tonight

More important than all of these aspects of the game, are the intangibles. And I've got one that makes Purdue a sure-fire winner: My brother. Granted, I'm crossing sports, but this guy is responsible for some of the biggest Boiler victories in the past 15 years. UND in South Bend- yep. Beating highly-ranked K-State in San Antonio? Uh-huh. The Boilers over Penn State in Happy Valley? You guessed it. Sure, you can give credit to Kyle Orton or Drew Brees or even Joe Tiller...if you'd like, but I know the truth about all of these games and who's really responsible.

So, with "KDZ" in the Discount Arena, Purdue will upset the #1 ranked team in America 70-66...and Ryne Smith will be the key cog to victory. The way I look at it, this is the victory that would be most-memorable for our Boilers, if we are forced to choose just one v. the Buckeyes during the regular BT season. The national stage, versus a team that the media is jelly-kneed for, what does Matty and Co. have to lose??

Sic 'em, fellas!

Power Rankings

1. aOSU- They keep winning, they stay at the top.

2. Purdue

3. Minnesota- Goldy is pretty hot right now...Can't wait until they visit Mackey.

4. Wisconsin- Bo Ryan's club is quietly stalking the rest of the league right now...they're not out of it.

5. MSU- Until MSU figures out how to play tough inside on offense, they're going to be in trouble

6. Illinois- This is a pretty disappointing season for Weber & co...and I think it's going to get more disappointing as the season goes on.

7. Penn State- Best 10-win team in America...not sure if that says much, but it's true.

8. Northwestern- They're teetering their way out of the NCAA tourney. If they don't get some quality wins in conference, they'll be on the outside once-again.

9. Iowa- They made their statement to IU loud and clear...they don't belong in the cellar.

10. Michigan- Find me a more-disappointing team in America...Can't do it.

11. IU- Oh wait, here's one. IU fans continue to deny what their eyes are telling them. I guess wins and losses no longer matter to those who wear candy striped pants...But they try hard...sometimes.

The Handsome Hour Returns

We know you've been dying for our hilarious hilarity.

And so we're back... for Season Four of the Boiled Sports podcast, also known as The Handsome Hour.

We're going back to our 10 PM, Eastern time slot, this Wednesday, January 26. Future episodes may have some significant changes in the works...we'll fill you in on this week's show.

So tune in and listen up....

It's the Handsome Hour... and it's back.

It's A Party In Value Ci-taaay

                                 You can't look away, can you?

The fine gentlemen guys at Buckeye Battle Cry approached us on a streetcorner last week and, after a misunderstanding involving pepper spray, we agreed to an old-fashioned Q&A exchange with tomorrow's Purdue-OSU tilt looming. Note, however, that few questions or answers have to do with tomorrow's game. That's a big whiff on everyone's part. However, the dialogue is still entertaining (to us, anyway) so we shall share it here. Check out The Buckeye Battle Cry for our answers to their questions.

Boiled Sports:  Be honest...did you guys really expect to be #1 in the nation this year? Losing the best player in the conference and you...improve?

Buckeye Battle Cry: We knew that this team was going to have some great players and was at least going to be able to compete in the Big Ten.  Yes, we lost the national player of the year, but the majority of the starters remained and we were adding another batch of spectacular freshmen.  The biggest question mark was exactly how well those new players were going to gel in the system.  The second biggest was who we were going to get to play point guard, with no experience and nobody with the appropriate ball handling skills.  I won't lie that I had nightmares of Dallas Lauderdale bringing the ball up the court...

Both of those questions were answered in ways I never expected.  I never once believed at any time in the last 8 months that this team would go undefeated to this point. In fact, we posted a podcast in mid-December discussing how we felt this team would do when it first entered the Big Ten season. I believe the consensus was that we would lose at least one game by time we faced Michigan in Crisler arena, if not losing that game itself.

Do I believe this team will go undefeated the rest of the way? No. I believe we'll drop a game somewhere in this murderer's row of a Big Ten schedule. If Purdue doesn't do the job, the game in the Kohl Center just might.

BS: Perhaps this is related, but when Thad goes on recruiting trips, does he bring duffel bags full of cash or does he keep that sort of money in offshore accounts?

BBC: We've done some substantial research on that very topic. While we've never observed extra duffel bags, nor found any direct illicit supply of funds, we have noticed that he likes to give plants as a gift during his in-home visits. We can't be certain, having only seen them from a distance, but we think they look something like this...

BS: Do you guys have concerns about matching up with Purdue's big two, or do you see the Bucks' talent as superior?

BBC: I'm a little worried about how Sullinger will handle both JaJuan Johnson's experience in the paint, as well as how he will handle the double team that Painter will inevitably use to completely eliminate him from the game.  I'm also not certain how exactly we're going to defend E'Twaun Moore in any effective way.  I'm honestly considering supergluing David Lighty to him in a pinch.  Either that or the "B-Dubs solution."

Sullinger has demonstrated a talent for passing out of double teams and finding the unguarded man on the perimeter which should take care of any double teams Purdue tries to employ.  That has turned out to be fatal to a number of teams, particularly considering that Aaron Craft has turned on his shooting ability in the last couple games.  Add him in with Diebler, Lighty and Buford's already proven scoring and OSU is quite the offensive threat.

Defensively, I'm not certain exactly how we're going to work against Purdue's offense.  One strategy would be to recognize that Johnson and Moore will get their points and allow them to do so while eliminating everyone else from the game plan. 

Clearly that didn't work so well for Penn State, though... 

BS: Can the Buckeyes go undefeated? And would you even want them to?

BBC:  Can they?  Absolutely.  I have nothing but respect for the rest of the Big Ten conference and how good the teams are.  I also realize that we haven't yet faced the truly quality opponents in the conference yet (Purdue, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan State..).  With those qualifiers, though, I can honestly say that I don't remember a team in 20 years of watching College Basketball that was quite this good in all phases of the game.  When they play their best, they're going to be tough to stop.

Will they?  Not an icicles chance in heck.  Did I mention we haven't yet played Purdue, Illinois, Wisconsin or Michigan State?  There's no way we get through all 7 games completely unscathed (OSU plays MSU in Columbus, but misses out on a trip to the Breslin).  Also, you may have noticed that I pointed out "when they play their best" above.  The Bucks have a tendency to not play a consistent 40 minutes of defense in every game.  The Iowa game, despite the sloppy result, was probably the best defensive output I've seen all year. 

Do I want them to?  I'm not sure I do.  Thus far, with the exception of Iowa a couple of days ago, every single Big Ten opponent has given the Buckeyes their absolute best shot.  While I enjoy the great games, I have to admit that the impending cardiac arrest is getting kinda old.  It would be nice to have games where it's clear that the opponent didn't have all of its cards on the table.  If we do continue to go undefeated over the next 12 games, I'm going really have to start abusing Bayer aspirin like it's candy.

Maybe I should invest in a pair of shock paddles...

BS: Who's winning the Big Ten regular season? The conference tournament?

BBC:  Dammit Jim, I'm a sports writer not an oracle! 

Let's put it this way.  With Penn State playing like they are - almost sending OSU to overtime in Columbus, almost taking out you guys in West Lafayette (nice shot from Johnson, by the way) and taking out Michigan State and Wisconsin in University Park - I have absolutely no idea who is going to clean up and claim all the marbles.

I will say this - the regular season will come down to Ohio State, Purdue or Illinois.  Wisconsin is good as usual, but they don't have the flexibility on offense that the other three provide.  They'll only remain high in the standings due to their prodigious ability to win home games.  Michigan State is showing the weakness of Tom Izzo as a coach this year.  Izzo's tough grind it out style in the paint is great when you have a couple of experienced big men with which to do it.  MSU this year has the players to execute a much more effective perimeter game, but Izzo simply won't allow it.  That will cost him.

As for the tournament, it wouldn't at all surprise me if Penn State got the right matchups and cruised to a victory for the automatic qualifier. Battle and company can play some ball.


BS: Who in the Big Ten is positioned to go furthest in the NCAA tourney? (Your answer can, of course, be OSU.)

BBC: That depends an awful lot on matchups typically. I usually default to the argument of the major traits that all championship basketball teams have possessed: Strong veteran leadership, solid guard play and a great front court player or go-to scorer.  Coupled with the ability to play shutdown defense and coaching experience, I see both of our teams being equally effective.

Ohio State - 4 of 5 traits - Elite 8.  Guard play could hurt the Bucks this year.  While Craft is a great point guard already, the Bucks don't have real depth at the position.  That could be their undoing.  (I'm assuming the Buckeyes demonstrate shutdown defense for 40 minutes consistently by tournament time).

Purdue - 4 of 5 traits - Elite 8.  Purdue has the three biggest traits to get the job done. With Robbie Hummel, they would have had all 5, but I think the Boiler's defense isn't quite to the point of being shutdown without him. 

Our thanks to the folks at The BBC for their participation and sense of humor. Negative points awarded for mentioning a B-Dubs commercial.  

Three-Headed Monster Slays Sparty: 86-76

We knew it would happen. We knew Smooge would return to his old form. He showed a bit of it v. PSU on Wednesday, but he showed it all versus MSU tonight. He created his own shot, knocked down the long ball and *gasp* even shot a free throw or two!! It was good to see Moore back at it. But, he wasn't the story tonight in God's Country. The win was a team effort.

Let's look at the supporting cast first, shall we?

Alright, before we address the large, athletic gentlemen on the hardwood, let's talk about the 14,123 who surrounded them. The first thing you guys did is made it a tough ticket for MSU fans to get- nice going! Second, you guys were amazingly-loud and clearly made a difference in the game- If nothing else, you gave the Forces of Good something to look forward after the upcoming short roadie to the land of squeaky-clean BT athletics. Many accounts tell me this might have been the loudest Mackey's been in the last 20 years...that's saying a lot.

Now, onto the playahs, playah.

J's favorite player right now, Carroll, didn't play a ton of minutes, but he helped close the door a couple times on defense. I think the minutes he's getting now will be important during the post season when Matty unleashes JJ defensively. He's destined to get into some foul trouble at that point, and these minutes for Carroll are getting him comfortable playing good competition in various conditions. Even Marcius played a couple of minutes and looked tough battling the sizable MSU PF/bigboy Nix.

Ryne Smith had a couple very good looks from deep. But, my favorite part of his game was his rebounding tonight. He did a great job coming up with key boards in the second half as MSU struggled to get back into the game. He also had a few plays in which he simply sold out defensively...that stuff is contagious.

DJ Byrd did what Purdue fans love of him. He scrapped like an underdog fighter, matched up admirably against bigger forwards, distributed the ball like a guard on offense, had a few timely buckets and made the most of his 20 minutes.

Kelsey Barlow played my favorite game of his this season. His stat line isn't too loud: 6pts, 4ast, 2blk. But, he played with his normal chip on the shoulder, yet had some discipline about him. He pulled the ball back a few times wisely instead of driving into a double-team. He hit some key free throws, he frustrated multiple MSU players as he rotated in on defense and was completely in the head of those guys- specifically Green and Lucas. He also had a thunder slam in traffic late in the second half that tore the metal roof off of Mackey like J ripping into an XL can of Hormel Chili. Mmmm, Mmmm!

Now, let's talk about the stars of tonights really big show.

JJ was pretty quiet for much of the game. Izzo and co. double teamed him and beat on him in order to keep him from making too much of a difference in the contest...and the tactic was effective for about 25 minutes. He finished with 20 points, not enough rebounds and a block. But once again, shot his free throws well (6/7). On a few occasions, it seemed pretty obvious that Matty had instructed him to not go for the block. This resulted in a few easy scoring opportunities for the Spartans. I think this is pretty wise at this point as it keeps him fresh on the offensive side...but there will be a time when he simply must be a difference-maker on both sides of the court again...perhaps Tuesday v. anOSU?

The smallest guy on the court was nothing but HUGE. LewJack out-Lucased MSU's Lucas. His on-ball defense was stifling and frustrating as usual. He shot the ball well from the field (6/9) and from the stripe (7/8). But his pace was amazingly-quick...and he finished amongst the trees, with a ton of contact time and time again. Since the turn of the year, this is all 23 had done: 10pts,3ast,4reb/gm. Not too shabby, huh? But tonight, his 19/2/5 game was a thing of beauty...and was arguably the best game of his career so far.

The game ball, of course, goes to 33. He was nearly-unstoppable for the first 30 minutes of the game. He finished with 26 points, but had 24 with over 11 minutes left in the game. He had 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals to go along with his 9/18 shooting night. He played a very complete game and exuded the confidence that we haven't seen since last decade (see, that's a joke because it's 2011).

For much of the game, Purdue's team effort, solid defense & opportunistic offense kept them up by double-digits over Sparty. In spite of that, Izzo used three time-outs in a 1.5 minute period and had his boys fouling Purdue with over 2.5 minutes left. His effort to extend the game did just that...but I think the real reason you employ this tactic is to shrink the deficit and try to win. Even when it seemed pretty clear that it wasn't going to happen, he kept telling his team to foul and kept calling timeouts. At the end of their effort, Purdue still won by 10 points.

MSU falls to 12-7 overall and 4-3 in conference...they'll surely still be getting first place votes come Monday morning in both polls...at least that's what Vitale tried to convince me of as Purdue was drubbing the Spartans (another quality color job by Dickie V!!).

As for our Boilers, they're in a pretty great situation heading into the game versus the #1 team in the nation. From what the media tells me, they have little chance to win...so they've got nothing to lose. aOSU has a ton of length and creates difficult match-ups for Purdue...and they have so much talent. Perhaps our Boilers shouldn't even show up in the Discount Arena?

Whether Matty will take the entire team or not for the road trip, I haven't yet heard. But, you and I can tune in to watch this David v. Goliath story on EsPN at 9:00 on Tuesday.

The Gameday Experience

ESPN's College Gameday filmed two hourlong shows (one on ESPNU and one on ESPN) in Mackey Arena today and the students brought it. There was a buzz on Twitter about the experience and even tweets from non-Purdue folks saying that anyone who wants tips on how it should be done should check out the Paint Crew.

The Crew also gave it to Digger, who, to his credit, took it fairly well. We have reports that he bought food for those camping out and we saw video evidence of him dancing to the Boiler Brass. He also took no fewer than 3 or 4 shots from Rece Davis about how he wasn't ever willing to play Purdue when he was the UND coach, citing at one point, the fact that "there aren't any roads to West Lafayette." I give Rece credit for nailing that one. It's something we've discussed for years -- and a lovely tradition of cowardice that Brey continues to this day -- and it was nice to see it recognized.

The crew commented as well on what a great atmosphere it was and that you won't find more loyal fans with better spirit than in Mackey. Hubert says it is "one of the best places to watch a college basketball game." All I could think of was, wow, imagine if the students were allowed to own an entire side of the arena like that for an actual game. Mercy.

Hubert Davis' workout with Rob was a very cool segment, focusing on Rob the person and his dedication (and sense of humor) rather than just, oh, jeez, how does Purdue go on?? I especially loved Rob giving him crap about his Knicks days and the infamous Charles Smith layups.

As for why Bob Knight wasn't there, we heard that he is only contractually obligated to do a certian number of these on-campus shows and evidently elected not to be in West Lafayette. Kind of disappointing since when he came back to call a game he really came off well with the students and had a sense of humor about his history against Purdue.

Sadly, Erin Andrews had only about a two minute appearance on the ESPNU broadcast, but it was a nice two minutes, as she interviewed E'Twaun on the floor of Mackey.

As for a few more pictures of the even, check out the below or our feed on Twitter.

No, you're not all getting credited for your pics because we're doing 900 things at once at the moment. But thanks very much for sharing, both here and on the Tweeter.

I was also especially proud of our people for their respectful moment of silence in remembrance of the Oklahoma State tragedy of ten years ago. Sure, I know they were likely advised that they'd be coming back from that segment and it would be somber, but the reports from inside Mackey were that it was "eerily silent" throughout the entire Oklahoma State video segment. And then to come back focused on the fans with the OSU flag up in honor....well, that was a nice moment. And again, you guys represented us all very well and that was just one of the ways.

We now hope the Paint Crew is resting up and getting ready to bring it again tonight. A nice 9 PM Eastern start against Izzo and company. Should be an absolutely madhouse.

T-Minus :5 minutes 'til airtime

It's Gameday in God's country. A band of buffoons have ascended upon Mackey for a long-overdue taping of the poor derivative of a football franchise that is pretty amazing. Sure, the basketball version isn't horrible, but it's pretty tough to replicate football Saturday in an arena. Plus, this crew has Digger...so they're destined for failure.

That said, I'm glad they're in West Lafayette because every little bit of pub The Forces of Good can get, the better off they should be come March. We've received a few photos of what's been happening on campus and here's a look (thanks to everyone, specifically our pal Devon, who's sent these...please send more! We really need some up close shots of Ms. Andrews, by the way.)

Purdue's admin (probably wisely) wouldn't let the students camp last night due to the cold. I'm usually not a proponent of regulation for things that generate spirit before a big game...But the sub-zero temps, ice-cold concrete, wide-open spaces and nothing but nylon shells for protection from the wind is a bad combo. All that said, keep up the great work, Paint Crew.

We've been asked if we'd be there in Mackey for the big event. Sadly, my tickets fell through for the game, so I'm not going to be on campus. But really, this day is for the students. The Gameday atmosphere is ultimately a showcase of painted faces and boundless energy that old guys like J can't sustain for hours at a time. I'm excited to see you guys relentlessly giving Digger Hell.

By the way, when I was in college, I never would have foreseen a situation in which I would have welcomed Bobby Knight into Mackey with open arms. But, once again, I think Knight is one of the true gems of EsPN's basketball coverage team.

Notes

-In case you haven't seen it, Purdue will have a Pro Combat uniform next football season:

I don't like everything about it, but I like that it's not completely goofy like many of the Pro Combat offerings. I'm not a big fan of the numbers, but I like the color tie-in with the current basketball unis...hopefully the names on the back will be gold outline too.

-We've heard the rumor for a while that Purdue has silver uniforms that they might wear for a big game this basketball season. But, I'm beginning to think these may go the way of the golds last season, and not see the light of day...If they're not unveiled today. Guess we'll see in 10 hours.

The Other Gameday Crew Is Coming To Our Citaaaay

As you no doubt already know, the ESPN College Gameday junior varsity is coming to Purdue this Saturday. Many of us remember what happened when the varsity team (the football crew) graced West Lafayette. But let's not go there... it makes me shudder to think about it.

What we want is for those of you lucky enough to be present (none of the BS brain trust will be there) to share the experience with us. Send photos (or videos, if you're savvy enough) of the experience. Pics of the campout the night before... the ESPN trucks, equipment and presence...Digger Phelps ignoring fans...you asking Rece Davis if he is related to Hubert Davis...Erin Andrews being beautiful...fans being awesome...use your imagination. We want to get a feel for how things are going. And if we can feel anything related to Erin Andrews, well.... okay, I'll stop.

Seriously, though, please send anything in that you think is worthwhile and others not fortunate enough to be there would like to see to BoiledSports@gmail.com, or hit us on Twitter @BoiledSports. Assuming we have a nice array of submissions, we'll get a post up before the game that day sharing as much as we can.

Good luck. We're all counting on you.

JaJuan Johnson Gets Coffee This Morning

Do you know why JJ gets coffee this morning?  Because coffee is for closers.



Yes, I realize some of you are too young for a Glengarry Glen Ross but it amuses me nonetheless and we all know that's what is important around here.

JaJuan got the ball on the game's critical final play last night (well, the final scoring play anyway) and he drained a jumper in calm, assassin-like fashion. It seems to me that the entire team is getting more icy-veined by the game. We used to feel that way about E'Twaun primarily... and then, I think we began to feel that Ryne Smith was capability of similar assassin-like calmness. And now here is JJ draining jumpers after he jukes away from his man. See his complete performance against PSU here, courtesy of the Paint Crew. (Nice work, guys.)

One thing I did want to mention that I was a bit concerned about was something that has been an issue in years' past. And that is the Boilers being horridly outrebounded. It was 26-14 last night, in favor of the Kittens. That's just... weak. And it will be Purdue's undoing if they continue to be so lax on the boards. JJ and DJ tied for the team lead with....3. Three? Seriously? JJ should accidentally get three rebounds -- per half! I was concerned about this last year, but had recently begun to actually think Purdue had solved their rebounding woes, as there hadn't been many (if any) complete lopsided rebounding battles like this one so far this season. Ah, but here it is, back again. Are they not working on it in practice? Are they somewhat....soft? I surely hope not. We'll learn more in the coming weeks...about every aspect of Purdue basketball you could ever want to learn about.

Other observations from last night....

Tim Doyle is a putz. I mean, seriously, I think we all knew that but what a doofus. In the opening, he and Collins are talking and Doyle is gazing lovingly at Collins and someone must say something in his earpiece to look at the camera...and Doyle's head snaps towards the camera hard enough to strain a muscle. Check it out if you've got the game on DVR. Other Doyle-isms included him referring to Jackson of PSU as "pretty young thing," and saying "Jeff Brooks has been Brooks Brothers tonight...fantastic!" I guess we know where Tim gets his sport coats.

Travis Carroll Isn't Advancing. I know the guy has potential and he must impress in practice because Patrick Bade has basically been buried on the bench. But it's not translating. He had one shot attempt last night and I remember it clearly because it was so awful. The PSU defense was collapsing down on JJ and JaJuan dished to Carroll...it reminded me of when you'd let the really bad guy at the co-rec have a shot at an easy layup. Carroll proceeded to hammer it off the bottom of the rim, or so it looked like. Just a terrible, rushed, nervous shot. Maybe I'm reading into things and am way off (wouldn't be the first time), but I think Travis just needs to settle down. Maybe the Big Ten games are moving fast for him...I don't know. But having two rebounds and two fouls (and a turnover) in 11 minutes (and no points) is just not cutting it. Bench production is needed.


E'Twaun Moore is Back...Sort of. Smooge got back into the groove it seemed, scoring 16 on nearly 50% shooting, BUT....still no free throws. E'Twaun is now at five games since he got to the line. That is, frankly, astonishing to me. How can a guy this good not get to the line at all? Like, literally, at all? His last free throw was December 31 against Northwestern. Goodness. No attempts in 2011. I'll be brutally honest, as we try to be here: This is not what a potential All-American does. You must get to the line, as that is where many of these games are won. If Smooge is getting to the line at all, he's easily averaging 20+ PPG...but he's not. In other 33 news, his three-point percentage has dropped below 40% for the season. If three-pointers aren't falling and free throws aren't happening, that's not a good combo. But you know that. Let's hope last night's mini-resurgence is an indicator of things to come.


Speaking of Free Throws... The Boilers actually had the free throw advantage last night...at 10-8. That's just...silly. But hey, whatever. At least it was called evenly.


Next up, as Boilerdowd very calmly mentioned, is a big Saturday night game against Sparty. The ESPN GameDay crew will be in Mackey all day. We'll have more about this event later today.

Turning Point for Boilers? Purdue squeaks one out in Mackey 63-62

A rare occurrence happened earlier this evening- no, I'm not talking about Penn State nearly beating our Boilers at Mackey. What happened is astonishing and a little sad actually. J and I both missed watching our Boilers live. I am in SLC on business and couldn't find the BTN and J had a family engagement. But have no fear, you'll get to savor our delicious analysis...just a few hours late.

Based on stats and a tiny highlight clip I saw, here's what I gather:

-JJ's been torching Purdue's opponents...and they all know it's coming. But, they can do little about it. Kinda like the end of tonight's game. OK, well maybe not exactly. How PSU neglected to stay with 25 on that out of bounds play is beyond me. But they didn't and because of Johnson's 19 footer, Purdue escaped a third-straight loss. He finished with a ho-hum night- 25 points...But, he was well off his rebounding average and ended with just three boards. He continues to hit very important free throws as he went 7-8...but he missed a key freebie in the closing minutes. But, he made up for it, obviously.

-Smooge is back...kinda. His 16 points are still off of his average, but he shot better from the floor and had a couple drives including a strong finish in traffic that seemed to be out of frustration. He also had 5 assists and only 1 turnover.

-After that, there's not a ton to write home about. No other player had more than Barlow's 6 points. LewJack only finished with 3 assists...but had 0 turnovers and the game-sealing steal as he intercepted a long pass in PSU's final possession. Maybe the most-noteworthy stat to me is from Ryne Smith. Last time v. PSU, Smith went 5-5 from the three point line and finished with 20. Tonight, he was only 1-2 from deep and finished with 5 points. But, he had 5 assists and only one turnover.

Matty's teams have been resilient and had short memories since he came to Purdue. But, tonight's game might turn out to be one of the most-important of the season...a turning point of sorts. I think they really needed this win especially going into the sizable MSU game on Saturday with EsPN's gameday in town and Sparty needing a win after their loss to Illinois.

While Penn State at home is a game Purdue should win in my opinion, but sweeping PSU this season is no small feat- ask MSU and Illinois. Purdue plays the Spartans at 9:00 on Saturday night.

Purdue Hires New WR Coach

The Boilers have hired a new WR coach to replace the departed Coach Rock. Patrick Higgins comes to the Boilermakers from BYU, where he had coached since 2005.

Higgins will be the new WR coach and will also "work alongside Boilers special-teams coordinator J.B. Gibboney" as well as help with the kicking game, as per ESPN. Higgins was a special teams coordinator (as well as receivers coach) at BYU so perhaps this is a strategic hire to ensure that if and when Gibboney's time is done at Purdue, they have someone set to step in to replace him.

Or perhaps it's partly meant to light a fire under Gibboney so that he feels the urgency and coaches for his job. Or perhaps I'm just making things up.

It's hard to say yet what kind of hire this is, but the good thing is that Higgins has over two decades of coaching experience. However, he's also another old friend of Danny Hope's. We've lamented a few times how overly loyal Coach Hope seems to be to his coaches, arguably to a fault. This could simply be more of the same. Of course, if Keith Smith comes back completely healthy, this could look genius.

Just over seven months to kickoff.

Maurice Creek Down Indefinitely

Maurice Creek of Indiana basketball fractured his right kneecap against Michigan over the weekend, which is the opposite kneecap that he fractured in December 2009. Goodness. That's a bit scary and freaky.

There's a certain strange symmetry to this injury and Rob Hummel's twice-blown knee ligaments. I guess what I'm saying is that for those who live and die with IU basketball, while we don't like you.... we can feel for you. This sucks.

And more importantly, it sucks for Maurice Creek. No matter whether you like a guy or not, this should not be something that you revel in or enjoy seeing. As we've said before, even when guys get hurt who we really don't like (see Evan Turner last year), we root for them to be okay and to get back to playing healthy.

So as Purdue fans, resist the urge to make remarks to IU fans. They're already suffering and this is an almost unfair blow. Sure, there were jerks who actually made jokes about Rob's misfortune -- but let's not be like them.

Be proud, respectful, sportsmanlike Boilermakers instead.

Hummel To Play Wide Receiver

So damn tough he plays without a helmet...

Can you believe it??? The Hummel kid from Valpo makes good on the football field! Purdue expected to make a major run!

Oh, wait, no....not that Hummel. (Never mind, without Rob Hummel Purdue football has no chance. You know the drill.)

Rob Hummel's brother Dan will be playing college football at Grand Valley State, a D-II program.

As you were.

WVU Returns the Favor 68-64

Just out of reach...

Last year, the Mountaineers were ranked 6th and came into Mackey on Jan 1 and got run out of the gym by the then #4 Boilermakers. This year, Purdue had to travel to the hills of West Virginia and WVU returned the favor. While the loss wasn't nearly the blowout Purdue laid on them last year, it was still a statement win for the Mountaineers, as evidenced by their fans storming the floor. Fans of a team that made the Final Four last year and had just chanted "overrated" at Purdue. Okay.

This game was close from beginning to end, with many lead changes and a distinct and noticeable feel to the way the momentum alternated between the two teams. However, as we've seen at other times this season, Purdue failed to close when they had the chance and West Virginia got hot at the right time.

And let's be sure to mention that early here -- West Virginia played a very good game. They shot the ball well and got especially hot at the right time, in the last 8 minutes of the game. Purdue had gotten the lead up to six and Gus Johnson even said it was "in danger" of getting away from WVU (this was right after E'Twaun finally came to life). He was right. Purdue had gotten a couple of good defensive stops and had scored. It was time to put the boot on the throat. However, it didn't happen and the Mountaineers chipped away, closing the gap and then, as I said, getting hot and finishing off the Boilers.

That said, let's look at some other facts of the game. West Virginia had six different players go to the line. Do you know how many Purdue had? Well, Terone Johnson was 0-1 from the line. Toss that out and how many do you think went to the line?

"Let's go huntin'! Yeehaw!!"

One. One guy. JaJuan Johnson was 5-6 from the line. And that was it folks. Seven free throw attempts for Purdue in a college basketball game. A very close game, at that. Seems odd, no?

West Virginia went to the line....twenty-six times. A differential of 19. Now, let's say that was reversed. Can you imagine what Huggy Bear might be saying in the postgame press conference? This is one of those things we wish Matt Painter would do more of... not necessarily bitching to the media, but getting in the officials' ear -- like the joke Jim Burr, who did this game -- and reminding them that Purdue had only a few free throws the entire dame game! You can explain away a 5 or even 10 FTA difference to styles, etc., but nearly 20? Come on. If that's a little closer to reality, this game could have been very different.

Another concerning fact: E'Twaun looks like he's struggling mentally right now. He's physically healthy, so far as we know. But Smooge doesn't look right... to many of us.

A side note... (and this, obviously, isn't everyone, I realize.) I was actually a little surprised at some of the negative commentary about Moore on Twitter during the game. Some were suggesting he needed to be benched or limited in his shots. Let's all slow down here. This a good soldier for this program. A guy who has led this team for four years and has gone largely unnoticed. If he played for Duke, you'd be hearing about him every damn weekend. Instead, you almost never hear about him. And what would you have them do? Give up on E'Twaun Moore? This team is going absolutely NOWHERE without a confident, healthy Moore right now. So he absolutely needs to be doing what he's doing and trying to shoot his way out of his slump. Support him with the dedication he has shown to us and the Black and Gold.

B-Dowd and I discussed how Painter clearly ran that last play for him in an attempt to raise his confidence. And while I am totally fine with doing it, I would have run a three-point play for him. You're on the road, it's a two-point deficit...go for the win. He cans it and his confidence is back and the team may have a win. He misses and you're no worse off then they wound up. However, Painter called a two-point jumper play (assuming that was the call and it wasn't a busted play). In that case, I don't see how you don't get the ball to JJ in that situation. He'd been unconscious on those mid-range jumpers and I don't think it would impact Moore's confidence if they play was for his buddy JJ to tie the game. It's not like we're suggesting you get the ball to Bubba Day instead of Moore, you know?

All that said, Purdue did not play a great game and again failed to close on the road...and still had a chance to win.

Consider these three things:

1) The asinine free throw disparity.
2) E'Twaun had a horrible first half, and wound up 6-18 (33%).
3) Ryne Smith took two shots the whole game and finished with 0 points.

If any one of those three doesn't occur, Purdue probably wins this game and we're talking about what a big win this is. So while, yes, there is work to be done, let's keep it in perspective. It's not as horrible a loss as it might feel like right now. And why? Well, that's simple... it's not a conference loss. Purdue remains 4-1 in the Big Ten with Penn State coming to town this week... who Purdue must crush at this point.

The fact that Moore and JJ took 35 of Purdue's 58 shots is significant, too. I know they account for most of the offense, but nobody really picked up that much-discussed "third scorer" slack today. Lewis Jackson had a simply terrific game and his ten points was nice to have but wasn't even the best part. However, it made him Purdue's third scorer...by a lot. Ryne Smith only playing 13 minutes and not scoring at all (while averaging 17 in conference play) is a head-scratcher, to me. BDowd pointed out to me that he committed a foul early that resulted in a three-point play and that it appeared Painter wanted to go bigger. And that's fine for a little while, but how do you not work to get Ryne into the offense...if for no other reason than to make sure he's not ice cold when he's asked to take the most critical shot of the game? That three to tie it was just barely long and I am confident he hits that if he'd shot more than, you know, one attempt so far on the day.

JaJuan Johnson's game must be mentioned as well. JJ was the beast he is capable of being today, shooting 59% (10-17) from the field, 83% (5-6) from the line, scoring 26, nabbing two steals and grabbing seven rebounds. As much as E'Twuan's confidence looks shaky (though improving in that second half), JJ's looks sky-high. He took shot after shot and canned them. I have this feeling a 40+ point explosion might be coming from him this season.

The Boilermakers now need to regroup. This is not unfamiliar territory, though, as Matt Painter Purdue teams seem to always have that midseason lull where they lose... almost always in clumps. Let's hope the clump ends at two and we see another double-digit win streak begin. Let's also look for the Boilers to get to the hoop more to draw contact (E'Twaun Moore has not been to the line in four games now). And let's look for these guys to begin to finish on the road. The schedule begins to get absolutely brutal in about a week and our boys must be ready.