Boilers Get Back to .500 Before Heading Into B1G

Purdue probably didn't schedule the ninth-best team in the CAA, at Mackey, just before the conference schedule began, in an effort to get a challenge...but they got a pretty good test anyway on Saturday afternoon.

William and Mary entered the game at 7-3...not a bad record.  But, none of their wins came against the top-275 in the RPI. But the fact that the Tribe isn't a great team didn't stop them from really wanting a victory on Keady Court.

The game started out well for our Boilers- Purdue had a 7 point lead in the first 4.5 minutes.  But after a timeout by W&M, the game quickly became a back-and-fourth contest.  At one point in the final 15minutes of the first half, Purdue had a six-point lead...but quickly, they relinquished it by allowing open three pointers.

What typically defines Painter-coached teams- hustle, gritty effort and stubborn defense hasn't been easy to find this season...and that was the case again versus W&M.  After the game, Painter noted that giving up a six unanswered points in a few minutes isn't a good thing...but giving up a six point lead in 30 seconds has become the norm for his squad.

Purdue's opponent seemed to out-Purdue our Boilers- they were enthusiastic, opportunistic, energetic and just seemed to want the game more...especially in the first 30 minutes.  That's pretty tough for me as a fan to swallow; I'm sure it's unbearable for Matty to see.  But, these guys are his guys...and the state of this team rests on his shoulders.

On message boards and Twitter alike, Purdue fans seem to be arguing amongst themselves about how patient we need to be.  It's true that rebuilding seasons happen, even in the best programs, every 5-7 seasons. And I also think that while this teams woes are based largely on recruiting misses a few years ago, Painter has obviously earned some leniency.  But it's pretty clear to see that there are simply some missing pieces to this team that cannot be found on the current roster.

A consistent threat from the outside, A solid second option at point guard, an experienced first option at point guard, a defensive stopper or even a guy that simply plays like his hair is ablaze would all be welcomed additions at this point.

Lawson's shot-blocking ability and overall energy seem nearly-contagious, RonJohn's on-ball defense shows signs of being difference-making and Davis' ability to attack the basket and follow shots is much needed in an offense that seems to be based primarily on standing around and watching guys miss bunnies.

But, this defense, regardless of who is playing rotates extremely-slowly as if they don't fully grasp what to do when the ball reverses.  The end result over and over again is a late-arriving double or triple team...and a subsequent kick out that becomes an inevitable open three pointer.  This is why six and seven point leads are no where near enough cushion for this team.

At one time not-too-long-ago, a seven to ten point lead for a Painter-coached team was like a 15-20 point lead for the average team.  But those teams didn't rely on four Freshman to play 15, 20 or more minutes/game.

Poor defense followed by bad shot selection on the other side of the court is a putrid mix.  The recipe leads to not being able to hold a lead...or worse, being down for most of a contest.

Today though, that wasn't the case.  Purdue finished the overmatched Tribe off and won 73-66.  After being outfought for much of the game, shooting horribly from outside and being down at the half in both points and rebounds, Purdue finished the contest strong.

AJ Hammons, who fought through double teams for much of the game, finished with 14 points, 6 rebounds and a block. TJohn led Purdue with 16 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. His brother might have played his most complete game to date with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and just two turnovers. Byrd had 8, 5 and 2 and looked like he might get hot from distance early on...but wasn't able to get on a tear from behind the arc.

Byrd had a couple of effort plays that got the crowd into the game...and Lawson's blocks stoked the defense-starved Mackey crowd to a bit of a roar. I think Purdue faithful can deal with losses more-easily than watching a team that seems apathetic at times. Tonight, although the effort was inconsistent, Purdue showed some fight in the closing minutes and earned a victory.  Regardless of whom they come against, during this season, wins should be savored.

Not that it changes anything about Purdue's team this season, but the BTN once again neglected to air today's home game on TV...and the game was webcasted on EsPN3.

A few years ago, when the fledgling network was fighting for subscribers and carriers, they promised that each home B1G basketball game would be on TV.  Now that they have more sponsors than Rotel and Barbasol, an additional member of the conference and nearly every major cable company in the nation has picked them up, they've decided to relegate Purdue (and others) on the interwebnets.

Screw the BTN.  I'd take Raycom, at this point.

Purdue fans that complained to Comcast, ATT, Time Warner, and others were rooked into believing that they'd get to see their Boilers play their games on TV on the BTN.  Hopefully BTN doesn't expand onto the airwaves and take Cliz from the Purdue faithful that still have the gall to want to follow the games live without another fee atop of their already-exorbitent cable bill.

If I sound like an angry old man, that's because I am one.

Why is Purdue deserving of such an honor?

Matty's boys get to play in HD for the first time this season. Yippee!

Also, thanks to Illinois, MSU, UM, and Minny for nothing.

Hats off to Northwestern for making the national brand look like what it really is - a sham.

TV update

Lots of Clapping, not lots of winning
IU got dump-trucked down in Puerto Rico yesterday by 18. Everytime the scrappy Hoosiers would make a run, Ole Miss would slam the door shut.

IU fans were enjoying their third game on TV...first on a national stage. IU is not ranked.

National Champs Fall
To *everyone's surprise, the reigning National Champ, Penn State Nittany Lions fell Thursday to the always gritty UNC Wilmington Seahawks. PSU looks to rebound today v. Tulane.

At least they get to lose on TV. Penn State is not ranked.

More of the Same
There's no shame in losing to UNC (on a neutral court, no less). But, aOSU's all-around badass, Evan Turner, had double-digit turnovers in Thursday's loss at MSG. The Bucknuts boast of four former 4-star recruits and a 5-star on their roster...and most are very experienced. But it looks like the inherent problem with Thad Matta-led teams is going to haunt this season yet again...there's no order on the team and when all-else fails, they tend to underperform.

Buckeye fans were enjoying their third game this season on TV...their second national TV game. aOSU is 18th in the nation.

Like a Virgin
Purdue plays SDSU tonight at 8:30 in the Paradise Jam Tourney (that was clearly planned by my son's pre-school class)...gather 'round your radios and enjoy all the action. In a collective effort by EsPN, BTN and the Purdue athletic department, Purdue's basketball team continues its all blacked-out season for '09...and is still 7th in the nation.

Come on, yo!
Just got an e-mail from the PAA that was selling the Wooden Tradition...of course, they had two of Purdue's current players on the promotional photo in the current uniforms:
It's a shame there's no one on the current roster to go along with Smooge that anyone in the Purdue family would know. Dammit this stuff drives me crazy. I guess cutting and pasting last-year's ads gets the job done nicely. The really awful thing, is it appears to be a photo of 33 from '07.


*everyone in this case is defined as people who think the NIT is important

The Big Ten Network is Kaput!! (and other notes)

Big Ten Network Athletic Excitement!!!

Alright, I just checked the BTN, and got to see a few vet. students at Purdue talking about their classes...earlier today, I got to see the opening ceremony of the Armstrong Building. And while I'm happy that Purdue, and every other BT school has a lot of smart people in each institution, this isn't what we signed up for.

Perhaps I missed the announcement, but maybe France Cordova and her counterparts have taken over the airwaves...or maybe the BTN is just playing a rotten joke on me since I just got a new TV. Whatever the case, the new BTN stinks.

I want my sports, yo.

Tiger, Tiger Woods, y'all
Tiger Woods is a good golfer. How good? Well, he wins over 20% of the tourneys he enters...and when he makes it to the final group on the fourth day of a tournament, he's even better. He has now won 56 of 67 final group pairings in which he's played.

He just seems to crush players, great players, mentally. And this week, Paddy Harrington was that guy.

Trouble in NY
If you visit here regularly, you know that I have luke-warm feelings for baseball. But, I like to see the Red Sox win. The good news for me, NFL pre-season footbal began earlier tonight...The bad news, the Sox look pretty awful right now and are flirting with not evening being in the driver's seat for the Wild Card. And, at the same time, the Yankees look like a team that's actually worth the massive payroll that they've been forking out for as long as I can remember...money well-spent, I guess...finally.

BTN, I'm looking at you.

And I'm not gazing lovingly, this time. I don't know if you're solely responsible, or this is a collaborative effort, but you guys screwed up last night. I've heard over and over that the BTN only has a contract that allows BT home games to be televised on their network...That was the excuse for the radio-only Ball State game. Last night, Purdue welcomed IPFW to Mackey...and the game, of course, was unavailable.

BTN Programming Directors Meeting in Early December to discuss upcoming TV scheduling

I get having aOSU on- they're highly ranked, makes sense. But IU? Come on. It's the worst IU team in 50 years and they were playing North-fricking-eastern and they get the 9:00 slot. Aren't nights like last night custom-made for the overflow channels? IU could comfortably have sat at whatever time slot they would have liked in said channel...but that wasn't the case. I'm not even going to focus on the fact that IU couldn't seem to run their offense effectively-enough to get near the basket on many possessions...or the fact that IU got railroaded by a team with losses Rhode Island, South Florida, Boston and Carleton (didn't know that was a school). All that's unimportant right now. What is important is that I got to listen to yet another game on the radio.

Yeh Rah!

Nights like tonight are precisely why I wanted the BTN. Thanks for nothing, jackholes. Big Ten Network, suck it. Sorry, I didn't want to have to do that to you, but you forced it upon yourself. It's a damned good thing for you that the conference schedule is less than a week away to bail your sorry arses out.
I can remember a time in the not-so-distant past that if a team was ranked, they'd be on TV, somewhere...ESPN Plus, or before that, Farm Bureau-sponsored local WTTV-4 telecast...now we're relegated to ESPN 360 that, due to contractural problems, can only be seen by a handful of schmoes.

Special thanks to The Clis and Co. who allowed me to stay somewhat informed during the contest...The Ostrich struggled in a classic letdown game following a world-beater performance v. Davidson...Smooge played well, but still can't find his touch from behind the arc...LewJack continues to do exactly what he needs to as he scores well-enough, distributes well, pushes the pace and rebounds extremely well for his stature...Keaton Grant got back to playing like KG of his Frosh year...Marcus Green once again gave a spark off of the bench...every player on the roster played (always a good thing).

Lastly, but most-noteworthy, JJ had another sizeable evening while shooting for a high percentage and blocking three shots. Here's the deal- JJ will dominate the bottom-feeders in the BT, but is a year away, in my opinion, from being an upper-eschelon center. All that said, this progress, especially when compared to last season, is very noteworthy and very positive.

Purdue wins by 15, I think...Granted, I don't have any visual proof, but I'm almost positive it happened.