The Changing B1G Basketball Landscape

If you're looking ahead to next season, it's prudent to start with the reigning champion of the conference...and with IU's recent defections, it makes even more sense to do so.

We all know IU will look different in 2013. I read someplace that they're the first program to ever lose four 1,000 point scorers in one off-season.  That'll leave a mark. So is it more amazing that four guys that reached the millennial mark are all gone in the same off-season, OR that a team that had four 1,000 point scorers (on one starting five) never got past the Sweet 16? You guys can discuss that  question amongst yourselves.

What we do know is that it's difficult to lose four starters...regardless of whom those starters are.  It's even tougher when a team loses its heart and soul; IU has lost both.

We had a ton of IU fans assure us that Zeller was going to stay because he needed to develop.  Bad news, friends: Crean's system wasn't helping him develop...in fact, it seemingly was making him worse.  It seems that we weren't the only ones who thought this.  Ex-IU player and coach, and current radio/TVpersonality, Dan Dakich encouraged Zeller to go pro as a way to help him develop.  Zeller wasn't used effectively and his bad habits weren't coached out of him.  As the season progressed, his shoulder got lower and lower when he drove...and officials were all but forced to call the charge on the 7 footer whose shoulder height would have made a running back jealous.

Zeller told the press that he had planned all along to go pro after his Sophomore year...but IU fans told us a different story.  We were told that his parents valued academics so much that he wouldn't leave until he had graduated...He has 35 credit hours remaining. Some told us that he just loved the school too much to leave.  It sounds like he really liked IU, but he loved his teammates, namely those leaving and graduating...so that made his decision easier.

A word of unsolicited advice to my IU friends and anyone else who wants to adamantly predict the actions of another person: It's not a good idea to try to guess what's in another person's head, especially an 18/19 year old kid.

Zeller wisely chose to leave...and in his decision's wake, IU fans were seriously asking, "Won't IU be better without him?" Many continued, "He was too soft." I mean, why wouldn't someone want to stay and play in front of fans like that??? Ammiright?

Zeller was a very good college basketball player...and now that he's no longer at IU, I hope he does OK on the next level; glad he's gone, wish him no ill will.  Afterall, he officially made an excellent decision yesterday.  All that said, I'd guess that three years ago, the average IU fan would have thought that if Zeller only went to the Sweet 16, his career would be judged as a bit of a failure...BUT, IU fans and media alike are spinning the defections to the NBA as nothing but a positive.  That's kind of fun to watch.

But, IU is just one of the programs in the B1G that will be ravaged by attrition this off-season.

Here is how the top of the conference will change next season:

IU
2013 starting five:
Zeller (So. C)*
Watford (Sr. F)
Oladipo (Jr. G)*
Hulls (Sr. G)
Ferrell (Fr. G)

2014 projected starters:
Vonleh (Fr. F)
Hollowell (So. F)
Sheehey (Sr. G/F)
Abell (Jr. G)
Ferrell (So. G)
_________________________
aOSU
2013 starting five:
Williams (So. C)
Thomas (Jr. F)*
Thompson (So. F)
Smith (Jr. G)
Craft (Jr. G)

2014 projected starters:

Williams (Jr. C)
Ross (Jr. F)
Thompson (Jr. F)
Smith (Sr. G)
Craft (Sr. G)
_________________________
MSU
2013 starting five:
Nix (Sr. F)
Payne (Jr. F)
Dawson (So. F)
Appling (Jr. G)
Harris (Fr. G)

2014 projected starters:

Payne (Sr. F)
Dawson (Jr. F)
Valentine (So. G)
Appling (Sr. G)
Harris (So. G)
_________________________
Wisconsin
2013 starting five:
Berggren (Sr. F/C)
Breusewitz (Sr. F)
Evans (Sr. F)
Brust (Jr. G)
Jackson (So. G)

2014 projected starters:
Dekker (So. F)
Kaminsky (Jr. F)
Gasser (Jr. G)
Brust (Jr. G)
Jackson (So. G)
_________________________
Michigan
2013 starting five:
Morgan (Jr. F)
Robinson (Fr. F)
Hardaway (Jr. G)
Sauskas (Fr. G)
Burke (So. G)*

2014 projected starters:
-McGary (So. C)
Morgan (Sr. F)
Robinson (So. F)
Stauskas (So. G)
Albrecht (So. G)

-McGary is still deciding if he'll stay or go to the NBA
_________________________

Other notes:
-Illinois graduates two guys who started for most of their careers in Paul and Richardson...and they lose an additional role player starter in McLaurin. In addition to these guys, three more guys have decided to transfer out of the program.
-Iowa returns four starters.
-Minnesota will hired Richard Pitino after reportedly being rejected by two or three coaches; will return three starters.  As of right now, Minnesota has an incoming class of zero.
-Northwestern hired Collins after Carmody continued NU's tradition of never making the NCAA tournament. They lose two starters, but Crawford will return from injury.  If I were a betting man, I'd put a quarter on Sobolewski being formed into an unlikable Hurley, Collins, Wojohowski type of player.
-Nebraska opens their new arena and looks to continue some of their improvement from the end of the season...loses two starters.
-Penn State loses only their sixth man...Chambers incoming class is one of the strongest for PSU since they entered the conference.  BUT PSU, during that same period has never had a player rated higher than 3-stars.
_________________________
The Forces of Good:
-Purdue's incoming Freshman class of Stephens (IL), Smotherman (IN) and Scott (IN) were all named to their all-state teams.
-Painter noted that he hopes everyone will return who is able to...of course, Purdue will lose Byrd and Anthrop to graduation.
-Rumors around Purdue transfers and defections are still just rumors...but the one that seems to have the most credence still, is Marcius. His locker has been cleaned out and he's been less involved in team activities, we've heard...Painter expressed that he wants him back, and told him so in his post-season interview.

But if he leaves, I guess I can't blame him. In spite of playing hard and being extremely productive down the stretch of the regular season, Hammons still started in the CBI.  Marcius might have taken that as a bit of a sign that his effort and productivity mattered less than Hammons potential, which is a shame.

If you follow us on Twitter, you might have seen AJohn's sentiment that he's looking forward to coming back and being a part of a team that gets much better in the off-season. BUT, his body language were indicative of a guy that struggled with consistency, focus and toughness at times. On top of that, he, along with Hale and Lawson, were rumored to be guys that didn't see eye-to-eye with Painter.

Keep in mind, all of those rumors are mere conjecture...But their lack of playing time during the last ten games of the season is something that was on display for all to see. We'll see what happens, I guess.
_________________________
BS' Early Prognostication

Here's the way I see the B1G shaking out in 2014 (as of right now):
1. aOSU
When was the last time you saw a Bucknut line-up with all Juniors and Seniors?? They'll be monsters.

2. MSU
Lots of returning talent...but MSU will be a much smaller team (top-to-bottom) than most Izzo squads.

3. Michigan
UM will have shooting, experience and good size...but even if McGary returns, they still lose a lot. Burke made everybody better and Hardaway did a lot of different things that helped the team.

4. Iowa
We all know Coach Fran is a pretty good coach.  Well, good coach plus a ton of veterans equals success.

5. Purdue
A few years ago, who would have thought a top-5 finish would be viewed as a success? In the wake of '13, in a tough conference, a top-5 season will probably mean Purdue will be ranked in the top-25...all while leaning heavily on Sophomores and Freshman.  A 21-23 win season should act as a stepping stone for a good one in '15. Painter really needs the team to get back to basics and needs them to win now.

6. Wisconsin
I never bet against Bo Ryan being in the mix for the B1G title...until now.

7. Indiana
Sheehey will go from annoying sixth man, to the guy that IU needs to be all-conference.  If he can make the leap, IU will be in the top third of the conference, if not, IU will struggle.  Also, Ferrell will need to play like UM's Burke for IU to be anywhere near where they were in '13.  All that said, IU will have a lot of talent on the roster, but their lack of leadership will hurt.

8. Illinois
Losing seven players in one season, regardless of how much they played, is a difficult pill to swallow for any program.  The Illini will need Bertrand, Abrams and Egwu to take big strides in the off-season in order for Illinois to make the tournament again in 2014. Illinois might get 20 wins next season...but how they get there will be much different than this season.  Don't look for Illinois to start out quickly next fall.

9. Minnesota
There will be growing pains for Goldy next year.  They'll still have some athletes that make jaw-dropping plays, but Minnesota fans might miss Tubby come March as Minnesota goes to the NIT.

10. Nebraska
Miles' team scratches and claws to more progress, but stays in the bottom-third of the tough B1G.

11. Northwestern
The Collins era begins in a fashion that's familiar to Northwestern fans.

12. Penn State
The cavernous Bryce Jordan Center stays mostly-empty for yet another winter as Penn State struggles to run with the thoroughbreds of the nation's best conference.
_________________________
More Guessing...

All Conference Team:
McGary UM
Payne MSU
Marble Iowa
Harris MSU
Craft aOSU

2nd Team:
Dekker Wisconson
Sheehey IU
Smith aOSU
T. Johnson Purdue
Appling MSU



*Denotes POY candidate in 2013

Two-Man Race for All the Marbles

I just checked out the BS Bracket challenge and was kind of astonished at what has transpired. We've got two guys/ladies that are in the driver's seat...If UM wins, one of them will win, if Louisville wins, the other shall win:

I'm almost positive that we've never had a champ that was in the 99.9th percentile...but this year we shall.  Not too far down the charts, I see a few names I know; congrats to you guys too! To be in the top 95% in America in guessing who's the champ skillfully predicting the outcome of the tournament is saying something. Thanks to everyone who entered.

I'm not sure why an MSU fan would enter our challenge...nor am I sure why an MSU fan would pull for UM to win it all...if UM wins, I'm sure we'll find out from Spartante86...if L'Ville wins, it'll be dkboilerfan writing the guest post. Either way, the stakes are palpably-high.

Purdue vs Michigan: Close but no Cigar

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Purdue came out fighting against Michigan tonight leading at half time and on fire, but they fell short in Crisler to the (probable) soon to be number one team in the nation, falling 68 to 53 after a second half surge by the Wolverines.

Although this one surely hurt after such a great first half, the Boilermakers played with a lot of tenacity and looked decent.  If you compared this team to the EMU performance disaster a  few months ago one would have trouble recognizing it.

Tonight this team had a chance, despite the final score, and showed that they are going to be a threat come Big Ten Tournament time.  This Purdue squad is not someone teams are going to want to play the rest of the season.  They were just missing something, Hammons.  Hammons had an off night, that happens, and it showed but this team still fought.

They were led tonight by Terone Johnson who was 6-14 for 14 points.  Terone played pretty well tonight on both ends.

One of the things that hurt the Boilermakers tonight was poor shot selection by a few players, but that happens with a young team.

Defensively they all played a pretty sound game.  Anthony struggled on both ends of the floor, but overall they didn't let anyone have a huge game for their standards.  Michigan is a team that has the ability to go off at any time.  One thing that stuck out though is that four of their starters were in double digits, most of which came in the second half.

Overall the Boilers shot really well in the first even going 7-15 from three, but went cold in the second shooting 0-9 from beyond the arc.  At one point it just looked like they were  just daring Ronnie to shoot, but that will happen until he can prove he can hit it, similar to Lew Jack.

Although it was a loss, it wasn't as bad as people were saying it was going to be, Purdue covered the spread and played a great half of basketball, but Michigan was just too much.  Tonight was a step in the right direction, and anyway you look at it, we are watching something special form in Boiler Nation right now.

Choo Choo Mothas.

Purdue-Michigan: The Conference Season Begins

It's predicto time around these parts. This weekend, at a special 4 PM start time, the Boilers take on Michigan at home.

I think it's safe to say this is the most hyped the fan base has been going into a conference slate in quite a while. As Boilerdowd said on his video vignette, the question now is whether this is going to be an '06-'07 kind of team that folds when competition gets serious or an '03-'04 team that actually has the chops to compete against the meat of the schedule.

What do we think? Well, I'm so glad you asked. Let's go there now.

J says:

I know I've become the resident cynic, but I just haven't seen enough from Danny Hope-coached teams to believe -- just yet -- that they're going to be different than previous years. Yes, they did what we asked/hoped for in the pre-con, for the most part. And if they'd pulled out a very winnable game against Notre Dame, the Boilers would almost surely be a ranked squad, 4-0 heading into conference play.

I do remember guys like Ricardo Allen saying that the ND game was their "one slip up" and that it wasn't happening again. I like that mentality. I like the resolve. As I've said before, I really like the makeup and focus of this team.

That said, I don't know what to think about this week. Michigan isn't as good as was originally thought, which shouldn't be a complete shock, really, since they're only two years removed from being pretty terrible under RichRod. However, they're also not as bad as some are starting to suggest. Whether you think it was the result of a big lead or what, Purdue's defense gave up a lot to Marshall. This Wolverine defense is not the Herd defense, so as much as I'd like to say Purdue can outscore them, I'm not so sure about that. Yes, I know Alabama put an offensive whipping on Michigan, but let's not kid ourselves into think Purdue's offense is similar to Alabama's. There was also a fair amount written over at MGoBlog and elsewhere about the number of missed assignments by the Michigan defense against Alabama. One might think they've had the time to sort that out. And then, of course, there's always the Denard factor. The guy finds ways to torment defenses. Of course, his passes look worse than mine in a flag football game....here you go boys, go up and get it!

The problem, of course, is that Michigan's prototype receivers often can go get them, and while Purdue's secondary looked great last week, they're not huge guys. Josh Johnson seems as though he'll be consistent against anyone -- consistently good. Ricardo thus becomes the wild card here -- does he continue developing in the positive direction? Or does he get worked over like he has against talented receiving corps in the past?

I do think Purdue's defense is capable of causing Denard trouble. I think the line will have a good day and force him to move around and not have tons of time to throw the ball. I feel good about this, because I think it could lead to mistakes that the Purdue secondary has begun to show they are more than willing to capitalize on. But then my emotions swing back to remind me that Purdue has beaten three truly dreadful defenses. I do believe that you shouldn't be penalized for who you've played because you can only beat who's in front of you, though, and again as discussed, Purdue probably should have handed ND their only loss thus far.

I want to continue to pick Purdue to lose the games I actually think they'll lose, but when I look carefully at the matchup here, I keep thinking Purdue really does have a better-than-average chance. If they lose, I think it will be either because the coaching staff made some questionable decisions or they jerked around Marve and TerBush all day, since reports are indicating that Marve will be available. I guess what I'm saying is that coaching in general is what might undermine the Boilers tomorrow.

I was wrong last week and let's hope I'm wrong again. Boilers show well, but lose painfully.

Michigan 34
Purdue 27

Boilerdowd says:

Perhaps it's the wings on the helmet that give me nightmares or the memory of last year's game that resounds in my thick skull...but I haven't felt great about this game in spite of UM's two losses.

Sure, their two losses come to two of the better teams in the nation, according to early polls...but even in victory versus lousy teams, UM hasn't looked great.  I think most people in America came in to this year thinking as I did- it was logical that with a Senior QB that was a legit Heisman candidate last season, and the same coaches all returning, the Wolverines would be world beaters this season.  But, my eyes have told me a different story when I've watched them and the stats agree with my LASIK-improved organs.

UM doesn't sustain drives with great regularity this season and doesn't overwhelm in any one area.  Their pass efficiency and overall passing offense is in the bottom third of the league, they're last in the league in first downs and their rushing offense is in the middle of the conference...in spite of returning two of the leagues best running weapons in Toussaint and Robinson.

On the defensive side of the ball, there's good news and bad news- They're 12th in the league in sacks BUT they one of the best passing defenses in the league.  Plus, they're one of the worst rushing defenses in the league (that number is a bit skewed due to 'Bama's day v. UM).

On top of that, their kickoff coverage has been pretty lousy at times...and it kind of feels like Mostert is due to make a bit of noise.

Purdue did an OK job containing UND's Golson when they had to, but he was able to dump it off to his tight ends all day...and UM doesn't tend to use the tight end with a ton of regularity.  But, Robinson is a very rich man's Golson.

Josh Johnson has looked rock solid for the Boilers all year...and Allen, when not nicked up has played well too.  But, Gallon and what's-his-name have torched Purdue in the past...so Johson and Allen will need to play large for Purdue to win.

My biggest fear comes from Toussaint, Robinson and other UM backs getting on the outside v. Purdue's linebackers.  Michigan will have trouble manufacturing hard yards on the inside v. Gaston and Short...but teams quickly find Purdue's weakness when they have to, and UM is filled with capable skilled position players to exploit Purdue.

Earlier in the week, it looked like it was going to be like UM's last visit to God's country- gray, cold, rainy...but now it's going to be cool (lower 50s) and clear.  That's good- I don't like TerBush without good footing.

If Purdue (read as Marve and TerBush) stays patient and doesn't try to test UM over the middle, and on defense, Purdue's front can contain Robinson, this could be a slugfest...but if it comes down to a field goal, I don't like Purdue's chances too much.

That said, I kind of feel like UM is still a better team than they've shown...and they'll be ready coming off of the bye week.  Plus, I really like Hoke as a coach and think he'll have the corn and blue dialed in. Purdue struggles as we watch too many QB changes...

UM 31
Purdue 20

Boilers Make Michigan Go Blue On Senior Night; Win 75-61

Lew is clubbed in the head while Smotrycz
acts like he's been clipped by a sniper

Here's a revolutionary formula: Shoot 50% overall, 47% from three, 88% from the line. Rebound well, don't turn the ball over a lot and make smart decisions. Oh, and be confident in your abilities and stick to a game plan.

Yes, the "revolutionary" part of the above paragraph is facetious. When you do those things and you're a talented basketball team, you will win a lot more than you'll lose. The Boilermakers went into Ann Arbor tonight (oh baby) to take on the 13th ranked and 15-0 at home Michigan Wolverines on their senior night. That's not usually a good situation to be heading into, especially when you've struggled against good teams this year, especially ranked teams.

However, one may recall the way Purdue came ready to play against OSU in Columbus not long ago, and the Boilers clearly remembered letting the 66-64 loss slip away at home vs UM on January 24.

The Boilers leaped out to a quick 9-2 start and though Michigan would of course come back -- many times -- tonight definitely looked different. As B-dowd said to me after the game, Purdue would stretch the lead and then Michigan would make a run -- as all good teams do -- and get it back to very close again...and then Purdue would stretch it back out again, with timely buckets, dagger threes and the emergence of Terone Johnson.

Zero went off tonight, with a career-high 22 points on 75% (!) shooting, including 100% (4-4) from the line, to go along with 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Not a bad night. Plus, the way he scored the points was as important as the points themselves. Time after time, Terone drove to the hole and laid it on, several times drawing a foul in the process. What I loved about it all was the way, as the game wore on, TJohn clearly wanted the ball in his hands. He wanted to make that play and to be the guy. I absolutely loved that and I don't think it can be overstated. Is he going to play this way every night? Of course not, and he doesn't need to. TJohn is a sophomore. Good things are coming.

Rob Hummel also continued looking like his old self as he has in recent games, putting up 17 and 9. It wasn't always pretty, as Rob shot 5-12 from the field, but he warmed up considerably in the second half, winding up shooting 75% from three and the same 100% (4-4) from the line as Terone. Rob's nine rebounds were also huge, as the Boilers managed to outrebound the Wolverines by one, 28-27. To be fair, Michigan's game isn't based on size, either, so let's keep that in mind.

Lewis Jackson also continued his strong play down the stretch, scoring 9 big points, to go with 5 assists and only one turnover.

Purdue was 14-16 from the line, with the only two misses coming from AJohn, who still went 2-4, which, for him, is a banner night. Conversely, the Wolverines only went to the line four times and went 2-4 there. The Boilers committed only 8 fouls on the night to the Wolves 15. That's definitely one of those weird discrepancies that usually doesn't happen because of the way home court affects the below-average officials in the NCAA. However, Valentine, Burr and Hightower weren't in town gesticulating for the crowd, which is the only thing I can think of.

As mentioned, everyone looked confident as they all carried out their assignments. One guy who's usually a culprit when things aren't looking smooth and who take a lot of abuse from the fans is Travis Carroll and Travis was good tonight. He scored six points, didn't miss a shot from the field or the line and even made Michigan pay for laying off him as he was out at around 19 feet and buried a shot from there.

Ryne was fairly quiet, but his hustle was still there and he did shoot 75% from the field (3-4) and grabbed four boards. 

Michigan is a very good team, let's make no mistake about that, but they are stubborn. Tim Hardaway, Jr. (and I'm glad he's got the "Jr." on his jersey so I don't mistake him for his papa) decided he was going to shoot and shoot and shoot in the hopes that one of the bricks he was flinging around would crack the block of ice in which he was encased. Zack Novak, long one of our least-favorites here at BS, finishes his career 2-4 against Purdue with a 14 point exclamation point on his senior night. I feel a little bad saying that, but then I just need to look at Novak's face.

That said, Belein has these guys playing pretty well and maybe tonight was partly Purdue but also partly Michigan not staying focused. That can happen on big nights and I can imagine the Wolverines wanting another shot at the Boilers in Indy in a couple of weeks.  

Tonight, the Purdue bench remained short as the only guys getting significant minutes were AJ and DJ. Coach Matty is clearly feeling these are his guys for the upcoming March run and they're responding. They look, to me at least, as though they've figured a few things out. They look as though they simply don't care anymore about the bad breaks they may have had, the leads they may have blown, the troublemakers they've had among them. They know who they are now, as you often do by February, and they're rolling with it. The road is coming to an end one way or the other for Rob, Lew and Ryne, and I suspect those guys are ready to give us all everything they've got left in the tanks.

Purdue lacked a "signature" win; they lacked a win over a ranked team in fact, as we discussed last week. Despite those facts, I didn't necessarily look at tonight as a proverbial "must win." With another two games remaining, the Boilers still could finish strong and, honestly, should have wound up no worse than 19-12 (9-9) if you chalked up losses on the road and a win at home versus PSU on senior night. While no games can be taken for granted, I simply cannot see the Boilers being swept by the last place team in the conference or losing on Rob Hummel's senior night. So now they're looking at having 20 wins going into next weekend....and then the guys head to IU for their senior night.

After tonight's win and the composure the Boilers showed in soundly beating a team that is considerably better than IU, I'm starting to think that March 4 in Ass Hall will be a battle royale. And I'm thinking our guys will be more than ready.

Choo-choo.

Boilers Gut-Punched In West Lafayette, 66-64

Just out of reach.

The snazzy silver unis did not bring the needed magic tonight, as the Boilers fell to Michigan at home, 66-64. It was an exciting game, with end to end action and not a whole lot of defense being played, and a total of only 21 free throws shot between the two teams. Kind of an unusual Big Ten game, by usual standards. In the end, though, it was a bad ending for the home team.

For the first time in two years, the Boilers have lost multiple home games at Mackey. For the first time in seven years, Michigan has a win in Mackey. And for the first time in five years, the Boilers have seven losses before the end of January. I'm sure I could come up with more, but it's depressing me, so I will stop there. It's a year of too many non-good firsts-in-a-while for the Boilers and the road is getting more and more difficult.

Before Saturday against Michigan State, I assured B-dowd and others that the Boilers were making the NCAA tournament. I pointed out that at 14-5, if the Boilers went even .500 in their remaining dozen games, they'd be 20-11 (10-8 in the Big Ten). That would surely be enough, and doesn't even include potential Big Ten Tournament wins.

Well, they're 0-2 as they begin that final dozen games and so now ten games remain, with six wins needed to get to 20. Why 20? I just think the committee likes 20-win teams from power conferences -- especially the best conference. I am certain that a 20-win Purdue team gets in without a sweat. So now the tall order is 6-4 down the stretch. And while I know there are many of you thinking this team is veering sharply towards an NIT berth, there is still plenty of basketball to be played, and one thing I've learned from watching competitive Big Ten ball is that you just never know. Teams that look unbeatable are suddenly toppled, teams that looked left for dead rise again. And this year is particularly nutty in the conference. So I am not ready to give up, especially given the effort we saw from the leaders tonight.

Rob Hummel and Lewis Jackson came out and played incredibly solid games. Rob shook off his career-worst performance in East Lansing over the weekend to put in 16 points, grab 5 boards and dish 6 assists. Lew fought through his continuing back issues to lead the team in scoring with 17 points. LewJack also had 8 assists and went 6-8 from the floor and 5-6 from the line. Lew came to play and looked positively despondent when the Boilers came up short.

Nobody else on the team broke into double digits, with Ryne coming the closest with 9 points on 3-8 shooting. Terone Johnson continued his staggeringly atrocious FT shooting (currently at 33%) and Kelsey Barlow played nine minutes and was held scoreless. Awesome. 

Once again, the Boilers had stretches of lethargic play, poor rebounding and completely ice cold shooting. However, the bright spot was the Boilers 17-4 run that took them from a 44-34 deficit to a 51-47 lead. Mackey was noticeably loud (and all credit to the Paint Crew for that noise as the old people in view of the sideline camera were sitting motionless, as per usual), the Wolverines were reeling and the good guys were looking as excited as we've seen them in quite a while. This run was where DJ Byrd his his two threes, Ryne hit a couple of his and Rob seemed to be everywhere. I will say, it was nice to be on the positive side of the come-from-behind run like that.

Unfortunately, though, the Boilers found the crevice again and fell through it, failing to make a field goal for the final four minutes of the game. Incredible. I don't know how you fix this weird streakiness or at least find a way to get points when things have gone cold...but you need to if you're Matt Painter. Otherwise, an NIT berth will become more and more likely.

Here's to February 29th, Senior Night, being Rob, Lewis and Ryne's last game in Mackey and not some meaningless "tournament" game in March.

Hatin' With Might and Main: Michigan

Sometimes it's easy to remember what you don't like about an opponent. Other times it's harder. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, BS is here to help. In a new feature (and you know how well we stick to new features), we'll help you figger out why you should hate Purdue's next opponent, mainly using third grade playground insults and other such high-brow stuff you've come to love BS for. 


Up today: The Michigan Wolverines.

What should you not like about the maize? Manny Harris' elbow, for starters, which was of course "accidental." And resulted in an ejection.

The Fab Five still is a stain on Big Ten basketball. Those guys were openly being paid off and then we're supposed to feel sorry that their banners aren't hanging in Crisler? Hey, you guys can visit your banners anytime you want in the storage closet.

Ann Arbor is a....well, you know.

Zach Novak.

The whiney 'bags from American Pie were from Michigan.

You're welcome to add your own.

7 PM, ESPN.

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.

Finally: Rich Rodriguez Shows Some Emotion

At UM's football post-season banquet, The menu was potatoes, carrots, braised beef (or chicken with cream sauce) and whine...provided by the head coach. There was also dancing by the team and coach to tunes by Josh Groben. Truly sounds like a magical night.

Late in the night, Roy Roundtree commented* on the event saying, "Unlike Purdue, this wasn't boring. What we saw tonight is the reason I came to Michigan."

Jovial RichRod

Enthusiastic RichRod

Suspicious RichRod

Supportive RichRod

Theatrical RichRod

Concerned RichRod

Pensive RichRod

Content RichRod

Nauseous RichRod

Cockshur RichRod

*Roundtree might or might not have said it...but he thought it.

How many losses is okay for the BCS?

It's just too bad. And not fair. This was the year that the echoes would win it all, right? They still can right? Won't the media make it happen? I mean, come on. Michigan is obviously the Michigan of old. They'd have to be. They beat Notre Dame after all. You have to be a freaking* good team to beat them after all.

Also (not to kick the guy whiles he's down, but...) how many hot dogs does that guy eat every day? Seriously. I'm not in stellar shape either, but at least I'm taller than I am wide.

* applies to any team that is not Hawaii or has a winning record.

BS Capsule Previews: Michigan Wolverines

Over the next few weeks, we'll be providing a quick-hit, uninformed, uneducated, poorly-researched capsule preview of each Big Ten football team (you know, kind of like typical reporters). Why spend time bringing in guests who actually know something about these other schools when we can just make knee-jerk comments and predictions, with heavy bias based on our love of Boilermaker sports? Enjoy.

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Michigan

Last year: 3-9 Overall, 2-6 Big Ten
Vs. Boilermakers: Lost 48-42

UM has had a rather, let’s say, rocky transition to new head coach Rich Rodriguez. Of course, four-loss Lloyd overstayed his welcome a bit, even by UM supporters own admission. One would assume that’s the only reason they’re still trying to look ahead and not longing for the days of cuddly Lloyd Carr.

Last season, Michigan struggled through their worst season in several decades. However, among their three victories were ones over then #9 Wisconsin on September 27 and a bowl-bound Minnesota team on November 8. The Minny win was just a week after losing a shootout to the Boilers in West Lafayette. Is it indicative of Michigan’s potential or how secretly bad Minnesota really was?

Michigan’s football program has continued to have problems, with further linemen transfers and other dismissals from the team. Still, there are many who believe once RichRod gets his guys in place and his system rolling, this will be a program to be feared once again. It seems doubtful, though, that this season is that year.

Looking at the schedule, one has to think things could get ugly again.

September 5 Western Michigan
September 12 Notre Dame
September 19 Eastern Michigan
September 26 Indiana
October 3 at Michigan State
October 10 at Iowa
October 17 Delaware State
October 24 Penn State
October 31 at Illinois
November 7 Purdue
November 14 at Wisconsin
November 21 Ohio State

This isn’t exactly a murderer’s row schedule, but it’s not completely peppered with tasty cupcakes, either. Western Michigan was a 9-win team last year, Notre Dame is ranked (fo’ real!) and then there’s the regular spate of tough Big Ten tests.

If Michigan IS going to surprise people, this schedule sets up nicely for that, I think. The first four games are all at home and, honestly, are all winnable. In fact, I imagine UM would be disappointed if they don’t have a 3-1 start. And would that begin to get attention? It just might.

However, if they go 2-2 or worse, or get humbled by Pickles Clausen in their own house, well, then things go from bad to worse and the 2009 death spiral begins. Is this the season programs like Purdue see reasons not to fear going to the Big House? Perhaps.

Best case: 8-4. With those first four winnable home games, it’s conceivable that people are calling RichRod a genius after the first month. Tough road tests at MSU and Iowa follow back to back, but even chalking up losses there, the season’s not a goner.

Worst case: 3-9. Yes, last year could happen all over again. As mentioned, the death spiral begins if those first four games go poorly.

Our prediction: 5-7. It’s hard to see them coming up with more than two victories after those first four. So even a 3-1 start leads to just false hope and a second-consecutive non-bowling season.

UM Panties Remain Bunched, Cause Strange Justifications

We found it interesting that the write-ups from several prominent and respected (usually, even by us) Michigan sites were so up-in-arms over the incident in Mackey Arena on Saturday. The incident, which you know unless you accidentally navigated in here while doing a Google search on Boiled Crawfish or something (and if so, welcome), was the one in which Manny Harris of Michigan put his elbow into Chris Kramer's nose and was then ejected from the game.

First, let's take a look at some of the foot-stomping going on out there in the 'sphere:

From the UM Rivals board:

Watch the clip and tell me: did Manny even make contact with Kramer's face? I don't think he did. I think Kramer flopped and broke his nose when he fell on the floor.

Yes, I'm sure that's what happened. Kramer's face never hit the floor. Come on. Look at it frame by frame.

From Maize n Brew:

"Unfortunately, Purdue's Kramer was checking Harris from approximately 1 inch away with his face very closely. So when Harris swung through, his elbow caught Kramer in the nose (who quickly went to the floor) and what transpired next could only be aptly described as a sham of officiating."

Who "quickly went to the floor"? Is this implying Kramer was acting? He actually lost consciousness. So yeah, what a flopper. Let's move along.

MnB then goes on to quote from the rule book, as do other sites, but they of course pull the parts that support their boy.

Do you really want to use the rulebook? Because so can we. Many of the UM sites are saying sure he deserved a flagrant, but since he didn't MEAN to hurt Kramer, he shouldn't have been ejected. Unfortunately, just like not knowing how fast you're going isn't an excuse to get out of a speeding ticket, not "meaning" to hurt someone is no reason not to be penalized. Let me share a subsection of Rule 10, Article 13 with you:

Rule 10, Article 13, sub e, sub-sub 2: Two free throws [are awarded] for an intentional personal or flagrant personal foul and the ball awarded at a designated spot nearest to where the foul occurred.

Any flagrant personal foul shall result in ejection of the offender.

Read that last line again. Not to pick on anyone in particular, but Michigan Sports Center makes the case like this:

This was a ridiculous call simply because Harris didn't intentionally hit Kramer. I can't stress that enough. It was an accident.

Once it was determined that it was a flagrant personal foul, Manny was done. It's not debatable. And it doesn't matter if he really is a nice guy and didn't mean to do it. He did it and so he's guilty.

What's really disappointing was the normally level-headed MGoBlog's take, which was this:

"It's one thing to lose. It's another thing to lose partially, largely, or entirely because of the incompetence of a referee.... [It was] a foul and was adjudged one until such point as Scrappy Heady IQ Head For The Scrappy Eckstein started gushing blood out of his nose and the Purdue crowd cried out, at which point it was cause to boot Manny Harris. From there Michigan imploded."

A few things... one, we're not arguing that the Big Ten officials are awful and incompetent and stealing money from the NCAA. They miss calls both ways. But these digs at Kramer as though he embelleshed this are just ridiculous. He didn't "gush blood" for effect. And it wasn't the crowd being angry that got Manny booted -- it was a couple of other things...

As already detailed, no matter how sweet a guy Manny Harris is, it was a flagrant foul. And a flagrant foul -- especially one causing injury -- is cause for ejection. Even if Manny teaches disabled children how to walk again and has singing voice that makes doves appear. It's irrelevant.

And, yes, Zack Novak's blatant elbow in the previous game against OSU does affect things. Sorry, boys, but your team is being looked at more closely now. You have guys throwing elbows and getting suspended and so when another elbow happens in the very next game you simply cannot act outraged that people begin to ask questions.

One of the other popular things today is to take rips at Jay Bilas' comments on ESPN that night. He said Belein has to "get his team under control." And this is true. Whether or not you think Manny's elbow was intentional, it's now a pattern. And who is responsible? The coach. None of us here think he's coaching them to elbow guys. But both incidents occurred when his players were very frustrated -- one in a blowout loss (Novak) and the other when their leading scorer was getting worked by Kramer.

And what about the other comments made by guys more respected that Bilas? How about Bob Knight pointing out that if the defender gets up on you, that's his space. You do not have the right to swing your elbows into his nose. That is a flagrant offensive foul.

Michigan fans have every right to be bothered by this situation. But to toss the rulebook around and act as though it's silly to eject a guy who drew blood by committing a textbook flagrant foul -- especially in light of recent elbowing fouls on the same team -- is just being a little bit short-sighted. We thought maybe everybody just needed to calm down after a disappointing loss and would then come to their senses. Guess not, though.

What enraged most of the Mackey crowd more than the play, though, was that after the decision was made, Belien's repeated physical turning around of the official to continue arguing with him. Matt Painter gets a technical foul at the end of the first half because he argued with the officials over a non-call when Robbie Hummel gets mugged, yet John Belein can assault the referees at his leisure and until he's done with his dissertation. We were there and, trust me, that's what almost caused the riot.

When Kramer got the elbow to the face, we didn't actually think Manny should be ejected. We were actually pissed at the officials at that point. As Boilerdowd said to me, "You have two teams that play pressure defense in each other's faces and you call a total of ten team fouls in the first half. This is what happens."

Was this like someone stepping on another player's head or like Zack Novak's elbow in the previous game? Absolutely, unequivocally, not.

Was it a flagrant foul that the rulebook says you get ejected for?

Yes, it was.

Clash of the Titans -- Purdue vs. Michigan

[Editor's Note: When I did a Google Image Search on "clash of the titans," this picture of Jennifer Connelly came up. Who am I to argue with Google? Those are indeed....titanic.]

The powerhouse that is the 2008 Purdue Boilermakers football program faces down the juggernaut that is the Michigan Wolverines football program this Saturday in Ross-Ade Stadium at Noon sharp in front of a sellout a packed house thousands of some fans.

We sat down with Maize n Brew to have a little discussion about it. Our questions and his answers are here. Check out Maize n Brew for the other half of the interview, when they got to ask us questions.

Boiled Sports: So here we are, two 2-6 teams, but from where we sit Michigan's 2-6 is really of the hard-luck variety, wouldn't you agree? A break here, a break there, and Rich Rodriguez has this team in national title contention.... right?

Maize n Brew: Well, the way I see it, Michigan might as well be 8-0, and I don't think a National Title bid is out of the question. I've come up with this gameplan to emphasize how Michigan could still win the national title, and really, I think it's possible... just replace "Australia" with "Michigan."

BS: Do you ever get tired of watching the singular awesomeness of Steve Threet? I mean, it's just amazing... he's like Terrell Pryor's twin. Am I right?

MnB: You might have Painter making a run at the Heisman, but for my money, there isn't a quarterback more exciting to watch than Steven Threet. Passes fly through the air like Monarch butterflies on the breeze of a rainbow, hanging....hanging....hanging up there. And have you seen this kid run? He's like the PETA approved version of Mike Vick, so much in fact that he often times drops the ol' pigskin just so he doesn't upset anyone. We've told him it's not really a pigskin, but the kid's got his head so screwed on that he does it anyways, just to be sure.

BS: I don't know about you, but I have to imagine UM fans are confident, perhaps to the point of cocky, going into this weekend's tilt against Purdue. Is there ANY way you guys lose this game?

MnB: Please, you're too kind. If anything, I think this is a blowout in Purdue's favor. I mean, look at the talent on that squad! Sheets, Painter, Running backs playing quarterback, cats and dogs, LIVING TOGETHER.

BS: Clearly, the national media has realized the significance of this game... we're in the primo, highly-desirable 12 noon timeslot. I assume you agree that the only better time to play is at 9 AM on a Tuesday morning... which is perhaps where this game should be.

MnB: I'm actually surprised that ESPN hasn't been running the countdown on the ticker. Blatant anti-Big Ten bias if you ask me.

BS: Michigan's players are used to playing in front of 109K fans every week. How will they deal with the deafening silence emitted from 40,000 fans at Ross-Ade? Hand signals? Clapping? Scoring touchdowns?

MnB: I'm not sure how Michigan's going to handle the raucous Ross-Ade crowd. I've heard they've been practicing to the sound of crickets overlayed on the jingle from Burger King's Steakhouse Shroom 'n Swiss song. Rodriguez never stops gameplanning, my friend. He's ready for you wastrels.

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Tune in to Maize n Brew to read the other half of this enchanting interview... wherein we get to answer the questions.

Michigan Week -- Purdue Coaches Room

Coach Hope: Men, thanks for assembling. I know we're having fewer and fewer coaches meetings because A) the season is a loss and B) Coach Tiller is often very sleepy, so I genuinely appreciate you showing up. Here's the thing -- we have the maize and blue this week, who are also 2-6 and whom everyone is beating up on. We need to beat them. Brock, what do you think for this week's defensive game plan? You must have something up your sleeve.

Brock Spack:



Coach Hope: Ah, I see. You're truly a defensive wizard, Brock. But see, here's the thing -- we want to keep Coach Tiller in the dark on our opponent this week -- Shh! Don't say the name! -- because Joe is very... scared of this squad.

[Tiller begins to enter room]

Coach Legg Rock: You mean Michigan?

[Tiller freezes mid-stride, eyes widen]

Coach Hope: Dammit.

[Tiller runs from the room, grabbing Curtis Painter by the arm and fleeing]

Tiller: Come with me, Curtis! I'll save you, my little buckaroo!!

BS Reader Poll -- Game 9

The place we always felt that Joe Tiller pooped himself when he walked in was the Big House in Ann Arbor. So, as a present to Joe in his last season, the Wolverines will be coming to the Ross-Ade House.

Michigan is a complete unknown this year. There are some who think it’ll be a hard year with a lot of struggling, as they move to the RichRod era. Others seem to think they’ll still be Michigan, which means a “down” season is 7-8 wins. We’re still not sure. What do you think? Vote it up.

Game 9
November 1, 2008
Michigan at Purdue
OTT Preview




Vote on other games!

Charlie Weis An Expert Motivator...For Michigan

Some video surfaced over the weekend of Charlie Weis trying to rally the troops in South Bend and I'm guessing he'd prefer the video not be making the rounds like it is. The upshot, if you haven't seen it or heard it is that Weis implies the Michigan Wolverines will come into South Bend in September making excuses about their team and he finishes with a flourish: "To hell with Michigan!"

As the SportsbyBrooks article so neatly lays out, here was Fat Charlie's commentary in the video:

“I’ve always been one never to make excuses and not blow hot air. I believe you have to back up your words by performance on the field. I think that’s the message our team is going to try to stay, we’re gonna start on September 6 with San Diego State, we’re going from there. I think the first opportunity we’ll have to make a statement is that day.

“Then we’ll listen to Michigan have all their excuses as they come running in, saying how they have a new coaching staff and those changes. To hell with Michigan.”

I'm not sure where I would even start.

Well, okay, I do. Charlie, you're never one to blow hot air? Come on. I mean, just... come on!

And you believe you need to back up your words on the field? Well, I do, too, and that's admirable of you. But you lost 38-0 last year to an 0-2 Michigan team that was QBed by a freshman (Ryan Mallett) who hated his coach. And you're going to talk smack?

And to bash a program like Michigan, well, I would think it'd make more sense to bash us, you know? If we got mad, what's the worst we could do? Beat your ninny boys by a couple TDs? Michigan might hurt you. Like, physically damage your pretty-boy QB.

But on the subject of non-excuse making, let's look at a couple of gems from Charlie from last season...

When Demetrius Jones bailed on ND before their 38-0 drubbing against Michigan last fall, Fat Chuckles said this:

"What happened came as a surprise," Weis said. "But I'm not going to use it as an excuse and say our team was distracted."

No, clearly you're not going to say that. We've point this out before, but this is like saying, "Your sister's low-cut top and huge tits came as a surprise to me, but I'm not going to insult you and call her a whore."

Against BC a few weeks later, Evan Sharpley was a putrid 11 for 29 for 135 yards and the story was this:

Clausen started but failed to lead the Irish to a score. He was 7-of-20 for 60 yards and was pulled after he threw his second interception on Notre Dame's first offensive play of the second half. That set up BC's third touchdown.

"I'm never big on blaming the quarterback for the lack of production on the offense," Weis said.

Gotcha. So you'll just comment on how you WON'T say that.

Oh, and hey, remember when the Trojans curb-stomped the Irish 38-0 for the second 38-0 shellacking ND took last year? And Chuck said this:

When asked if he believes the Irish have hit rock bottom, Weis chose his words carefully.
"I'm going to answer that very cautiously, because I don't want to be called sarcastic using New Jersey rhetoric," he said. "So let me just say people better enjoy it now, have their fun now."

Yeah, everybody better enjoy it now... all you meanies enjoying ND struggling! We're a class act and we'll be back! Of course, the minute Michigan has a struggle, like a new coach installing a new offense, fatso will be the first one to mock them, implying they're making excuses they haven't even had a chance to make yet.

Oh, I was already looking forward to college football but this kind of stuff just makes it even better. Keep talking, Charlie.

Congrats Blue! I guess they're not so slow.

Congrats Coach Carr and the UM Seniors on getting a bowl victory!


The myth that the Big Ten is slow as a conference really is rooted in last year's national championship game as everybody knows. Guys like Ted Ginn, Dorien Bryant, Derrick Williams, James Laurinaitis and others are all sticks-in-the mud...so the braintrust at ESPN tells us. Turns out, that might not be the case. Mario Manningham reversed field twice versus Florida today...I'm pretty sure you can't do that if you're slow.

Here's what makes you look slow: Confusion. A better team will confuse a lesser team and make them look perplexed and leave them flat-footed and out of position...Youth can make you look slow, so can a scheme. But there's no shortage on speed in our little conference.

Michigan looked fast v. a good SEC team today, Wisconsin looked slow v. a good SEC team today. But it was just today...Sadly, it will take OSU beating LSU for the slow moniker to fall, so make it happen, Bucks.

Weekend of Fun

As boilerdowd mentions in the post below, this was a solid start to the football season for our beloved Boilermakers. Not so much for Michigan and Notre Dame, storied programs that, of late, have really only been storied in their own minds and recruiting brochures.

As you've no doubt heard, Michigan lost -- at home -- to Division I-AA Appalachian State on Saturday. I found the pictured billboard that is proudly displayed in Boone, NC (where I've actually been a couple of times, believe it or not) and I have to say, while I'm happy for the Mountaineers and their unparallelled accomplishment, I think this billboard is a bit misleading.

Regardless, here's an interesting factoid: Did you know that Michigan has now lost three straight games (dating back to last season) for the first time since, get this, 1979. That's incredible. Lloyd Carr must really wish he retired now. Good plan on coming back for a shot at that national title, Lloyd!

In other parts of the midwest, Notre Dame got pummelled by G Tech, 33-3. And it's wonderful. Fat Charlie used all three of his useless quarterbacks who, granted, probably won't always be useless, much to our chagrin.

But what's even more wonderful is that Georgia Tech? Not so good. I mean, the Yellow Jackets QB went 11 for 23 for 121 yards against a weak defense. Fortunately for GT, ND couldn't stop the run if Charlie's Twinkie supply was at stake. So while it's simply gleeful to see the Domers get curb-stomped at home like this, it's only whetting our appetites for what might happen to them when they play Penn State or a pissed off Michigan team in two weeks.

Do you know how many yards ND rushed for on Saturday? Minus-9. Outstanding.

On the Sports Reporters on Sunday, Bob Ryan came down on Fat Charlie a bit, saying, "Okay, Charlie, this is year three, it's the second full recruiting class... you gotta do better."

Now, if it were my team, I'd tell Ryan to shut the hell up. Weis has gotten admirable results and the program is at least better than when he came in. However, since Notre Dame rarely gets their fair share of criticism, I say cheers to you, Mr. Ryan. Pile on.

The bloom is going to be off the rose on Chuck very soon. In a year or two, Savior Jimmy Claussen may indeed be able to lead ND back to glory (or at least 8-win-and-a-bowl-loss status), but the question is whether or not Fat Charlie will still be there.