Sparty Punches out Purdue at Mackey

Other than a really bad flagrant foul call, there were no dramatics this time...just a good team beating up on a not-so-good team in methodical fashion.

Run over.

Unlike in the loss versus Northwestern, Purdue seemed to fight and play hard...but the discrepancy between Prudue and MSU at this point is not a gap, but a chasm.  MSU has a system that the players buy into...and they have a ton of size, athleticism and talent.

Purdue continues to look discombobulated...has no chemistry or cohesion and a bunch of players wearing the same jersey who really aren't on the same team.

On a night that Robbie Hummel's number was put in the rafters of Mackey alongside Moore's, and Darrell Hazell was introduced to the fans, students and alums, the Mackey crowd was lackluster...but I'm not so sure I could blame them on this night.

Much like IU, UM, aOSU and even Northwestern last week, Purdue just doesn't look like it belongs with many of the teams in the B1G this season.  Like I said, at least the effort was better overall, but Purdue isn't very good right now.  Jacob Lawson, who hadn't played in the last few games played two minutes; which was good to see...Hale played solidly...Marcius played with energy, used his fouls up quickly (7 minutes, 5 fouls). RonJohn's 15pts, 8ast and 3steals were solid offensively, but he struggled mightily to slow down Appling. Hammons 13pts and 8 rebounds were solid, but he seemed to force his shots early.  TJohn's 20 points led all Boilers...but Purdue couldn't really get the game into single digits for the majority of the second half.  It was like MSU would just bat Purdue away if they got it down to 13...The final score of 78 to 65 really doesn't indicate how much command of the game that MSU had.

DJ Byrd attempted just one shot...and was in foul trouble for most of the game.  His last foul and subsequent body language afterward showed his agitation with the game.  MSU dictated the physicality of the game, the officials dictated how much they'd allow Purdue to do...and Purdue just kinda went along with it.  Poor free throw shooting (just under 65%) made a difference in this one...but if Purdue had been making FTs, I feel like MSU would have just done something differently to push the game back out to a 15 point lead (or something close to it).

Purdue only shot 5 three pointers...and it's a good thing- they went 1 for 5.  This Purdue team continues to be defined by poor shooting, regardless of the situation, awful offensive flow, mediocre defense and, at least they have this, solid rebounding.

With this loss, Purdue slips back to the familiar .500 (12-12)...but don't get comfortable with that fellow Boiler fans- the way this team is playing right now, they'll probably finish 5 or six games under .500.  At this point, Purdue is what they are...and I don't know if I've ever said this sentence in my life- it would take a miracle for our Boilers to make the NIT.

Purdue travels to Assembly Hall this week to play an Illinois team that really wants to break their 8-game losing streak v. the Boilers...then on to Ass. Hall to play a horribly-coached and amazingly-talented squad.

Seasons like this have consequences...They're tough on the fanbase, coaching staff and team.  Rumors are swirling about the futures of a couple of the players on the team.  I've said it before, I'd like to see everyone return...But only if they're willing to buy into the system and work in the off-season.  EVERYONE has work to do on this roster...and if they're not willing to do it, they should think about heading somewhere else.  But if they use these ass kickings as learning opportunities, good things can happen in '13/'14.

That's a tough concept to swallow for a ton of reasons-  First off, DJ Byrd's career is not going to end anything like many thought it would...that's too bad; I like Byrd and wish things were different for a myriad of reasons.  BUT, if TJohn thinks that this will be his team just because he's a Senior next year, he needs to learn from what he's watched up close this year.

Little things like missing free throws send a bad message to under classmen...if 0 wants things to get back on track for the program, he needs to start doing little things now. That's a tall order for a guy whose effort (specifically on defense) has been inconsistent.

I feel like I'm being pretty damned negative- those of you who are reading probably didn't enjoy reading it anymore than I enjoyed writing it...and apologize for that.  But this season has been a tough one to watch.

Keep your heads up.

And There You Have It.

Barlow Done at Purdue

So just as this Purdue team was starting to gain traction for the first time all season, stupidity strikes, and the end result is a starter/sixth man is no longer on the team and another is suspended.

Matt Painter did the right thing here...and I'm sure this is something he was hoping to never have to do.  He had given Barlow a small margin for error following his problems and subsequent suspension last season...so last night's fight, that seems to have stemmed from Barlow acting like a hot head, ends with Byrd suspended and Barlow booted.

MSU manhandled a full-strength, but fatigued, Purdue squad last month...and to beat them, Purdue would have greatly-benefitted from everyone being available and focused on the job at hand.  Instead, you have a bunch of players that have been given the gag order from Painter about last night's incident, who are surely thinking about what went down, trying to get back to the job at hand- beating the seventh-best team in America.

With the disciplinary action, LewJack, TJohn, Smith, AJ and Hart will have to play good, no, great games to beat MSU...as will the rest of their teammates.

"Are you F-ing Serious that this is happening...Again?"

Pour It On: Purdue v. MSU Cv.C Update

When we posted the link for the Coaches v. Cancer competition between Purdue & MSU, the good guys were down by a few hundred dollars. At this point we're up by almost double the sum that MSU has donated.

Let's put more distance between Pete and Sparty. If you haven't done so yet, this is a good cause, so throw a few dollars into the hat...and it's always good to beat MSU.

Donate Today

Sparty Predicto

Tim says:
Take worst parts of past 5 games and repeat them this week. I wonder who can get injured on the first play this week. Will anyone spontaneously combust? Sudden onset of gangrene? Leprosy? I'd say there must be something in the water, but in reality I think the strength and conditioning crew all need to be replaced.

It will take a miracle to get bowl eligible, but that's not even mentioning that if this team goes to a bowl it very well may be the worst bowl team in history. The offense simply cannot move the ball. How many times in a row can you run the ball while expecting the defense to pretend to care about the pass? Sure you're missing most of your weapons, but get a little creative on offense anyway. Oh wait. Remember the reverse last week where Edison saw the QB from 20 yards away and still ran right into him? I guess creativity just isn't in the cards either.

Michigan State 38
Purdue 6

J says:

I wish I could see any reason to be optimistic because it's much more fun to believe good things are possible. And while I'll still be supporting the guys, I really see no way they can win this. That's bothersome to me for lots of reasons, one of which is that at the start of the season, I truly felt there were NO games Purdue would have no shot in. I know a lot has happened, and everyone points to injuries, but injuries don't excuse a lack of preparation, or guys not catching the ball correctly on kick returns.

Last week, every time the defense gave us reason to believe and bailed the team out, the offense found a way to punch another hole in the hull....below the water line.

Purdue would need to be incredible on defense and mistake-free on offense to beat MSU this weekend. How likely do you think the latter is?

MSU ends Purdue's bowl hopes for a third straight season.

Michigan State 31
Purdue 13

boilerdowd says:

You know what has bothered me more than anything this week? The Toledo loss from the pre-con. And while I'm positive that the bowl that Purdue might have gotten with 6 wins wouldn't be great, that extra few weeks of practice is helpful for the development of young players...something Hope has needed and will continue to need as his time at Purdue continues. None of that matters now- Purdue is still mathematically alive for a bowl...at least for 24 hours or so; so we can hold onto hope for a bit.

With a healthier offense, we know the Boilers would be a bit more-effective...but things are what they are. Purdue couldn't move the ball last week versus a bad Michigan defense. I don't have much of a reason to believe my Boilers will be able to move the ball versus one of the best rushing and scoring defenses in the league.

Kerrigan, Short and Allen all need to score on defense...and ATM on special teams for a win to be possible...So I'm saying we have a chance!

Michigan State 28
Purdue 10

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

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

Time to Regroup

30% from the field.

16 points in the second half.

44 points overall.

Outrebounded 44-16.

A terrible loss, 53-44.

This one stings. It stings for a lot of reasons and not just the obvious ones. It drops the Boilers into a three-way tie for first place in the Big Ten. Assuming everyone wins out, it's a co-championship at best. But it's time to worry about more than that.

Purdue has somehow lost their identity, it seems. We never doubted or argued that Rob Hummel wasn't important. However, there's no reason for E'Twaun Moore or JaJuan Johnson to suddenly become a poor shooters (3-13 and 4-14, respectively, from the field). Or for Chris Kramer to turn the ball over five times. Or for the entire team to get outrebounded by such a ridiculous margin.

The only good I take from this game was that the Boilers can still play defense. They induced 22 turnovers by the Spartans and held them to just 40% shooting and 53 points, which, obviously were enough today.

The bench contributed absolutely nothing and Keaton Grant dipped back to single-digit scoring. All the talk about being #1 was indeed premature, though it is absolutely gut-wrenching that it lined up this way -- is there any doubt that a fully-healthy Boilermaker team doesn't go out and win today and at least get into the discussion for number 1? Painful.

It's time to regroup. The first goal was a Big Ten regular season championship. When the Boilers were 2-3 in conference and had lost three straight, and MSU was 5-0, that looked comically unattainable. Talking about it was verboten and we all said we should move on to other things. Then our boys reeled off ten straight wins to take control of the conference. That win streak allowed them the leeway to lose one game down the stretch and still at least tie for the conference title. That's still within their grasp, with games vs. IU and @PSU this final week. If OSU and MSU can both trip up and the Boilers take care of business, that Big Ten championship will be awfully tasty.

The second goal now needs to be intertwined with the first, and that is to learn how to play without Rob Hummel. Maybe it IS that big a deal and something that requires a complete overhaul of their approach and game plan. It looked like it today, as the Boilers started four guards.

All hope is not lost. The Boilers have their last two regular season games, plus whatever amount of B10 Tourney play they have to sort this out and figure out how the rotation will work and how they will get JJ and Smooge the looks they need to carry the bulk of the scoring. And if they can figure that out at least somewhat, this team is not in dire straits. They can still play defense and you can advance a couple of rounds in the NCAA tourney based on your defense alone. This is not a team that's going to be outworked or outhustled -- if the scoring adjustments can be made, this is still a dangerous team. A wounded, dangerous team.

I'll admit, today was unnerving. But this team just lost for the first time since January 16. They're 24-4. All of their ability did not evaporate with Rob Hummel's ACL.

Keep the faith, let's get two wins to close the season and see where things stand in a week.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Congrats to Chris Kramer for becoming the all-time steals leader at Purdue, doing so on a nifty steal and breakaway dunk that made the crowd think things could go the Boilers way today.
  


• Big ups to the Purdue faithful. The students and other fans represented all of us Boilermakers very well, displaying heart and emotion and an undeniable, unwavering loyalty to their boys. Great support, everyone. Please keep it up.
  


• Congrats to Team USA Hockey, the only thing that could make me channel-flip from a Purdue game, narrowly losing in OT to Team Canada. I finally gave up when the USA-Canada game went to overtime and simply set up two TVs next to one another. Neither gave me the outcome I was looking for.

Every Game Is "Big" From Here On

It won't be a walk on the beach the rest of the way for any of the Big Ten teams. (See what I did there?)

It feels like every time Purdue plays, I make a comment to the wife about how "this is a big game," to the point where I feel kind of silly saying it now. Yeah, it's a big game tonight -- huge, you might say. But strangely, I feel this is one of the few that it might be okay to lose from here on out.

Yes, to guarantee being tops in the Big Ten, our Boilers need to win out, but that's a VERY tall order. And winning in East Lansing is never easy. But here's the rest of the way:

@ MSU, tonight.
versus Iowa on Saturday
@ OSU on 2/17
versus Illinois, 2/20
@ Minny, 2/24
versus MSU, 2/27
versus IU, 3/3
@ defending national champion PSU, 3/6

So just for kicks, let's play the win-loss game. Being realistic yet optimistic (if you follow me), let's say a loss tonight, maybe a loss @ OSU (though Boilerdowd thinks Purdue will get revenge there) and wins in the other six games. That's a 6-2 finish for a 13-5 conference mark. To match MSU, they'd need to lose at least two more games besides the one win I'm chalking up for Purdue against them (and yes, for the moment, ignoring all those other teams clustered at 8-3 right now). Can that happen? Sure. Is it likely? Probably not. They have the following left after tonight's game: @PSU, @IU, vs OSU, @Purdue, vs PSU and vs Michigan.

Where do two more losses come from in there? Having PSU twice in your last six games is a nice little cushion. Sure, they'll be "upset-minded," but MSU will be "we're talented"-minded, and will dutifully wax the floor with the Nittany Kittens. I'd say the best shots are OSU and Michigan, though both of those are in East Lansing.

So, to sum this meandering analysis up, it looks like Purdue does either need to win out or, at the very worst, lose only one more game if they want to be the regular season champ. (And for those of you who think that means less because of the Big Ten tourney, don't forget these teams still all want to be regular season champs and, even if the conf tourney is your focus, you get the top seed.)

Remaining miscellaneous thoughts before tonight's game...

I love that Purdue and MSU are playing twice in an 18-day stretch in February, when everything is meaningful and building and everyone is battling.

I also love that they're our "rivalry week" matchup. It's hard to hate Izzo...and maybe that's a good thing. I kind of like having a rival who I respect and appreciate.

I won't feel bad for one second is Kalin Lucas is out, or that it minimizes the win if Purdue pulls it off. Nobody felt bad for the Boilers when Kramer's nose was broken, Hummel's back was broken and several guys had the flu last season... and nor should they have. Wins count, no matter what.

Purdue's last win in Breslin was in 1998 and was by a score of 99-96. But remember, everyone: the Big Ten is slow and plodding and boring!

I'm ready. Are you?

BS Predictorama Rankings - Week 9

Plenty of children were crying in West Lafayette, so let's just cut to the chase after 5 too many sucky games.

The predictions for week eight were

Tim says:
Michigan State - 31
Purdue - 20

J Money says:
Michigan State - 24
Purdue - 16

Boilerdowd says:
Michigan State - 35
Purdue - 22

Final score? Michigan State 21 - Purdue 7.

All of us had no faith and picked Sparty to win, and sadly (or predictably at this point), they did. It's a clean sweep for J Money this week at he gets the other 3 points for being closest to Michigan States score, closest to overall score, and another for closest to Purdues score.

The scoring for week 8 is

J Money : 4
Tim : 1
Boilerdowd : 1

So the tally for the season so far is

Boilerdowd : 17
J Money : 16.5
Tim : 13.5