Boilers Run out of Gas In Spite of TJohn's Heroics

Best shot of the night: Three Purdue legends, GRob, Cardinal and Keady
enjoying the game together

As a fan, I wondered if Purdue would take any of the momentum from the Wisconsin game into tonight's game...one guy did...but the rest...not so much.  Sandi started Purdue off right by scoring our Boilers' first 7 points...but in that same period, TJohn and RonJohn seemed to be sleep walking.  The good guys had an astounding amount of turnovers in the first four minutes. Lazy passing and head down dribbling gave Michigan gift after gift...and UM jumped out to an early lead.

Purdue was down by 12 at the half way point of the first half and UM was in control.  But after a lil' time on the pine, TJohn's head got screwed on straight, Chooch continued to spark the Boilers and RayDay showed again what might be next season. Within four minutes of gametime, it was a four point deficit...in four more minutes, Matty's boys had the lead.

Purdue was playing a higher level of basketball for the second-straight half versus one of the nation's best...with a lot left to play for.  Wisconsin was a better match-up for Purdue; kinda always have been, the way they slug teams into submission, but UM's horses; at least two NBA players on the current roster, seemed shocked by Purdue's effort, active hands and tight defense; something that had been lacking for much of the season.

After the four point halftime lead became 12 at nearly the midway point of the second half, UM gained composure and calmly started chipping away.

Marcius' ability to get difficult rebounds and come up with loose balls, Davis' big play capability, RonJohn's vision and quickness and TJohn's will tonight were noteworthy.  But when Marcius rolled his ankle badly, Purdue lost steam...and as UM's athletes started making plays and big shots, you could feel the air go out of the building a bit.  Much like in the first UM game, Michigan took it at Purdue and started getting calls...specifically, Burke drew a ton of fouls in the closing minutes; some legit, some simply protecting the All-American. But Purdue wasn't helping itself and just couldn't keep up with Burke's quickness.

Much like Purdue's first half, Michigan fought back and took the lead in the closing minutes; around the 4:00 mark in fact...Purdue got it back seconds after. But one minute later, Michigan took a lead that they didn't relinquish. TJohn did everything humanly possible to keep it close, and unlike the game in Crisler, poor officiating and general adversity didn't cause Purdue to fold like one of J Money's fine Italian made suits.  Instead, it was at least interesting until the closing moments, but UM's Burke did what he did v. MSU earlier in the week and simply closed the game out by making plays.

Final score: 80-75

I'll be honest, seeing and hearing a raucous Mackey Arena and a Purdue team that fights is good for my soul.  My son's basketball team's schedule forced me to give up my tickets to tonight's game...but as Purdue played yet another good game, I bargained with the basketball gods- I'd sacrifice being there if these guys played like this each game. Sure, my attendance, or lack there of had nothing to do with it, but it felt like it did (I also couldn't make the Illinois game).

Hammons continued to struggle.  A few weeks ago, if I told you that Marcius rolling his ankle would be a killer for this team, you'd call me as crazy as Tom Crean after a Red Bull.  But Marcius' injury was huge because Hammons had that same look in his eyes that he had v. Wisconsin; distant, tired, passionless.  The dude has more talent and God-given gifts than anyone on the team, but can't put together a five minute run of solid effort right now; tough to watch. His sub finished with 13 points and 5 rebounds...in the same amount of time (18 mins) that he got 5 points, 4 rebounds.

Byrd's up and down season continued- after his most-complete game and definitely his best half of the season, he went 1-7 from the field and finished with just 3 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. UM double teamed him a lot and made shutting him down a focus of their defense...and it almost killed them. As they sagged off of 21, TJohn was going crazy: Game high, career high, 32 points on 12 of 17 shooting (3/5 from deep), and he added 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

His brother played pretty damned well too and matched one of the nation's best PGs' quickness at times.  He had 7 assists and just one turnover...but the TO came in the closing minutes as he looked for his brother on the left wing in an attempt to tie the game.  I really wanted to see Byrd get a shot as UM had started focusing on TJohnson, especially since Byrd had just hit his first three, but it didn't happen.  Te'Ron's assist:TO ratio the last two games has been 5:1...definitely showing growth.

RayDay doing the little things...

RayDay had a great closing 10 minutes of the first half and was one of the catalysts of the comeback.  He finished with 15 points, 9 rebounds, a steal and a block.

I asked, wished actually, for Purdue to give themselves something to build on for next season...and they've done that the last few games.  They've shown that the scrappiness is still alive in the program, that there is talent in the stable and that there is a reason to be, at minimum, cautiously optimistic for what's coming late next fall.

With this loss, Purdue drops to two games below .500...so an NIT birth is a bit of a pipe dream.  Purdue is now locked into playing the 11:00 am game next Thursday versus either Minny or Illinois...their second round opponent is still very much up in the air depending on what happens this weekend (I believe*).

Next up, Minnesota at high noon on Saturday.  Hopefully Byrd can get back on track and go out with a big game on Senior Day.

TJohn's Herculean effort not enough

*Read Z's post from earlier for more info

Credit AP's AJ Mast and Getty Images for all photos

Painter Owns Wisky at the Kohl yet again: 69-56

About midway through the first half, Painter burned two timeouts in an effort to simply stop the bleeding.  Purdue had let Wisconsin's lead grow from three points to eight to double digits...but the timeouts didn't work.  It felt familiar...Purdue's defense wasn't enough; Wisconsin was getting open looks...and Purdue couldn't keep up. Bo's Badger's extended the lead out to 12 and held it right around there for a few minutes until Byrd and TJohn got into their groove and made it interesting.

Our pal James, AKA Panda was made the trip yesterday to Madison as he's in his last semester in God's country...so he wanted to soak up one extra game in person.  He's a good fan.  I can't say I was of the same mind.  My family wanted to go get lunch after church, so I obliged...and figured I'd miss some of the game, but wasn't too bothered by that.  I sat my DVR remotely and listened to Cliz between stops.  For the second time this season, I made a bad decision by not deciding to watch the entire game.

By the time I got to a TV, it was around five minutes into the second half. Purdue had fought back into the game...and nearly had the lead...with Byrd and TJohn's help, Purdue was stunning the 17th ranked Badgers and the Kohl Center crowd.  Byrd hit a few threes...then TJohn got hot and suddenly Purdue was in control.  RonJohn got involved as he facilitated and fed Byrd and his brother...and Marcius became an absolute mother on the glass.  With 10:00 left, Purdue was in the driver's seat with a seven point lead...and they looked like they belonged in the lead.

Winning is fun.

One thing we know is when Byrd is on, Purdue generally plays well...and when TJohn is shooting well, Purdue at least has some offensive flow.  Both happened today, and Purdue looked like a different team than the one that got slugged around by Iowa earlier this week.

With the sub .500 Boilers actually playing basketball, Wisconsin's team got nervous and felt the pressure...so they took quick threes and made few of them.  When Purdue needed rebounds or points, Juniors TJohn and Marcius and Senior Byrd did what upper classmen are supposed to do: delivered.  RayDay also had a few clutch boards.

It wasn't all roses down the stretch though- RonJohn missed four straight free throws before he figured out that it'd be best not to have the ball in his hands in the closing minutes.  And his brother dribbled into the corner against a full court trap and booted it out of bounce.  But it didn't matter.  Purdue won, and did so going away.

Wisconsin needed a victory to stay in the B1G hunt...and Purdue effectively knocked them out of contention (you're welcome, Teflon Tommy as well as the Forehead).  Sadly, Purdue has been relegated to the role of Spoiler...and while I hate the moniker, it surely is applicable, Matty's boys were Spoilermakers this afternoon.

Bo Ryan has lost about 11 games in the last 100 at the Kohl Center...and three of those losses have come by the cold, calculated hand of Matty Painter.  Painter is Wisconsin's kryptonite, at least in Madison.

Fightin' Sandi was a difference maker at Kohl.

Painter continued with the premise of playing the guys who looked like they worked...so Marcius played more minutes, especially down the stretch, than Hammons. He finished with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals.

Byrd led all scorers with 22 points (tying his season high; Clemson) and added 8 rebounds...TJohn had 16 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Ronnie had 8 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists...and only two TOs.  RayDay only had 3 points...but grabbed 7 key rebounds.

Purdue's woes from the free throw line continued- they shot under 65% from the line; better than many games this season...but typically not well-enough to help a team pull an upset on the road in the B1G.

BUT, and this is a big one, Purdue shot the lights out from behind the arc; they went 6-12...or should I say, Byrd went 6-for-9...and the rest of the team went 0-for-3. Regardless of how you slice it, Purdue's shooting from the field won the game...they also shot 45% from the rest of the court.  They also controlled the glass versus the big, mostly-white and red-headed beasts from the tundra of the Northern US.

Purdue shot well, played solid and beat Wisconsin at their game...and in doing so, they kept the faint glimmer of the NIT flickering.  Next up, the Forces of Good play on Wednesday at Mackey versus UM...who, after licking their wounds from the upset of the college basketball season at the hands of lowly Penn State, got a much-needed win v. MSU in Ann Arbor last night. As Keady always said, it's not who you play, but when you play them.

Purdue needs to get back to .500 to play in the NIT.  I'm the first one to say the NIT is really an inconsequential event...but, with Purdue having a bit of a heartbeat and a ton of youth on the roster, the more games they play, the better they'll be next year...and playing in a tournament atmosphere, even the NIT, is never a bad thing for a young team.  Part of me thinks we won't know the importance of this game for a year or so...the other part of me is kinda ready for this season to be over.  That said, I'd love to see Byrd play six or seven more games like this one...and more than that, love seeing my Boilers play team basketball and have a good time while doing it.  Upsetting teams along the way is just a byproduct of doing things the right way.

Choo choo, muthas.

What Makes a Team Great?

I've spent way too much time analyzing this year's Purdue squad...why they seem to be getting worse since early January, why this many 4-star players play like a 2-star team and why they simply don't compete at times.

I think the answer to this question has a ton of facets...but have said it before, continuity is the very base of all of team's problems.

All that said the ripple effects of one player's effect on the program have been costly and I'll tell you why.

A few years ago, when Kelsey Barlow was being recruited to Purdue, I went to watch him play to get a first-hand account of the player.  At that point, I didn't understand his recruitment.  He played lazy basketball...he didn't move on offense, was inconsistent on defense and didn't seem to use his length and athleticism effectively-enough on that level. But Painter liked the guy. He probably liked his ability to get under other people's skin...Ironically, that's part of the reason he's no longer on Purdue's team.

At BS, we liked that too...but just as Barlow pissed off IU fans with his antics his Freshman year, Barlow pissed off his teammates at Purdue. If you read him on Twitter, it's tough to tell at times if he's an evil genius, a troubled individual or just an immature kid...might be a little of each.  There's no doubt Barlow could have been very good (if not great) for Purdue had he developed differently...but hypotheticals don't matter...things are what they are.  Barlow didn't buy into Painter's philosophy and never was a fit.

After a few troubled years, Barlow was officially kicked off of the team one year ago this week. The void he left sent Painter scrambling to find another point guard to fill the void...one which he couldn't fill in time.  A few Seniors who were looking to transfer for their final year of eligibility didn't pan out...and this year, Purdue has had one true Freshman PG on the roster and a bunch of shooting guards in disguise trying to direct an offense that has no direction.

How important would another Senior been, especially a versatile, athletic point guard, been on this year's Purdue team? We don't really need to answer that question, do we?

But, Painter simply had to do what he did last winter.  The fallout from the tough decision left Barlow in transition as he sat out a year...and Purdue's program in transition as it had no identity.

Ronnie Johnson leads all Freshman in the nation in assists...that's a pretty good stat. Sure, he has a ton of turnovers and shoots at the wrong times...but he's a Freshman...one surrounded by an incomplete, discombobulated team.

Barlow's loss was and is important...but Barlow's dismissal was overdue. Painter couldn't have had a captain that continued to abandon the team when he was needed most...and more importantly, couldn't have a Senior creating disciples with the same philosophy.  The long-term effects of leaving a player, ANY player, on the roster for four years who is divisive, can kill a program.

The recruitment, signing and subsequent abridged career of one player was/is important...not because that guy was a super star, but because timing is everything.  Purdue's program needs to know what defines it as it moves forward. And everyone who is part of the program needs to be on-board with that definition.

So what makes a team great...or even good?
On paper, the team from '07/'08 was OK...but in three dimensions, they were pretty darned good.  Why?

Here are some things that I believe make teams great.  Nothing earth shattering...and I'm no rocket surgeon...these are just a few thoughts.

DEVELOPMENT
Hard work in the off-season makes a player better and helps build chemistry as everyone focuses on the same goal.

LEADERSHIP
Having players that define the team in positions of earned respect go a long way in making a team a force.  Whose team is it?  The answer to that question says a lot about a team.

BUYING IN
Do players believe the coaches plans and vision for the program? Are they executing these plans, not just in games, but during practice and off the court? Players need to feel like they're fortunate to be playing where they are, with whom they are, right now.

TALENT
Elite talent obviously covers up a ton of problems...but having talented people in the right places; in key areas, makes everyone else better.

CONTINUITY
Do the parts mesh? Much of chemistry is about time together- players that have played together and have been together become cohesive.  Teams that don't have history often aren't teams at all (what we've seen this year from Purdue).  Teams that have great continuity believe in the guy next to them and are willing to play hard for/with him.

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Look at the really-good teams in the nation...and those that are on the other side of the coin.  Teams like UNC and Kentucky have talent, but have a dearth of leadership...so they have no identity.  Leadership doesn't have to come from Juniors/Seniors (but that helps)...but it has to come from someplace; and a coach isn't enough.  Coaches need to put leaders in the position to succeed to help them be a focal point for the guys that need to develop.

Sorry...you probably didn't think you were coming to a motivational site, but this stuff has been rattling around my head for a bit and I wanted to put it down someplace.

Quick Hitter: The Junkyard Dog

A few weeks ago, after Purdue beat Illinois, we wrote about the importance of DJ Byrd's effective, yet ugly, play that helped clinch the win versus the ranked Illini.  A few visitors to the site took umbrage with our focus on Byrd since TJohn had been the leading scorer of the game.

Well, yesterday, The Leatherman was the leading scorer as he found his range from distance and played an overall complete game...so I figured, it's time to give TJohn some love...make sense? Of course not, but stick with me for a moment.

TJohn has been the most consistent Boiler this season, by a lot.  When Purdue couldn't buy a bucket, it seems Johnson's tear drop was a pillar for the team...but his offense isn't why I'm writing this.  And while he struggled defensively earlier in the season, he seems to have figured something out recently...during the B1G season, he's looked like one of Purdue's best on-ball defenders...but that's not even what's been most impressive, or noteworthy to me thus far.

The reason I think we're watching this team become his during his Junior season is because he seems to play a fearless brand of basketball...and his fearlessness boils over during dead balls.

On more than one occasion this season, Purdue has had opponents attempt to test Purdue's will or toughness...oddly enough, they've stayed away from TJohn during these tests; but he doesn't stay away from fight; he sticks his nose in it.

When Dawson decided to punch Carroll in the stomach and get in his face for blocking him out, Johnson thought he'd do something about in defense of his classmate and teammate.  And yesterday, when Aaric Murray mixed it up with Jacob Lawson, TJohn once again had his teammate's back.

At 6'2" and 200 (maybe) pounds, Terone Johnson is built more like a running back than a shooting guard...his extra bulk and strength keeps him from being one of the quicker guys on the court, but it allows him to go into the teeth of the defense time and again while slashing.  His physique isn't unlike a bulldog's...nor is his tenacity.  Bulldogs have strong jaws that lock onto massive bulls and don't let go...forcing the bull into submission.

In the two conflicts that I talked about above, the other guys in the dust-ups was 6'6", 230 pounds and 6'10", 245 pounds...and I'm pretty sure TJohn didn't see the size discrepancy as an issue.

Johnson has clearly become the vocal leader of the team; you can see that if you watch just one game...but his words and barking wouldn't matter if he didn't back it up with action.  His stats are solid- 13.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 31.2 minutes per game.  But more than those stats, he's had a few technical fouls that in reaction to provocative action against his teammates...and while I'm all for discipline, I also love to see guys fight and scrap...and this young Purdue team needs fighters.

In the not-so-distant future, this team will become a bit of a juggernaut as youthful nervousness and inconsistency will be replaced with experienced skill and poise.  But as the growing pains continue, and the young guys get their legs under them, the junkyard dog mentality will help them win some games they might not as they learn to all fight for each other from one of their leaders.

Next up, they'll need all the fight they can muster in Ann Arbor on Thursday.

50 Shades of Gray -- Boilers Manhandle WVU in Silver Unis

The love affair continues...

The Boilers penetrated the Mountaineers and forced their will upon them. WVU was pinned down all game long and, at times, maybe they liked it just a little bit. The Boilers dominated and owned the Mountaineers, and the thrashing lasted for several hours. In the end, they parted ways with little more than a bro-hug.

Sorry, that was my best attempt at a 50 Shades of Gray passage. Which, given that I've never read them but have only heard about them from my wife, I think wasn't half-bad.

The Boilermakers certainly did have their way with WVU today in West Laffy, winning 79-52 in a game that actually wasn't even that close. The Boilers got up by as many as 32 (66-34 was what I noted as the high water mark) and quite simply did a lot very well today. They played good defense, they forced the Mountaineers into shots they didn't make, they shot the ball very well, they rebounded, they moved without the ball and they didn't let up... for a change, Purdue took a big lead at the half and made it even bigger in the second half.

We've talked before about the recipe being even simpler than we often think -- shoot the ball as well as or better than the other team, make your free throws, rebound the ball and don't turn it over too much. Those are -- obviously -- always keys, but making sure you do most of them better than your opponent will almost always lead to victories.

Today, the Boilers show a tidy 49.2% from the field (to WVU's dreadful 29.3%) and a blistering 73% from three (to WVU's sickly 17%). The Boilers outrebounded WVU 39-27 and out-assisted them 17-6. The Mountaineers had more steals than the Boilers (11-6) and turnovers were almost even at 17-16. From the line, Purdue seemed to regress slightly, shooting 62% to WVU's 75%.

Purdue had a 14 point lead at the half that they quickly extended to start the second stanza and the Boilermakers truly never looked back. Once the game was way out of hand, Coach Painter began giving lesser-used guys more minutes and ultimately emptied the bench at the end. Neal Beshears had a three attempt miss but Dru Anthrop drained his.

The Boilers did a nice job of spreading the scoring around today, with four players getting into double figures. Byrd led the way with 17 points on 5/8 from the field, 4/6 from three and 3/3 from the line. He also had five rebounds, four assists and a steal, if you're into that sort of complete game.

Raphael Davis continued to mature before our eyes and had 16 points on 5/6 shooting, including 2/2 from long range, and 4/6 from the line.

Anthony Johnson had 12 points off the bench on 5/9 shooting and 2/3 from the line, and Terone had 11 points on 5/9 shooting.

It wasn't all roses for the Boilers as AJ Hammons had an off-day, scoring just four points on 2/6 shooting from the field. He did contribute with five rebounds and three blocks, though. I'll chalk this up to the fact that Purdue's shooters were shooting and AJ's inside presence wasn't as needed today, but I hope to see him continue to clean up with 18-20 point games as we go through the Big Ten season.

There will be those who disparage this win for Purdue, since WVU is clearly not having a typical Bob Huggins type season. However, you play the games on your schedule and, like it or not, this is a team from a power conference. Purdue now has this decisive home court win to go along with their beatdown of Clemson in December and a win over a top 11 team in Illinois earlier this month. The Boilers are clearly growing up and playing better basketball together and it's something you can see every game. The confidence among these guys is also growing and it's enjoyable to watch. It might still be hard to dream of playing in the tourney, but Purdue is winning games this month that they would have lost last month and now even blowing teams out once in a while.

Next up, their toughest test yet, as the Boilers travel to Ann Arbor to play #5 Michigan.

Choo-choo. The train is coming.

Purdue vs The Huskers: WINNER WINNER Husker Dinner?

The Boilermakers have proved in just the last few games that they aren't quite in the cellar of the conference.  The Huskers, just like Penn State, aren't very good, that is for sure...and have been in a state of rebuilding since the 90s. What else do you expect from a team that hasn't gone to the big dance since Chad Austin played for the Boilermakers. That being said, any win on the road in the B1G should be savored...and just a month ago, this Purdue team might have dropped this game. Tonight, they won, 65-56, and led by as many as 20.

I would argue that Purdue played pretty well at times tonight...But, it did look, for a few minutes at least, like they were trying to give it away. Hammons, Byrd, Ronnie and Terone all had had solid games...and kept Nebraska at an arm's length for much of the night.

Purdue's defense held Nebraska without a field goal for five minutes and twenty seven seconds in the first half and almost five minutes in the second half...pretty impressive for such a young team.  But they also showed their youth in the fact that they let Nebraska hang around in spite of the stifling defense.

Overall I liked TJ's play tonight-  Minus a few awful looking floaters, as usual, Terone had 18 points on 7-15 shooting, and six rebounds tonight.

His brother Ronnie went 3-9 for 10 points for six assits and five rebounds.

Hammons continued to build on his great Frosh season with 14/8 and 6 blocks, and DJ stepped up when it mattered late (minus the two missed free throws which were inexcusable) and finished with 12 & 5.

The Boilers are on a two game winning streak going into a tough game against another young squad in West Virginia, back at Mackey.  I've liked this series the last few seaons...But if the Boilermakers want to win, they'll need to play smart basketball. Like him or not, Huggins typically has his teams ready to go...and like Purdue, they're in desperate need of wins.

West Virginia starts three sophomores, one senior and a freshman.  With the large contingent of youth on the floor, we'll probably be getting a foretaste of what's to come...as both of these teams will be very tough in the coming seasons.

A win on the road is always good; even in Lincoln...ask IU if you don't believe that.

Icy Boilers Lose 63-57

The Boilers failed to exact revenge on the thuggish Xavier Musketeers today in West Lafayette, suffering yet another bitter defeat, 63-57. Purdue played a hard-fought game, at least it felt like to me, and powered through some poor shooting and lulls in their offensive output to continue to overtake Xavier and keep it a tight game. But in the end, the Boilers went a whopping 0-for-17 from beyond the arc and fell by a mere six points.

This is unconfirmed (because Mike Hall of BTN said it), but Mike Hall said that this is the first time a Matt Painter coached Purdue team has failed to hit a three. And did they ever fail to hit threes.

DJ Byrd alone was 0/9 from long range and he did not take any shots from short range. He also was 0/1 from the line to cap a stinky day for him, one game after hitting six treys and ringing up 22 points on the road at Clemson. Hard to figure, but he's streaky.

That said, even with DJ's goose egg in 32 minutes of action, this game was well within Purdue's grasp. The Boilers led 29-26 at the half after closing the first on a 27-15 run. They weren't doing anything fancy on offense, but they were pulling down offensive rebounds and they were, at the time, making their free throws. How many times in the JJ/E'Twaun/Hummel years did we long for the Boilers to get better at rebounding? Well, here they are, a seemingly good offensive rebounding team.... and they still have trouble with free throws and suddenly don't hit threes anymore.

I saw some anger towards DJ on twitter and if you want to be mad at him, hey, he's a big boy, he's a senior, that sometimes comes with the territory of being a leader. However, I am fairly sure nobody is going to be tougher on Byrd than himself so go easy on the guy. He was also the subject of another atrocious refereeing call (welcome to Mackey, Bo Boroski!) that could have still salvaged this game for the Boilers.

In the final minute, with Purdue trailing by five, Jacob Lawson went to the line. He made the first one to cut it to four and then missed the second. There was a tangle of bodies hitting the floor and then Terone nailed a bank shot to apparently cut it down to a two point game. Ah, but know, DJ Byrd was called for the foul, the two points were wiped off the board and the thugs Musketeers came to the other end to shoot free throws and ice the game.Of course replays showed that Byrd was literally dragged to the ground by an Xavier thug/forward. Nice work, as always, officials.

While I'd love to blame this game on the officials, this loss was not on them the way it was vs Nova in New York. The Boilers had a chance just before this, when they had also cut the lead to two and had the ball. Terone strangely chose to dish to Lawson who was loping down the court to go get into position. Lawson tried a couple moves and -- almost predictably -- traveled with it and turned it back over. This play and the Byrd foul negating the Terone bucket are what really sealed this. You can't have those things happen AND shoot terribly AND not make critical free throws and still win. They did give it a decent shot, though.

This team is still growing up and having a game where little is going right and one of your leaders is ice cold is one of those things a maturing team has to learn how to overcome. They had as good a chance as X did tonight, but they didn't hit the buckets when they mattered most and the ex-cons err, I mean, Xavier did. 

Terone was the leading scorer with a solid 19 point, 10 rebound double-double. Ronnie was the other Boiler in double figures with 12. Hale had a nice 18 minutes, scoring eight points with five rebounds (four offensive). The Boilers grabbed 38 rebounds (to 26) with 15 being offensive rebounds (to 3 for X).

Overall, I felt like the Boilers did some good things in this game and, despite DJ's struggles and the collective iciness from long range, made this is a close game and in fact for a while made it seem like it was theirs. But in the end, it's just another loss and the Boilers are now at an ugly 3-4, with a 2-2 mark at home.

Next up, a winnable game versus Lamar on Tuesday night, followed by a road game to the MAC to take on Eastern Michigan (who is 5-1) next Saturday. Despite being MACtion, that game on the road will test the Boilers mettle. After that, the Boilers have a week off before facing the hated Irish in Indianapolis.

Purdue Boilermakers vs North Carolina (Wilmington): A Tale of Two Halves

The Boilermakers played bipolar halves tonight against the North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks. Purdue went into the half with a 28-29 lead following a late Terone buzzer beater.

In the second half the Matt Painter halftime talk must have prevailed again.  The defense was sharper, the fouls were less crucial and the Boilermakers were actually running an offense, strange I know. Matty's boys were able to hold UNCW to just 12 second half points to win 66-40.

The first half was a definite struggle.

Purdue started off hot opening up a 15-4 lead early, then the Seahawks started making baskets. It's obvious he is still tweaking his line-ups and trying to find what's best for the team.

Coming out of the half the Boilermakers and the Mackey Arena crowd were greeted with a technical on Jacob Lawson.  Unlike the MSG screwing, this one looked legit, although I haven't seen a replay of it. That was the first time the crowd really got into it inside Mackey, note the students did not have tickets to this one.  Lucky for the three blind mice, they called a similar call on UNCW for swinging his elbows at DJ.  That's when the Boilers started rolling.

Let's start with the positives.

Travis Carroll played like a division one player tonight.  Although he made a lot of defensive mistakes, he had 10 points going 4-4 from the field and four boards, some productive minutes for a guy that hasn't shown much promise.

Terone was wet from three again in this one.  He was 3-3 from range scoring 19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal.  He was the life of the offense all night.  His driving was productive and you can tell this team is going to look to him to put the points on the board on a consistent basis.

Raphael Davis only played 8 minutes in this one but made the most of it scoring six points and didn't miss from the field or the stripe. I would like to see him get more involved offensively, especially when Anthony Johnson isn't being productive.

A big positive of the night was from the stripe.  So far this season the Boilermakers are shooting 58 percent from the line.  Tonight they shot 83 percent from the charity stripe.  If this can stay continue to improve, we are likely to win some of those close games.

Now a few improvements that need to be made in order to be successful.

First off, Purdue needs to discover who they are.  They need to come up with how they are going to play ball and decide what they are going to be.

Turnovers need to be limited, but this will come in time.

Hammons is just a freshman, so I will cut him some slack.  I really like what I see from him, but I just wish he would realize how tall he actually is.  Sometimes I think he forgets he's a 7'0" monster in the paint.  He only pulled down five boards tonight.  He also needs to work on moving his feet defensively, but this isn't just for Hammons this is for all the big guys.  The big men are definitely the weakness of the team right now, other than Hale and Lawson who have both shown flashes of brilliance this season, Purdue hasn't seen a consistent big man yet. I'm just worried come B1G season our 5 spot is going to get handled on the block.

One thing this team is lacking is a three point shooter.  Sure, DJ Byrd has been known to light it up from beyond the arc, but once again tonight he had a quiet showing and made all but 3 of his 10 points tonight from the charity stripe. This season the Boilermakers are only shooting 25 percent from beyond the arc.  Either they need to quit taking so many threes or start hitting.  4-13 from beyond the arc isn't going to get it done usually.

Overall this team is still growing and developing and I still believe they will make some noise within the conference again this season.  They have all the makings of a high caliber squad, it's just going to take time to mesh and get into a rhythm.  Once this team comes together and discovers who they are, watch out!

On-the-Scene Take From Mugging in MSG

I wish I was writing about the team itself more and I'll try to do that, but the travesty of officiating in last night's loss is still fresh for me and still infuriating. Being only about ten rows from the slickster Jay Wright made it even worse.

I've had an epiphany in recent years around sports -- maybe because of the birth of my son, I don't know -- wherein I don't let things affect me as much as they used to. It also could have to do with getting older and wanting my heart to not explode. Details.

But this one is sticking with me because I am tired of this same shit happening to Purdue over and over. I also am less of a blame of the officials guy than even my co-editor-in-chief here is (not to say he blames them too much at all -- but he gets more irritated at them then I tend to)...and I think things that are fresh tend to feel more significant, of course, but I think this might well be the worst series of officiating I've ever seen. Definitely in person.

And let's get something straight here -- all of you beanheads who tell us via twitter and on here that, "Dur, make your free throws and this isn't an issue" or some variant of that...yes, we know that. We allllll get it. If you make all your free throws, it's not an issue. And if my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle.

Sports don't work that way. It's just one of those things people say after the game to fill talk radio time, press conference answers or to justify an outcome to yourself. Yes, if Purdue took advantage of all their opportunities, it's not an issue. But the same can be said for Nova. They shot a dull 24 of 64 from the field, for 37% -- if they shoot just a bit better, Purdue probably is not able to take over for that 8-10 minute stretch in the second half. Who knows?

My point is that yes, you obviously want to make your free throws, but games get to where they get to because of a variety of factors. Every game is different and they all have their own ebb and flow -- that's why we watch them. Not to show up and see free throws made, high five each other and go home. We want to see what happens... and what happened to the Boilers last night was nothing short of an embarrassment on the officials' part.

Painter is too much of a gentleman, but he should complain to the NCAA -- ask them to review the calls and the inconsistency and, perhaps most importantly, the egregious thuggery that Villanova was employing throughout the night. A hockey writer that I like on Twitter was covering the game (because, no hockey, why not?) and he really pissed me off with his ignorant rants about Purdue embarrassing themselves and choking it away. But he also throughout the game was tweeting about how he was going to have to watch to the end to make sure nobody was killed, as the two teams weren't even trying not to tackle one another.

It was definitely chippy and being in the arena and being close to the action, you see a lot more than the cameras show you, as most of you know. And I saw DJ Byrd get visibly pissed off several times, almost always resulting in him committing a foul, almost as though he just thought he'd do it to stop play and give him a chance to talk to an official. On one of his threes in the second half he was knocked hard to the floor and got up with his hands in the air, pointedly looking for a while at official Brian O'Connel, who was already busy chugging down the floor the other way, not even looking back at the action and unwilling to look Byrd in the eye. On the replay, it was confirmed that Byrd had serious contact made with him, confirming what was obvious during live action. Sometimes it's hard to see and we can all agree the officials have a tough job -- this was not one of those times.

72-66, 62 seconds to go

Speaking of the officials by name, get to know these guys:

Brian O'Connell 
Bert Smith
Bo Boroski (you can just call him BoBo)

We will remember you three clowns. I hope the Paint Crew remembers them, too, in the event that any of them venture to Mackey this year.

As for other observations....

Yes, I had the J Money Signature Cocktail (premium vodka, rocks) and after she filled it halfway, I asked for a full one since I'm a big boy. She told me that's technically a "double" and would cost me $22. Sweet. I do love New York.

Standing in line for my $22 cocktail, a very attractive young woman (who definitely appeared beyond college age, as college kids look like zygotes to me now) and I began talking, mainly because I took a dig at her wearing Oregon State attire. She told me she was "friends" with a player on the team -- "the only native American" -- number 11, Joe Burton. Then, right after we were all back at her seats, a cameraman agreed with my assessment and put her on the screen. Though with fewer than 7,000 peeps in the house, all of our odds increased of getting on the 'tron.

I met the President of the Purdue Alumni Club of NYC (I'm a member of NJ) and she wholly encouraged me to join the NYC since I work in the big city and, as she put it, "we're cooler anyway." I stopped to talk to her because she had on a Purdue-themed "I love New York" t-shirt, but with Purdue Pete instead of the heart. I have to have one and she said they'd be ordering more soon to sell. Thanks, Michelle! (I think. I had a double, remember.)

I started the night at Stout, a bar on 33rd across from the Garden. There was an impressive contingent of Boilermaker alums and we had our own bar area in the basement, complete with two 'tenders, several TVs, darts, etc. I met a few alums, including two from the class of '11. One, the gentlemen, asked if I knew his brothers and said he "asks older alums this" since they graduated a while. Thanks, dude. The other was a bubbly, sweet girl who was wearing an old-school looking Purdue basketball jersey with #22 on it. "Cuonzo Martin?" I asked. "No, Stephanie White," she replied, "She won a national title at Purdue back..." "Yes, I remember," I said. "I was there when they were burning things in the middle of the street in front of the Quad."

On the floor, I'm excited by this team. Seeing all these young players getting important minutes, seeing a center in AJ Hammons who could be what this program has been missing for a while (a true, talented big man) have promising ability even as a freshman...seeing guys like Ronnie Johnson look already polished.....seeing Lawson continue to look like the most athletic guy Purdue has had in a while...seeing Terone quickly and confidently growing into his role as the scorer...Anthony Johnson clearly looking more confident an integrated into this team... and speaking of the Johnson boys, the court vision was something else I kept noticing as I watched this game from the baseline seats. From there, you can see plays develop and sort of see what the PG is seeing as he comes up. Some of the passing really impressed me -- these guys already know each other and are showing flashes of excellence and impressive court vision that will only (hopefully) get better. They'll have to fight through adversity like last night's game, but with the coaching staff on them to continue getting better, this team has be practically giddy about the future. It is indeed bright for these guys.

It's back to the Garden later this afternoon for the consolation game versus the Oregon State Beavers (yes, I have all my drunken "Boilers Use Their Johnsons to Slap Around the Beavers" jokes all ready to go). I love seeing our boys in person, so it's something I will enjoy (me and the other 500 people who will be there for the first game), but as I said, last night's mess is still sticking with me. These guys deserved better -- whether you think they "deserved" to lose due to poor FT shooting or not, they fought hard and came back several times from 8-10 point deficits and looked like the better team during most of crunch time -- until it was taken away from them.
 

Purdue Basketball: Oh Exhibition Games

Purdue Basketball opened up its season in an exhibition against the mighty Montevallo Falcons. Although you've probably never heard of this tiny school, you do need to know that they were the division two runner up just a season ago. 

With the lack of returning experience it is easy to see why the Boilermakers struggled in this 70 to 61 victory. I know a lot of you might doubt this squad due to the small margin of victory, but if it makes you feel better Ohio State only beat Walsh by 12 tonight.

Although it’s really early to be drawing conclusions, I liked what I saw overall tonight.  It was a close game almost throughout and the team played hard, especially the young guys. 

A young squad doesn’t necessarily mean an unsuccessful squad; I thought that Ronnie Johnson played great tonight. He played well on defense and had 11 points and six assists.  He is going to be a great asset to this program, but we knew that coming in.

Terone Johnson picked up where he left off last season scoring the game high 24 points.  Although Terone put on a decent performance, his decisions were still questionable and some of his drives were a bit uncontrolled, but that’s Terone, he did however only miss two free throws tonight. 

A.J. Hammons looked good tonight as well. He was 3-3 for 7 points and had five rebounds. We saw something from him we haven’t seen in a while, a post up.  Hammons is already a big guy and will just continue to develop. With the lack of depth at the center position, I expect Hammons to get a lot of starts this season if he continues to develop into the player he could be.

Donnie Hale is another guy worth mentioning. He was 4-9 from the field for 8 points.  When Purdue was in a draught, it seemed to be him that got it going again.  When the Falcons went into a zone, Hale was able to consistently hit the shot from the elbow, something that is essential against the zone.

Raphael Davis was off tonight, maybe it was the first time on the big stage, but he did have a nasty block that got the crowd pumped.  Jay Simpson looked tired out there.  He is going to be a good player, but after the performance I saw tonight I would have to key him as the guy to redshirt.  He just does not look like he is in shape.  He was noticeably gassed on a few occasions.

Carroll and Sandi looked like Carroll and Sandi. Sandi had a decent game on the boards grabbing seven rebounds but had only four points on the night. Carroll had one rebound tonight and just looked slow, as usual.  Although there were high hopes for Sandi entering this season once again, I just can’t see it really playing out. Hammons is the guy and soon Painter will realize that.  Purdue needs either Carroll or Sandi to come off the bench to support him because he will get into foul trouble this season, after all his name isn’t Zeller or Sullinger (that also means he won’t be whining, we can hope).

Anthony Johnson played well tonight as well. He was 4-9 from the field and 2-4 from the three point line, a place where the Boilermakers struggled as a team shooting only 27.8 percent from beyond the arc.  His defense was stout mostly, although he does have some work to do coming off screens and what not.

Byrd wasn’t out there much tonight and his stat line showed it.  He didn’t have any points but pulled down a few assists and rebounds.  It seemed as though he could never really get into a rhythm, something that should be of concern for the Boilermakers. 

The eight blocks in the game were great and the turnover margin was of course positive as it usually is under Matt Painter. 

Overall I liked the teams performance, it was nice to see the young guys finally and it showed what a bright future the Boilermakers have.  I’m not sure I buy into the Cliz proclaiming that this team isn’t in rebuilding mode, but I do believe this squad could cause some serious problems for the Big Ten this season.

It’s hard to really know what this game says about the team other than individual performances.  Painter used the game as a way to figure out line-ups as he should.  My favorite line-up of the night was Anthony, Davis, Ronnie, Simpson and Hammons.  They were running up and down the court and had a ton of energy, something that was very promising for me. 

I expect to see Byrd a little more in the next game trying to develop some momentum going into the season, but other than that I expect much of the same.  

This is a young squad that is going to have some growing pains, they will probably lose a few games they should win, but this team will fight to the end.  These “ New Boilers” are being overlooked due to the class down south, but they will contend with some talented squads this season, so don’t count them out.

Another Prediction...Another Slap in the Face

The Underdog.

If you watched Purdue's basketball team this past season, you know at times it was tough to watch.  It's been well-publicized that this team was hobbled coming into the season and didn't get healthy until February, and it showed.  Two of the three captains couldn't practice at all for months at a time and two more of the top-5 scorers slogged through injuries that kept them from playing the game they way they did down the stretch.  On top of that, a guy that was as divisive as talented had to be given the boot for the team to have cohesiveness.

These aren't excuses, in fact, they're testaments to Painter's ability...because in spite of all of this...in spite of Purdue having no post presence for much of the season, in a conference that has serious beef under the basket, Purdue still made the tournament and still won 20+ games.

Because of this...because of what we've seen Painter do during his time at Purdue, I'm bewildered by the media's view on his team for the coming season.

Here at BS, we like BTN's Brent Yarina.  He researches his subject matter and generally knows what he's talking about.  But he got his premature conference prediction wrong...and Purdue isn't the only reason why. The moving parts around our Boilers are flawed, yet, by his own admission via Twitter, he believes all seven teams above Purdue in his predicto got better while Purdue didn't.

Let's look a bit at his reasons why he likes everyone in the conference except Purdue, shall we?

2012-13 PROJECTED STANDINGS
1. Indiana – The entire starting 5 is back, plus IU welcomes one of the nation’s top recruiting classes.

I really have no beef with this one.  While I don't respect Crean as a game coach, his ability to get talent to IU has been astoundingly-effective. As Thad Matta will tell you, talent doesn't need much coaching.

2. Michigan – Trey Burke’s return makes Michigan a national contender — leadership is lone issue.

Michigan loses three starters...glue guys, if you will.  Novak started for three years, was a clutch shooter, an intense defender, a coach on the floor, and was all B1G Honorable Mention (and looked like Christian Laettner).  Douglass never missed a game at UM, was a great shooter and Smotrycz started the majority of the games and created tough a tough match-up with his ability to play low and high. Leadership will be an issue as Yarina said...but so will consistency.

3. Ohio State – Deshaun Thomas and Aaron Craft could become one of the Big Ten’s elite duos.

I agree with Thomas and Craft being a great tandem...but losing a guy who was one of the nation's best for one season and one of the conference's best in his Soph season might change a team a bit.  On top of that, aOSU's offense relied heavily on Sully's ability to clear space and their offense ran through him. Most-interestingly, unlike most of Yarina's favorites, the Buckeyes have an incoming class of ZERO (at this point.

4. Minnesota – Trevor Mbakwe joins a talented and underrated roster that clicked down the stretch.

Mbakwe is a guy who is as talented as any power forward in the nation...reminds me a lot of Kansas' Robinson, but with baggage off the court. So when a guy like that blows out his knee, I think it might be fair to think his explosiveness could be effected; Our pal at BTN doesn't think it matters.  He also thinks that a team that lost 7 of its last 10 B1G contests clicked down the stretch. Oh wait, they did...but when playing teams like LaSalle, MTSU and teams from the awful Pac12.

5. Wisconsin – The Badgers know how to replace star players, and history says they’ll do it again.

I think Wisconsin will actually be better than this.  Losing Taylor is tough, but it's the big honkies that have made Bo his dough...and UW will have plenty whitebreads cut from the Brian Butch mold next season.

6. Michigan State – How will MSU replace Draymond Green and will Branden Dawson be ready to go?

This is another team that I think will be better than Yarina thinks. Harris, Costello and Valentine will be immediate-impact guys...but Harris specifically will only make Nix better as Appling and Payne force themselves onto opposing defenses.

7. Iowa – Aaron White and Devyn Marble headline one of the Big Ten’s most exciting teams.

As we say last year with this team, excitement doesn't translate to wins...but I guess it will translate to more wins than Purdue, ammIright?

I think losing a four-year starter in Gatens is a pretty large deal to this team...but they'll be very dangerous.

8. Purdue – Without a proven big man or facilitator, the incoming recruits arrive with plenty of pressure.

I think his insinuation that Purdue's loss of Jackson will be important.  Sure it will, but the pair of Johnsons both played point last season...and if other teams get credit for their incoming classes, why doesn't Purdue? Three four star-rated players, three guys over 6'9" (one a 21 year old Frosh, another a 7 footer) and a point guard who has played against the most-talented state, in the hotbed of Indianapolis and shined.

I don't mind Purdue not being picked as a conference favorite.  BUT, to put a Matt Painter-coached, defense-first team in the lower third of the conference is worse than a slap in the face, it's foolish. Painter has won as an underdog before, and he'll do it again this season.

Yarina's post wasn't the first disrespectful shot across Painter and his squad's bow in the very-early pre-season...but it was the one from one of the guys that I consider a pretty-knowledgable writer from the network that focuses on the conference.  It warranted a response, not because it's wrong, but because of the source.

Yarina's right- the conference is getting better.  But why stop at eighth? Illinois has a hot name as coach and one of the best players in the league returning, Northwestern has two great players returning and a coach that runs a goofy offense that's tough to defend, and PSU has one of the best players in the conference back with a coach that shows his team's play will match his intensity.  Let's just make Purdue's fall from greatness noteworthy and colossal and place the Boilers at 11th in the league, what do you say? There's no doubt the league is good, but an eighth place prediction nearly says Purdue doesn't belong. 

Clowns like Goodman, Katz and others barely recognize that Purdue has a basketball team now that Hummel is no longer with the program.  But before Hummel was on campus, Painter devised a plan that allowed Purdue, with only two real scoring threats, no real point guard and a ton of lunchpail defense to win 22 games.  Before JJ was JJ, Purdue won 25 games while being led by Freshman and Sophomores...and last year, even with much of the starting line-up held out of practice and without anyone underneath who was formidable, Painter squeezed 22 wins out of a team.  The defense will be back to what we've become accustomed to in '12/'13...and Purdue will surprise Yarina, and others.

In '12-'13, Purdue, Painter and company will relish the underdog role...again.

Tuesday Gumbo

The biggest news of all for Boiler fans is that Boilermaker Special #7 got into a wreck near campus late this afternoon.  Rumors say it was outside of Hummel's apt.  Other rumors say the newest Special is actually a drone that is driven from the bowels of campus near the atom collider.

What we do know is that the vehicle that was overhauled last year ran into a police vehicle...and I don't know who was at fault or if there were any injuries.  But, since we know some of the Reamers, and we like them, we're hoping everyone came away unscathed.

*Pre-production addendum- everybody's safe following the minor incident...and even #7 isn't damaged too badly. Sounds like she'll be doing her duties on Saturday around the Black/Gold game.

Defense Gelling

Every report out of practice...from players on both sides of the ball says the defense is playing with more speed and swarming around the ball a lot better than last year at this time...and probably better than the were at any time during the season.

This is great news- as much as we want to see a more-efficient, more-exciting and single-QB led offense, I think this team's success will be defined by how well the defense plays.  The get to play against some pretty good running backs each day...so they're getting tested.  And once the offensive line is healthy, they'll get some tests there too (we'll have to wait for the fall for that).

Coach A-Train
Mike Alstott has taken a head coaching position in Florida.  He'll be coaching St. Petersburg's Northside Christian School- a team that barely fielded a squad in '11...and whose last coach won less than one-third of his games in three seasons at the school.

As always, the former Boiler badass will be doing things in an unconventional manner.

Sorry to bear bad news...BUT...

In spite of IU's Zeller being high on a ton of draft boards, he will return next year to Bloomington...as will the versatile shooting forward, Christian Watford.  Neither player's return is really shocking.

Now, let's be clear here.  IU is going to be extremely talented next season.  Their only real loss is that of Verdell Jones.  At BS, we've said this a lot- we'd love to see some of IU's players in gold and black; some of those guys play hard on both ends of the floor.

But the Forehead has some real problems to contend with in the coming season- how will he keep all of these guys happy? Can he actually focus long enough on the game to realize that dumping into Zeller is a nearly sure-fire way to score?  Probably not...and while having the embarrassment of riches is a dilemma that any coach would love to struggle with, we still think the Clapper is one of the worst game coaches in the conference...So there's always that.

The Forces of Good

I think we've mentioned how much we like the 5 guys (including Hale) that will be new to the roster next season.  We love that they have a chip on their collective shoulder and most seem to have a built-in lunchpail mentality...but this isn't a Purdue recruiting class from the 90s that's comprised of a bunch of role players that are short on talent.  These guys can play...and there are some pretty solid moving parts already in place on Matty's squad...And nothing I've heard from Painter makes me concerned about next year's team.

Here's my first typed prediction for '12-'13:

I think Purdue will have 21-22 wins...make the tournament again and grow up a lot during the season.  While that sounds a lot like this season, it'll look different.  Injuries shouldn't play a defining role- TJohn won't be coming off of a surgery, the starting point guard will be able to practice right away and the leading scorer will be able to go through pre-season workouts.  Let's also remember that Jacob Lawson's off-season workouts were stunted a bit by his ruptured achilles...so if his head's right, that'll go a long way in helping to improve his game as well.  

It should be TJohn or Byrd who leads the team in scoring...and I think Byrd's business-first approach to the off-season will encourage his teammates to stay on task.

There's still a chance that an additional player could be added to the roster in the coming weeks/month...and that someone could decide that they no longer want to play for Matty (no, I don't have any inside info).  But, the core is what it is.

In closing, here is a photo (credit HammerandRails) of a short, fat, white guy in a JJ jersey shooting a jumpshot:

RAINDROP!