Hey MSU

Hey, Michigan State.... do you see those guys approaching fast in your mirror? Yeah, that's us... pulling alongside you now. Knock knock, we're back. And I bet you felt pretty good when we blew a tire out of the gate and started 0-2. Well, here we come.

See you in two weeks. We're looking forward to it.

A Helping of Coach Sanctions, ND Really Sucks, Everybody Hates Chris(?) and Wisconsin Tonight!

There's just so much we could write about today, but there are only so many hours, so many posts.... and, hey, we have jobs, you know.

We'd be remiss if we didn't continue our crack investigative following (which can be summed up by: "He's a cheater!") of Kelvin Sampson, or Coach Sanctions, as we affectionately call him.

Coach Sanctions is back in the news, now appealling his NCAA penalty. Let's go to the article:

In November, the NCAA, which found Sampson had committed two major violations, slapped him with a five-year show cause penalty -- meaning that if he applies for another job in the next five years, the school hiring him must appear before the NCAA and show why it should not be subject to penalties.

Sounds simple enough. So what's the basis for the appeal?

The first point of appeal claims that the NCAA infractions committee misinterpreted testimony by former Indiana assistant Rob Senderoff, leading it to conclude that Sampson knowingly placed impermissible recruiting phone calls, according to the report. The second point of appeal claims the NCAA's enforcement staff was biased and indicated an assumption of guilt by requesting a hearing before all of its interviews were complete.

Oh, I see. We're back to the, "But I didn't know they were impermissible phone calls!" argument. Gotcha. And as for the second point, about indicating an assumption of guilt without completing all the interviews, well, this isn't the United States judicial system we're talking about here. You're not protected by the laws of the constitution. No one is charging Coach Sanctions with a crime. I'm glad everyone paid attention in their fourth-grade social studies class, but "innocent until proven guilty" doesn't apply here. If the NCAA decides they've seen enough, they are allowed to act on the "where there's smoke, there's fire" approach.

But hey, I'd be curious as to what program out there would consider hiring this lying jerk.

Chris Kramer is Hatable?

Storming the Floor has released a list of the most hated players, in their opinion, in college basketball. And, shockingly (to me, at least), Chris Kramer made the bench of the all-hated team. Keep in mind, this team includes guys like Hansbrough, Paulus, Blake Griffin, etc. And their justification is "Everybody hates a great defensive player."

Well, we don't. We love Chris Kramer. And from what I've seen, there aren't many opposing players or coaches who truly dislike Kramer. Think back to Brian Cardinal -- now that was a guy we would have hated if he were on another team. But I'm surprised about Chris being included on this list.

We Told You So

Hey, yeah, I think Notre Dame has been exposed as a fraud. Yes, I'm sure the Big East is just that tough and that's why the Domers are 12-7 overall and 3-5 in conference. Of course, that doesn't explain why Marquette is 7-0 in conference (and just beat those tough guys from South Bend in South Bend). Huh. Maybe Notre Dame just sucks. And to see that idiotic display on Saturday when College Gameday was there and they were screaming like green-clad, a-holes, as though they're just mad about basketball in South Bend! Give me a break.

Boilermakers In Cheese Country

And tonight, our Boilers face off in Madison against the angry and desperate Badgers. At least they won't be distracted by attractive co-eds. Zing!

Boilerdowd may be by later to give more of a legit preview -- I'm never sure (we're about as seamless as Obama taking the oath of office around here -- hey-yo!). But we'll be sure to weigh in on the game and what it all means afterwards. But let's just say the Boilers have left themselves no margin for error after that 0-2 conference start. They're on a good roll right now but need to get a little more healthy.

The Boilers also are among the best in the nation in FG percentage defense, which, to me, is a little misleading. Because, while the Boilers do play very good defense, sometimes a few bad shooting days by your opponents helps this kind of a stat. (Think of Davidson's awful shooting day as well as Minnesota's, as a couple of examples -- was that all us? Or maybe 50/50?)

Point is, though, the Boilers have been playing good defense, shooting well and the Badgers have been struggling and not shooting well. Tonight's game in Madison is critical as the Boilermakers try to stay within a game of MSU in the Big Ten. The Boilers should honestly win this game if they're as good as they're supposed to be.

Barnburning Boilers

You like that headline? See, you come here, you get quality. We're not just gorgeous window dressing -- we've got the smrts, too. I mean, S-M-A-R-T.

Last night, as you no doubt are aware if you're reading this, our Boilers played a rather complete game in the Barn up in Minny, defeating the Gophers 70-62.

There's still plenty to work on, as anyone who watched with a critical eye can admit. But let's talk about the good first.

Team defense. The Boilers hustled out there and, despite some ticky-tack foul calls by the horsesh-t officiating crew (on both sides), the Boilers defense was stout. Chris Kramer led the charge as usual, playing smothering defense and hustling to loose balls in a way that reminds me very much of Brian Cardinal but in a far more controlled way. I don't watch the game thinking Kramer is going to break his own neck, in other words. You know you've won the battle when you get a quote from the other team like this:

"Their defense really took a toll on us," [Al] Nolen said. "We couldn't get the ball in the basket to save our lives."

Indeed, the Gophers shot a putrid 28% from the floor, including 16% from three-land. Hey, as a fan of a school that has gone through awful 3-pt shooting spells in the past, I can lend some advice here: When you're shooting under 20% but the game is still within reach, maybe you try to work for some easier buckets. Goodness.

Shooting. Simple as it sounds, the Boilers are shooting well again. Sure, in a lot of cases, you're either a good shooter (Hummel) or you're not (cough, Calasan). But we have all seen this team go inexplicably cold and had that sinking feeling... We're not coming back. Well, last night was not one of those nights. The Boilermakers took controlled, smart shots for the most part. The passing was crisp (even getting Coach Knight to say "This is a good passing basketball team") and generally smart. At the half, the Boilers were shooting 54% from the field and wound up shooting 47% for the game (including 55% from three-land). Solid.

Adjustments. Minny adjusted to a zone defense partway through the first half and for a couple minutes it definitely slowed the Boilers down. The passing was still good, but it just rotated around the perimeter. However, before long, the Boilers adjusted and starting driving and cutting to create shots and open looks. Very well done. And at the start of the second half, the Gophers got on a bit of a run to open things up and, while they didn't catch up, they definitely got the momentum going their way a bit. But like a good team, Purdue managed to withstand it and hold off the Gopher attack.

Rebounding. I continue to be impressed with the Purdue rebounding, even though I know that this, too, has been hit or miss at times. There are still improvements to be made (Calasan having them tipped away at times, etc.) but overall I thought the Boilers rebounded very well. JJ led the team with 8 but Robbie was right there with him, despite a balky back that was clearly bothering him at times. Just imagine if this squad was fully healthy. (Minnesota's leading rebounder was Ralph Sampson III, by the way. And in case you forgot he was the THIRD, you just need only look at his jersey to see "SAMPSON III" on the back. Well, someone needs to tell young Ralph that he looks like a bozo. His last name is Sampson, not Sampson III.)

As for what I'd like to see us work on a bit more....

Chris Kramer's Fear of Shooting. Maybe we can get Chris into a support group or something. I realize he's not the best shooter on the team, but he's only got 57 field goal attempts on the entire season. He's averaging just over 3 FGA per game. Maybe we could inch it up to 5-6 per game? Kramer had wide open looks a few times as the result of sloppy zone play or double teams and yet still chose to look for the pass. I like pass-first guys as much as the next person, but there are definitely times when you need to shoot the rock.

Calasan Decision-Making. Maybe it's not "decision" making so much as he just does whatever his body feels like doing. He had at least two dumb traveling calls and he continues to think he's Larry Bird from the top of the 3-point arc. I know he sank a big one and we had a significant lead and so that's fine... but he's not out there to shoot long shots like that. Rebound and work on not shuffling your feet, there, Darko.

LewJack. I still love the kid and the energy he brings and the positives far outweigh the negatives right now, but he still needs to continue working on his control. He had a few turnovers that were very avoidable and sometimes he still seems out of control. I realize he's amped and he's just a freshman, but if we can continue shaving off the silly mistakes as we get deeper into conference play, that would be huge. This guy is going to be fantastic in subsequent years.

Miscellaneous Thoughts.

JJ had another awesome emphatic dunk. It seems like sometimes he just decides enough is enough and rams one home over everyone. Do this more often, JJ!

It pains me to admit this, but Bob Knight was really good as an analyst. He didn't annoy me at all -- and I hate this guy! His insights were solid and he truly sounded like a coach. I think this is good for him to have America see a smiling, laughing, joking version of Bob Knights, and one who also sounds like he's coaching the players and showing all of us what made him successful. If he could just control his anger and how he treats people, I might actually like him. (Though it was hilarious that he took off his headset to shout at the officials during the game -- they deserve it.)

MattyWatch. It almost seemed like Brent Musburger was aware of it, because I didn't hear a "Matty" for much of the night. Then at the end, during postgame handshakes, Brent just couldn't contain himself and out it came.... Matty Painter.

As Dowd said, this was just one of four big ones. Thanks to Northwestern, our Boilers are just a game back of Michigan State and still has the chance to control how things play out. That's really all you can ask for.

Keaton Grant can't help but laugh at Minnesota's 27% shooting.

Purdue vs. Minny Tonight -- The Return of Matty Painter

Tonight the #18 Boilermakers head into the Barn to take on the #20 Gophers. Being in the Central Time Zone, this game will come on at 6 PM for me and I will just be leaving the office most likely. So I am DVR-ing the game so I can watch it later in about 45 minutes. Less, if we're getting blown out or something. Judging by recent games, you only need to watch about 15 minutes of the Boilermakers... it's just which 15 minutes will they play like they're capable of playing? The first 15? The last? Who knows?

I'm not sure whether to be pleased or annoyed that Bob Knight and Brent Musburger are doing the game. At least we'll get to hear Coach Painter referred to as "Matty," again, something the Boiled Sports family loves.

They're even calling it "Thursday Knight Basketball." How fricking clever. Much as it pains me to admit it, though, Knight is improving as an analyst and seems far less angry than usual. Maybe this is the right place for him, rather than on the sidelines. Take a look at the preview he did with Musburger. Sure, it's still meandering and kind of general (and references UK vs. IU ten years ago -- like, who cares, dude?), but it's also interesting and Knight, as I said, seems relaxed and less obnoxious. Although there was this exchange:

Brent: Is it going to be hard for you to say nice things about Purdue?

Knight: Nah, Matt Painter is a good kid.

Yes, that's very respectful. Heh.

Obviously, it's important for the Boilers to come out of the gate strong. I think they're the better team here but this is a road game against a team that's constantly improving under Tubby. Sure, they lost to Northwestern but so did Michigan State -- and the Boilers truly should have lost that game, too. But you don't come here for my analysis and obvious observations.

The Boilermakers can move to within one game of first in the Big Ten with a win tonight. One step at a time, boys.

Boiler Up!

Pretenders?

I've been waiting for a few days to see which of the 1-2 loss Big Ten teams was real and which were nothing more than products of getting fat on sub-par competition. Might we have our answer...in God's country?

Good teams play good defense (check)...and are opportunistic on offense (nope)...and make their free throws (do you mean about 50% of the time?)...and (here's a big one), they protect home court (stink).

Last season Keaton Grant played great defense, shot well from behind the arc, drew fouls and hit his free throws. After coming off of a knee surgery in the off-season, Keaton Grant has not scored easily (down 4 pts/gm) has played inconsistent defense (down .9 steals/gm), shot poorly (down about 10%/14% from three), been out of control while driving and has not even shot free throws as well (down 4%). While one man does not a team make, one man does make a huge difference on how a team is defended...and as Grant drives and misses lay-ups and can't seem to find his range from deep, the rest of the team isn't helping out enough.

Hummel is officially slumping...for three straight games he simply hasn't played well offensively. He continues to rebound very well and make smart passes, but following being awarded BT POW, he's averaged 7.3 points and shot 18% from the three point line...Hardly the numbers of a guy picked to win the Big Ten's Player of the Year Award. He's battled back spasms this season, and it seems those spasms might be hurting his shooting more than he's letting on.

Stats by StatSheet.com

While Hummel and Grant struggle, Moore has been able to score, but hasn't shot the ball well from behind the arc, at least for a few games. All that's tough to take, but probably the most noteworthy is Chris Kramer's absence. He's been injured for the last four games and his minutes show it.

Stats by StatSheet.com

While much of the team has struggled to get into rhythm, JJ and LewJack both continue to mature nicely...and Riddell and Calasan are both playing well, so it's not all bad.

So, the Big Ten seems to be much better than last season, top to bottom (Purdue included), but last season, Purdue lost 4 conference games during the entire season...The margin for error has become very tight...especially when you look at last season's BT Champ's record of 19-2. But all is not lost.

Our Boilers now head into what amounts to a bye week. It'll be seven days until Purdue heads to Happy Valley to play yet another Big Ten foe with only two pre-conference losses. The last time our Boilers had a 7-day break, they came back and beat Davidson handily...hopefully, this last seven-day respit of the season will cure what ails these Boilers...In my opinion, that's quite a bit at this time.

The old adage that it's not how you start, but how you finish might be especially poignant come March of next year...but right now, it seems that this team dominated by second-year players is going through a Sophomore slump, collectively.

After watching the ISU game in person, I was pretty down-in-the-dumps over what I saw...the next week, I saw a completely different team play Davidson, and had a bit better outlook. Once-again, after the last three games, I'm less-than-optimistic about the '08/'09 season.

Hopefully my over-analysis and over-reactive gnashing of teeth can be laughed at in the coming months as the true pretenders in the Big Ten are exposed...outside of West Lafayette..

Purdue Notes

Well, the day is here...a day that some Purdue fans thought would never come and others hoped the same way- Brock Spack is no longer employed by his alma mater.

He's moving on to "greener" pastures...Illinois State, to be exact. Something tells me he never had the intention of coming back since he took a job such as this. While I'm excited for the change, I wish him well as he's a Purdue guy. Good Luck, Brock.

I'd like to see Hagen get the promotion...but we should know who's the next DC in a matter of days (just a guess).

No Word Yet...
Despite the rather large number of football recruits in town last weekend, no new verbals have announced they'll be coming to play in the gold and black. Granted, many had a few more visits planned before giving word, but I was hoping we'd hear some buzz.

Unimpressed
Just like me, the coaches weren't impressed with Purdue's most recent week of games. They held tight at 13 in the AP, but dropped one spot to 18 in ESPN/USA Today poll. Sure, they played a pair of lackluster opponents, but they didn't play very well in either game (I know they played well defensively v. BSU; that's only half of the game).

Let's hope they peak in March regardless of what happens the next few months.