Boiled Sports

Important One Ahead...and notes

2012-01-27T18:11:00.000-05:00

Matty's squad heads to Evanston tomorrow to play the slip-sliding Wildcats. Evanston has been a tough place for Purdue to play since Carmody took over 13 years ago...their offense is like no one else's and they play better zone than anyone in the league...typically.

This season has been tougher for Northwestern, statistically...they're allowing the second-most points/game in the league (67.2) while being sixth in scoring. Purdue edges them out on offense and is a few slots better on defense...but that changes nothing. Purdue needs to not simply accept the three point shot and Jackson, TJohn and co. need to slice up the Cat defense in order for Purdue to win.

Purdue is in an unusual situation, coming off of its first two-game losing streak of the season...and losing to the bottom of the conference is something they can't afford to do at this point. Hell, they losing to anyone right now isn't a good thing. The margin for error has been shrinking and continues to do so with lackluster defensive efforts by our Boilers.

Hopefully they don't dig themselves a 10-15 point deficit early on...those are tougher to overcome on the road.

Matty's squad's current CCR is 47.6...so they're nowhere near where they need to be if the season ended today.

Smooge Goes Off
With a ton of Celtic guards on the shelf, E'twaun Moore took advantage of the situation by propelling the Cs to a win v. Orlando last night. In just 18 minutes, he had 16 points in just 18 minutes...when he came in, the Celtics were down...when he left, the Celtics were victors.

Moore also seems to have a friend in HC Doc Rivers who spoke glowingly of Moore's fearlessness and confidence after the game.

T-Minus 4 Days
Football signing day is just four days away...and I've heard nothing to make me believe there will be significant attrition due to late sniping from other programs.

If the guys that verballed were to sign this evening, Purdue's class would be a solid top-30 class...the best for Purdue since the early oughts. Plus, there are a few rumors about additional players coming aboard more than defections.

Grabbing Loose Balls Against The Purple-Headed Warriors

2012-01-27T10:28:00.000-05:00

Up today: The Northwestern Wildcats.

What's to hate about the Mildcats, you might ask? I mean, they've never even been to the NCAA Tournament! Ha!

Oh wait, well, that might be one thing to hate. For those of you who identify with the conference as a whole, SEC-style, you should have an issue with this. Few major conferences (uhh, actually, maybe none) have a team that has never appeared in an NCAA Tourney bracket. Their ESPN page simply lacks the little box below the conference standings that displays their "Tournament History." I guess ESPN exercised a rare moment of discretion and elected to show nothing at all rather than a bunch of zeros and "None" entries.

OMHR Iowa hates and mocks Northwestern mercilessly, despite being routinely handed humbling (to schools that understand humility) losses on both grass and hardwood. So maybe this is more reason to hate OMHR? I don't know. Nor do I care. Hate 'em both. Hell, they have something of a little rivalry, where OMHR refers to them as just Northwestern, yet seems to always find a banana peel next to the just Northwestern bench. Yeah, that's a hatable rivalry. You two kittens are cute the way you fight over that ball of yarn.

Northwestern is for quitters. A couple of years ago, the Cats had Kevin Coble, who appeared to be a good enough white stiff on a program loaded with white stiffs to lead them to a middling seed in the NCAA tournament and a Thursday afternoon bludgeoning in March at an exotic locale like Boise or Spokane. But then Kevin Coble did what any of us would do if we had to wear a purple outfit in front of our friends. He quit.

Please share your reasons to hate Northwestern below.

4 PM, tomorrow, ESPN or ESPN2.

A Quick Second Look at Last Night (and special note)

2012-01-25T10:52:00.001-05:00

I had sinus surgery yesterday...and my doctor said I should stay calm, not get my heart rate up and take it easy for a few days. As my head got clearer and clearer due to the anestesia lifting, I kicked off my forced down time by watching my Boilers play an important one v. UM...here are a couple of things that I saw that seem like big story lines.

It's good to see the boys playing with heart...they must do it from here out.

-Seniors returned and played the way we thought they were capable of playing. Smith had some big shots and was great away from the ball, Hummel shot himself out of the slump, and LewJack played huge...again. Jackson has been the the most-clutch player on the team all season as teams can't seem to find an answer for his quickness and ability to get the ball into the teeth of the defense.

All that said, once again, the guys that everyone's looking at to finish the game couldn't knock down a shot down the stretch. But, I don't think that's the reason for the loss.

The Boilers gave UM double digit leads in both halves and had to fight back twice to tighten the game...that's difficult on a team with healthy players...it's drudgery for a team with perpetually-weary legs. The end result was a four minute period at the end of the second half in which Purdue simply couldn't stop Michigan from scoring time and again. A team system based around stingy defense without even an OK defense is doomed to lose.

-Barlow's low minutes were because of the flu...glad to hear it wasn't something off the court that forced him off the court; he is needed.

-In his stead TJohn and AJ played some key minutes with TJohn starting. I actually like what I saw out of AJ more than the game that TJohn played...but Matty disagreed with me.

-I said it coming into last night's game that Purdue needed to win six of the remaining 12. While a ranked UM coming off of a loss is no gimme, this game was very winnable. Purdue matches up better with UM than they do aOSU, IU and Northwestern. Northwestern's disciplined 2-3 doesn't give opponents as many chances at lay-ups as does UM's 1-3-1. Purdue will need to shoot lights out to be Northwestern and really didn't to beat UM. IU has more length than anyone in the league...except aOSU. Matty's scratching and clawing to find a way to stop the bleeding underneath...yesterday, we saw Hummel effectively play center for a half. Lawson still is trying to find his way on defense, Carroll struggles verus centers with good footwork and seems to not love contact when on offense and Marcius' lack of quickness hurts him.

-The UM series in the last 25 years has been one in which the away team has had pretty good success...and particularly, Purdue has been able to win at UM when they needed it most. This season quickly becoming one in which a win in Crisler might be paramount.

-Novak reminds me of a shorter Christian Laettner...not because of the way he plays.

-The next game is v. Northwestern. This one bothered me back in November before I knew how badly this Purdue team would be struggling in January...and that Northwestern would be fighting, gasping for its fleeting NCAA tournament lives. Like seemingly everyone that Purdue's played the last month, Northwestern is coming off of a loss, so they'll be hungry. In fact, they're coming off of two losses, like Purdue...something's gotta give. And in the B1G, with a crowd that is right on top of the court and awesome, consistent officiating, it's usually the road team.

-I refuse to call it a must-win...but the next game, like the last is imperative. 10 regular season and at least one B1G tourney game left to win six...and there are some barriers in the way.

Illinois will want to bludgeon Purdue as revenge for the loss a few weeks ago. Northwestern's zone is cryptonite to Painter teams. IU and aOSU have the two most-talented starting line-ups in the B1G, especially offensively...and our Boilers have struggled when faced teams that score in bunches.

-I heard a rumor about what's been happening in one of the player's personal life that was sad and painful just to hear, let alone live. This guy is a key contributor...and at times he's looked mentally not there. Now, I understand it. If I can find proof of the story I heard, I'll pass on details as to not leave this dangling...but I doubt I'll ever have enough hard info to put it here.

Unrelated...but much more important:
A good guy named Ed, who has become a friend of ours via e-mail, texting and a handful of events had his Dad unexpectedly pass at the end of last week. He's one of the biggest Purdue fans I know and has been generous to the site time and again.

J and a few fellow BSers had a chance to meet him at the Drew Brees golf outing last summer, I haven't yet been able to put a face with the name and virtual interactions. But, I still feel connected to the guy because of our common passion for our Boilers. His Dad's story saddens both J and I for multiple reasons...so I'm writing today with a heavy heart.

God bless you, Ed- You, your Mom and your family are in our thoughts and prayers.

Boilers Gut-Punched In West Lafayette, 66-64

2012-01-24T22:57:00.000-05:00

Just out of reach.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hatin' With Might and Main: Michigan

2012-01-24T11:37:00.001-05:00

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

Up today: The Michigan Wolverines.

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

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

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

Zach Novak.

The whiney 'bags from American Pie were from Michigan.

You're welcome to add your own.

7 PM, ESPN.

Do The Boilers Have A Leadership Problem?

2012-01-23T16:20:00.000-05:00

Step forward, young men...

Coming into this season, we were excited about the prospect of this Senior class leading the Boilers for '11 & '12. Ryne Smith's ability to get under the opponent's skin, Lewis Jackson's hard-nosed bulldog mentality and Rob Hummel's mental toughness and ability to do so many things well seem like a great foundation for a basketball team. However, poor conditioning, inconsistent effort and nagging injuries have put Painter's squad in a position that's unfamiliar to Boilers (at least during the past few seasons). Things are very uncertain as the home stretch of the season begins to come into view...and this team's identity is hazy at best.

Speaking with my esteemed co-editor this weekend, I noticed that he was more irritated than usual (not enough fiber, perhaps) about Purdue basketball. We discussed the lack of effort at certain times this season, how the team looks listless at times, etc. It got me to thinking the above headlined question -- does Purdue basketball have a leadership problem?

It's a question that would have seemed unthinkable in recent seasons. Purdue has soft-spoken but definite leaders in recent years. JJ and E'Twaun weren't in-your-face guys, but they were true leaders-by-example. When the game was on the line, those guys wanted the ball and more often than not, they came through. There was also a fire in their bellies, as evidenced by a number of times when Moore would be seething even after a game for something that happened on the floor. One of b-dowd's favorite Moore videos was a clip posted to YouTube after the Boilers' won a tourney game and all the way up the tunnel, E'Twaun was quietly dag-nabbiting how a guy had swiped him. Easy to admire.

As this season dawned, we openly expressed our concerns about the fact that too much might be expected (or needed) from Rob Hummel. The guy was coming back from two ACL injuries, hadn't played a game in 20 months and was now the most seasoned veteran on a team with lots of young guys. He was going to be looked to by his coach, his teammates, the media...even opposition...as a guy who represents Purdue and the Big Ten and, in the words of some, what's right about college basketball.

The season then got rolling and I know that I, for one, was pleasantly surprised at how well Rob slipped back into character. He shot well, rebounded aggressively, led the team in scoring average and generally seemed like the leader and captain he was needed to be. Rob was like a coach on the floor and there is no doubt that Coach Painter relied on him as such. This was never more clear than in a home game where Anthony Johnson appeared to miss an assignment and then, when barked at by Rob on the court, mouthed off right back to #4. Hummel and Painter appeared positively furious with AJ and he sat for some time, the incident even appearing to impact his playing time in the next game or two.

However, also early on there were concerning signs. Rob wasn't hitting his free throws at his previous 90% rate. He was getting frustrated on the floor, especially as missed shots (by him and others) mounted and the Boilers blew large leads in devastating losses to Xavier and Butler. And his conditioning has seemed outright poor, at times causing him to appear winded and further unable to take his ideal shots.

None of this is to criticize Rob. It's more of a concern. We're beyond thrilled to have him back on the court and representing Purdue, but that doesn't change the fact that something does not seem right with this team. Games get away from them, whether it's blowing huge leads to lose games, or never getting into rhythm and almost appearing to give up (see MSU). As b-dowd pointed out to me, once their shooting was clearly cold and MSU began to put some distance between themselves and our Boilers, it looked like Purdue wanted to be just about anywhere besides East Lansing.

Those sorts of things are hard to define, with regard to how you correct them. Poor shooting, from the field and the line, are endemic problems and ones that sound simple enough (practice more!) but it's not always that simple, mainly because these guys are young men and there's also the "in your head" element. Such as, you know, when your coach mixes it up with the opposing student section.

Matt Painter is a coach who anyone who reads BS knows is well-loved here. For as much as we often wring our hands when Coach Hope is faced with football program decisions, we've often found ourselves on the opposite end of the spectrum during the winter, completely trusting "Matty" as he makes decisions affecting the basketball program. Is it time to cease the blanket trust and begin asking questions? I'm not sure. But I do know that the focus after a 25 point shellacking from an MSU team that is good but isn't that good shouldn't be on how idiotic students of a rival school insulted the honor of one of your players. Sure, it was classless, but....so what?

Lewis Jackson is a floor leader and gives his body up willingly for the betterment of the team, but he's never had to be a vocal leader. Rob Hummel continues to soldier on, though his frustration is becoming apparent and his body language has certainly taken a turn for the worse. Ryne Smith is a talented shooter who appears prone to bouts of under-confidence. And Coach Painter is now bickering with students during road games (who, make no mistake, will never forget that they got under Painter's skin).

The road does not get easier from here onward. Is there time for the Boilers to toughen up (both mentally and physically) before it's too late?

Embarrassed in East Lansing: 83-58

2012-01-21T15:07:00.003-05:00

The telecast began with Hummel getting off of Purdue's bus and complaining about what had transpired over the previous 18 hours for our Boilers. They had been held on the runway at Purdue's airport due to icing, poor visibility and lousy weather for three hours. After that wait, they decided to drive up early this morning to East Lansing. Hummel said it was like nothing he had been through at Purdue...and his game in East Lansing was nothing like what we've come to expect.

He played sloppy, couldn't hit a shot and his body language told me after the first few minutes that it wasn't going to change. Painter decided to only play him 22 minutes as the deep hole got deeper and deeper for the Boilers. He finished with two points on 0-11 shooting while grabbing a very respectable six boards...but Rob wasn't the only Purdue player as stuck as their chartered plane the previous afternoon.

Smith went 1-6, Byrd was 2-11, AJ was 1-7 and TJohn was 2-5. The two point guards, Jackson and Barlow were the only two who seemed like they wanted to be there- LewJack hurt his back (it looked like badly), but still came back to try to squeeze more out of his beaten dominative frame...he finished with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal; Barlow had 6 and 4.

In the first 15 minutes, both teams shot like dog crap...and Purdue's effort kept them in it. On one possession alone, Purdue had four offensive rebounds...but as MSU started hitting shots, Purdue's defense got worse and worse. Once again, this Purdue team seems to think that it's offensively good enough to not play hard defense and to run a half-assed motion offense...and the end result showed just how good of a team Matty's squad is when they don't play with heart. I'll take that back, the final score should have and could have been worse, but MSU's all-white final five players including walk-ons and cheerleaders helped Purdue climb into the upper-50s. Had MSU kept their foot on the gas and Purdue's starters stayed in the game, it probably would have been 90-something to 40-something.

Gene Keady's best quote was, "It's not who you play, but when you play 'em." And MSU coming off of two-straight losses is not a team you want to play if you're Purdue...hell, they're not a team anyone wants to play. But Purdue looked and acted fatigued and heartless. That could be because their heart and soul simply isn't there right now. We've watched Hummel squeak into the low teens during the B1G season time and again by digging deep and finishing as strong as possible...but this afternoon was different- he didn't seem angry about the effort or the score, he just wanted the game over. While I watched, I felt the same way.

I'm the first to admit how happy I am that #4 is on this team and is able to play basketball at all. What he's gone through in the past few seasons isn't deserved and isn't fair...but it is what it is. His pal, Dreymond Green came into MSU with a similar skillset and similar size...but a physique that looked like it belonged on a Weight Watchers commercial. His laziness in high school and early college yielded him healthy knees though...and he's been able to finish his career playing his best basketball due to being in the best shape of his life...Good for him.

The story for one of the best Purdue underclassmen EVER is not the same, sadly. Sure, there's a lot of basketball yet to be played this year; but what have we seen that tells us it's getting better? I for one have a hard time seeing it. J said that he has a hard time seeing a scenario in which Purdue doesn't make the NCAA tournament...I'm the exact opposite. The schedule is brutal from here out. Sure, this team will shine a few times at Mackey before this season is over, but they simply must do it versus the top teams in the conference to make an impact on the tourney committee.

Painter didn't have budget to get Fife to become a Boilermaker
(same might to be the case for Dawson & Harris*)

Hey Paint Crew- make a note: Branden Dawson is a jerk...he showed it again today in East Lansing by talking trash to Painter on more than one occasion. Maybe that's why he didn't end up at Purdue- because he's not a good fit and he just doesn't like Painter...or maybe the fact that Matty never seems to get near the shady underbelly of NCAA basketball recruiting has something to do with it. Whatever the case may be, I'd like Dawson to never win at Mackey Arena...and I think that's a real possibility. But effort like what we saw today from Matty's squad will not make that a reality.

Versus Xavier, Alabama and now MSU, Purdue seemed to be nowhere near as talented as their foe. And on top of that, in each of those games, the old trademark defense and motion offense both failed miserably due to inconsistent, if not shoddy, effort. Purdue allowed MSU to make 3/4 of their shots (before the scrubs came into the game) in the second half...teams NEVER win games when that happens. Regardless of travel issues, talented blue chip opponents and tough road venues, what we saw today out of Purdue is inexcusable.

The good news is our Boilers play in three days back at Mackey. The bad news is the opponent just beat MSU and will probably be a top-15 team. Painter's teams typically don't lose back-to-back games...but they've unpleasantly surprised me over and over again this season; who's to say that it won't happen again?

One thing we do know: There are at least 12 games left in the season (11 on the schedule, 1 in the B1G tourney) and I think Purdue needs to find a way to win half of them. Coincidentally, six of those games are at Mackey. Seems to me at this point, that Purdue must protect the home court to make the dance.

*My perspective on Izzo changed quite a bit in 2010 when he was suspended for a game for a secondary suspension. He didn't seem angry about the violation, but that the NCAA had the gall to hold him accountable for breaking a rule. That coupled with rumors over Branden Dawson's recruitment in the summer of '10 make me like the guy less than I used to...but that's natural since Painter simply doesn't win recruiting battles agains the uber-successfull Izzo.

Watch My Points Keep Growing: MSU Haterade

2012-01-20T10:24:00.001-05:00

Have you seen the faces Tom Izzo makes? Sure, he's hard not to respect, but does anybody gnaw on officials more and still maintain his nice-guy image?

The Spartans hate America. How else can you explain the way they attempted to sink that aircraft carrier they played on with all those misguided bombs? (ZING!)

Their fight song proclaims that "Spartan teams are never beaten," yet Purdue swept the Spartans last season. So even the fight song has it wrong.

If that horn they blast at the Breslin Center to signify substitutions doesn't make you homicidal, then you're either deaf or a cyborg. Or a deaf cyborg, in which case you're programmed to be homicidal anyway.

Draymond Green only went to MSU because his name is Green.

Please feel free to add your own reasons below.

High Noon, tomorrow. ESPN.

Looking Ahead At The Boilers' Murderous Schedule

2012-01-19T10:21:00.000-05:00

I noted in my write-up of the Iowa game that Purdue's next five games were a tall order, which got me to thinking (and let's be honest, how often does that happen?)... what about beyond those five games? Does it get easier? Is this one of those key stretches that every good team needs to struggle/grow through? So I looked ahead. And then I wished I didn't. So now I want to share those concerns with you.

B-dowd and I have had some spirited debate about the risks of this team actually not making the tournament. I don't think there's any chance of them missing it, but then maybe that's because I don't want to consider that possibility. I'll say it: Rob, Ryne and Lew ending their careers at Purdue in the NIT would be crushing. But what's it going to take? Let's look.

I think it's important not to look at schedules as a whole because it can be overwhelming. You're not playing those games all at once and you might catch a team at just the right time (like oh, say, Nebraska did last night -- zing). So it makes sense to look at definable chunks of the season. Last year featured a brutal stretch against ranked conference foes and difficult road venues that looked ridiculously daunting but that our boys did well through and made us proud. They didn't win the conference, but they made OSU actually look in their mirror and that was something of an accomplishment last year given how dominant the Bucks were.

So let's look at the next five.

@MSU (#9) -- While playing at Breslin is never an easy task, I do feel like this collection of Boilers is at least not wide-eyed about it. In fact, you could argue this team almost never goes into a venue and has lost before they enter. I think this sometimes happens at Mackey and other barns, but one of the things I've loved about the Painter era is that no matter how badly stacked the odds appear, there's always a chance and blowout losses are rare.

vs Mich (#19) -- Similarly, I don't think the Boilers will be intimidated or concerned (beyond the required level of respect) by the Wolverines. They're a very good team but they have their letdowns and these Belein teams have seemed to have trouble keeping their composure in intense road locations.

@ Northwestern -- We all know the Cats tend to play well against Purdue and when this is your lone game against a non-ranked opponent in a five game stretch, well, it's not easy. It's a road game and it's one that is your prototypical letdown game, especially if the Boilers come away with wins vs MSU and UM. In fact, if those two wins happen, I would wager a lollipop with you that Purdue comes out flat in Evanston and loses. If they are 3-0 through this stretch after NU, then good things are coming.

vs IU (#13) -- Sure, it's a cliche, but it's true in this case: the records don't matter. They never do. These programs and fan bases pretty much loathe each other and the fun thing is that both readily admit it. It's not that douchey Notre Dame hatred where they pretend they don't care about Purdue. IU fans do care about Purdue and shutting all of us up...and they should. We've said over and over that we want this rivalry back where it belongs. This game will be the most intense we've seen between these two in arguably a decade.

@OSU (#6) -- OSU's quiet arena scares no one, but OSU's talent scares everyone, or at least it should. The Boilers have had some nightmares in Columbus and this is the game I'm most worried about in this stretch.

In my opinion, the Boilers must go 3-2 in this five game stretch. Beat MSU or UM, beat Northwestern and beat IU. Then if one of the others goes your way, terrific. Any worse than that and I'll be on the worried bandwagon.

I think it's interesting that the Boilers essentially alternate home and road games for the rest of the way, with the exception of the Nebraska game slotted in there. And if you are concerned about playing four of five games against ranked teams, if we broaden the viewfinder, we learn that the Boilers pay eight of their last dozen against currently ranked squads.

All that said, our Boilers are a half game out of first in the bananas Big Ten. The conference is there for the taking, every team has flaws and every night produces results no one can predict. It's going to be nuts but it'll be fun.

Fact Fondue - Michigan State

2012-01-17T23:50:00.001-05:00

I'm not dead yet! Just alumni status now; naturally I'm getting slower.

We didn't face MSU this year during the football season, so I felt it was time to dust off the long forks and stab something. Sparty time.

Tell me your fantasies Dickie V...

First Morrill Act school - Government granting land/funding/approval to state schools that will focus on AG, manufacturing; how Purdue was approved
Largest Study Abroad program for a single campus University in the country - programs on all continents; yes even Antarctica
9th Largest US University
MSU is the 6th name for the school, adopted in 1964. It was originally Agriculture College of the State of Michigan
Michigan State has a campus in Dubai.
They offer a degree in Packaging
2003 - Played Kentucky in the Basketbowl - most attended College Basketball game of all time

This year played NC on a naval carrier - if you didn't catch that
Rumored to be scheduling a game with USC to be held in the Roman Coliseum - Spartans and Trojans

The last team to beat us at home before Wisconsin did it last week...

That was the first game without Robbie after the first ACL tear

The Student section, the Izzone is our rival for Coaches v Cancer
Made it to..

3 Title games - won 2
8 final fours
11 Elite 8
15 Sweet 16s

Tom Izzo has the highest win percentage at MSU since 1910
The court in The Breslin Center is the actual floor the team won the 2000 NCAA tournament on.
Famous Alumni

Founder of QuickenLoans (hence why they now sponsor BTN), Dan Gilbert
Chris Hansen
Robert Mugabe was issued an honorary degree in 90 which was stripped in 2008.
Magic Johnson
Plaxico Burress
Tom Bodett - "We'll leave the light on for ya"

The Fondue - Green and White Chocolate

Good Black and Gold 75; Evil Black and Gold 68

2012-01-17T23:30:00.001-05:00

No, this isn't the schizophrenic edition of Boiled Sports, but instead it's a recap of the Boilers home victory over their most hated rival in yet another competitive performance by the Hawkeyes.

Iowa has shown repeatedly this season that they are quite simply no longer doormats and will not be pushovers no matter what. Fran McCaffery has them playing chair-slammingly improved basketball and we've taken notice. Which is just my way of saying that I value this sweep over a team that has taken down two ranked foes, Michigan and Wisconsin (the latter at their house), so far in the Big Ten season. With a win tonight, Iowa would have been ahead of Purdue in the Big Ten standings by a half game. We cannot have that now, can we?

Rob Hummel and the Hummellettes agreed tonight, to the tune of five guys getting into double figures. It makes sense, too, since those five guys were the only ones to get significant minutes tonight.

Rob led the way with 17 and 11, LewJack followed with 14 (including 8-11 from the line), Ryne came next with 12 (including 3-6 from three, the only guy to look keyed in at all from out there; Rob, by comparison, was 1-6), Kelsey Barlow had a tidy 11 and 7; and Terone made the lone significant bench contribution with ten in 28 minutes.

And on the subject of minutes, outside of those five guys plus Travis Carroll (who played 31 mins and arguably looked the best he has all season), there were a total of 28 minutes of playing time doled out among John Hart, DJ Byrd, Sandi Marcius, AJ and Lawson. Is this a sign of Painter shortening his bench as he tends to do as the seasons drag along? It could very well be, though I'll be surprised if DJ Byrd and Jacob Lawson aren't part of that and Travis Carroll is.

Tonight, there were chunks of the second half that featured this fivesome out there for the Boilers: Hummel, Jackson, Smith, Carroll, Terone Johnson. Not a whole lot of post presence there, huh? And it showed, as the Boilers did not box out and allowed Iowa to get the ball down low over and over for layup attempts, some of which even went in. I joke, obviously, but Iowa put up a fight, even leading by as much as (I believe) 17 in the first half.

Zach McCabe had a career night this evening, pouring in 20 -- easily his best game of the season -- and looking a bit better than he maybe is. Poor defense by the Boilers or just a good night for McCabe? I never like to only ding my team when a guy has a good night. McCabe looked good, shooting over 50% from the field and it could have been even more damage, but he went only 3-7 at the line.

Marble is impressed by
Micah's head for basketball.

Back to Travis Carroll, he had perhaps his most confident performance of his Purdue career, as his rebounding a tipping in of balls seemed more controlled and deft. He seemed to me like a guy who was sure of himself and perhaps wasn't fearing being yanked out of the game. His 31 minutes was by far a season high and his 8 points was one off his high for the year. If this is the direction Travis is heading, I like it...and I will admit I didn't think there was any way I would say that this year.

Kelsey Barlow was strong off the dribble tonight and created as he is often capable of doing. He was only 4-10 from the floor but his points were needed and his seven rebounds (including five offensive) were obviously critical.

Lewis Jackson continues to be a favorite of ours. Lew gives his body up every time out there and also continues to grab far-bouncing rebounds, make his way to the FT line, and also do the little things that make you love a hard worker. One thing in particular that I noticed was late in the second half when Lew took a 17 footer and it rattled off the rim...who was slicing through the lane to snag the rebound? Lewis himself. I note this particularly because I was at the Rutgers-ND game last night and witnessed former Boiler Scott Martin's lazy fundamentals (learned under Mike Brey's tutelage, one assumes) manifest themselves in him taking a three and then drifting backwards to admire it as it bounced hard off the back of the rim and back out to where he easily should have been, had he followed his shot. That's the sort of thing Matt Painter would never have let him get away with. But hey, hope you don't still miss your girlfriend, Scott.

As we've seen over and over, everybody has to pitch in for Purdue to be successful this season. And as we've also seen, the Boilers are prone to lapses in scoring for stretches that become alarming as we see leads shrink away. However, tonight was a welcome change as the Boilers recovered from a fairly deep first half hole to go on to win the game and look fairly dominant in the second half doing so.

Ahead of this train is a nasty little five game stretch that includes four ranked teams, with the one non-ranked opponent being Northwestern on the road. I would take 3-2, I would be thrilled with 4-1 and I would do cartwheels and post the video of it if they go 5-0.

Shovel in some more coal and let's get up a head of steam.

Football Rumours

2012-01-17T23:00:00.000-05:00

I've read no official press release yet, but rumor has it that running back, Reggie Pegram has departed West Lafiesta for greener pastures. I don't know where he's landed, but he's not on the roster at Purduesports.com.

We'll always have Detroit.

Kind of odd since he played his most significant role in the LCB about a month ago. In case you don't remember, Pegram had a TD rushing and receiving. It looked like he would play a ton in '12. Perhaps the 100 QBs on the roster for the fall scared him off? Hard to tell.

This thins out a RB stable that was in pretty good shape heading into next season in spite of the loss of Bolden v. IU.

Here's the way it might look for next season:

Akeem Shavers (RB Sr.)

Akeem Hunt (RB So.)

Doug Gentry (RB RS Fr.)

Kurt Freytag (FB Jr.)

Derek Jackson (FB Sr.)

Returning from torn ACL

Ralph Bolden (RB Sr.)

Brandon Cottom (FB So.)

O.J. Ross is still on the roster in spite of the very late suspension due to academics. There are a few other rumors circulating about transfers...but nothing substantiated at this point.

A Perfect Fit

Whenever we talk about why you shouldn't get too worked up over verbal commitments, remember stories like this:

Gunner Kiel is the number 1 QB recruit in the nation as many of you know. He verballed to IU back in the early fall and IU fans hailed him as the second coming of...well no one- they'd never had a recruit like him.

After his brother's feelings were hurt by IU's coach, Dusty transferred and Gunner opened up his recruiting. After lots of thought and some in-home visits, Gunner had Alabama and LSU as his final two. (Note: Some Purdue fans thought he'd be coming to Purdue...not sure why.)

He was set to enroll early at LSU this week...today, in fact. But after watching LSU's offense play an elaborate game of grabass in their final contest, he changed his mind again...to the national champion; his other finalist?

Of course not.

He'll be going to UND...classes begin in SB tomorrow. Good for him- he and Coach Kelly seem like they were made for each other.

Dayne Crist just transferred to Kansas...So Dusty's brother (Blair's nephew) will enter their depth chart behind Rees, the enigmatic starter and Golson who UND fans think is the next ~~Dayne Crist~~...nevermind.

Addendum (DC News?):
I started this post with no knowledge that Danny Hope might be looking to the CFL...a French speaking CFL team at that, for a potential DC. Turns out, Didier Ormejuste, an NFL and CFL analyst out of Montreal has heard that Tim Tibesar, current DC for the Montreal Alouettes has been offered the job in God's country. I have no idea if it's true...but it's literally the first thing I've heard other than people making guesses. It sounds like too much of a wild stab in the dark to be made up, doesn't it??

Tibesar coached KSU's defense back in '07 & '08...not great years for the Wildcat defense. It sounds like the guy is really smart, at least off the field as he had a 4.0 in college.

If Hope makes this hire, I don't think anyone will call him nepotistic or conventional in his thinking...this is flat-out odd.

Get Ready To Fight Fight Fight Iowa

2012-01-17T10:08:00.001-05:00

They're OMHR. You're mandated by Jim Delaney to hate them. At least in football. Does that extend to basketball? I can't remember.

They marred the end of JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore's regular season careers at Purdue by failing to respect their farewell tour and beating the Boilers 67-65 on the Island of Iowa.

Quite simply, you should never trust a man with a girl's first name.

Their fight song commands Iowa youth to pledge blind allegiance to the Hawkeye regime "until the walls and rafters ring." This sounds unsafe. Also, does their football stadium have rafters?

Have you ever been to Iowa?

Why are the numbers on their jerseys italicized? To make them look faster? You're not fooling anyone, boys, you're Iowans. You move as fast as the combine harvester will take you.

Feel free to share your reasons to dislike the Hawkeyes below.

BTN, 8 PM.

Log Jam Ahead: Marve to Return

2012-01-14T12:11:00.004-05:00

A few of our readers didn't want to read about this, but back in November, we looked ahead to the quarterback situation for 2012. It was confusing then, it's probably more confusing now.

Marve stretches out for a sixth year of eligibility

Review:

Robert Marve transferred from Miami to Purdue. While at Miami, he redshirted due to an injury to his non-throwing hand from a car wreck. He started nearly a complete season as a RS Freshman. After conflict with Shannon, Miami's coach, he moved on to West La La. Due to NCAA transfer rules, he lost his Soph. year of eligibility. Shortly after announcing his transfer, he tore his ACL. No sweat- he'd have the year that he was sitting out to recover.

In his fourth start of '10 versus Toledo, Marve faked a pitch and tore the same ACL again in a non-contact play. He used the remainder of 2010 and spring/summer of '11 to recover from the second knee injury. Rob Henry was thrust into the starting role as a RS Freshman due to Caleb TerBush being academically ineligible in that same season. When Henry's finger was crushed v. aOSU, True Freshman Sean Robinson was forced out of a redshirt season and into the starting line-up for a game. Henry returned to the starting role wearing a glove on his throwing hand...and his accuracy suffered because of the injury...but most of his work was with his feet at that point.

In the summer coming into last fall, Robert Marve and Rob Henry had put themselves as 1 and 1A for the starting job. Caleb TerBush was behind them. But, Marve's knee recovered slowly, so he couldn't take contact in August of '11...and Henry was made the starter. As Marve was fighting to return to form, he was named in the scandal at the University of Miami as one of the guys that received improper benefits while being recruited to the school. Marve never lost eligibility at Purdue and many believe it's because of his cooperation with the NCAA during their investigation.

As the clear starter heading toward September, Henry blew out his ACL...and TerBush was named the starter. He started most of last season, but after game three, Robert Marve was worked into action and the dreaded two-QB system became a reality.

With TerBush and Marve splitting snaps, not many Purdue fans were happy, and the results were mediocre. TerBush was criticized for his slow decision making and taking costly sacks. He managed the game well, and didn't seem to overreach. Marve was criticized for making poor decisions and trying to force the ball into double and triple coverage. He plays with fire and is a gunslinger and the coaching staff didn't like that he regularly abandoned the script for the game. During the handful of starts in the previous season, he played much more conservatively and his completion percentage showed it. Justin Siller was also used from time-to-time in the Wildcat; which was effective. All of the guys who played QB last season were very supportive of one another and positive; I've heard nothing from people on the team or close to the program to counter this.

With Marve and TerBush splitting snaps, Robinson was able to take the redshirt that he couldn't take in '10. Robinson will be a RS Sophomore in the fall of '12.

Marve petitioned the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility. Many thought that since Marve was named in the investigation (above) that the NCAA wouldn't grant him another year to play. I always thought that his willingness to talk actually helped him and it showed that he was trying to turn over a new leaf. Last night, it was announced by the NCAA that Marve will have one final year of eligibility to play college football.

When we posted our thoughts back in late-November, we knew that Elite 11 Finalist, Austin Appleby would be coming to Purdue. Appleby (of course) tore his ACL at the end of his Junior season, but started his entire Senior season in HS. The season wasn't a great one for him or his team...and that's probably why his star rating didn't get higher than 3 in spite of his impressive showing on ESPN U's Elite 11 camp last summer. Appleby is a drop back passer with decent mobility and good size...his game is like a poor man's Andrew Luck out of HS.

Hope has also received two additional verbals for the QB position: Aloyis Gray and Bilal Marshall- both are top-25 dual threat QBs. Gray (from the Indy area), ranks 23rd, has offers from Cincy, Illinois, IU and Purdue's vanquished Pizza Pizza Bowl opponent (and others). Marshall (from Hialeah, FL) ranks 17th. He has an impressive list of offers including Baylor, Northwestern and GTech.

Just last week, Hope got the news that Erich Berzinskas would join the crowded stable as a preferred walk-on. Berzinskas threw passes to future Boiler, Carlos Carvajal at Milford Academy last season. He's a drop-back passer with good size, 6'5", 215lbs and has a lively arm. Berzinskas decided to go to Milford to try to garner more schollie offers.

We made no bones about our feelings about the two QB system- we don't like it. We understand that it's good to have guys prepared in case injuries put you in a bind, but coming into '12, Purdue will have four quarterbacks that have started at least one game in college...and three that have started at least six. So, there shouldn't be any need to split QBs just to be ready. Hope now has the difficult task of evaluating and making the call. The candidates have workouts, Spring football and Fall camp to make their case that they should be the starter.

During Hope's first season at HC, Joey Elliott* ran an offense that resembled Tiller's offenses at times- "The Duke" wasn't called on to run the ball with regularity, but passed quite a bit...and was solid while doing it. Last year, we saw Henry run an offense that ran the ball about 70% of the time. And finally in '11, the offense was extremely balanced...but to me, it looked like it should have been an offense that ran the ball even more since the running backs were having tremendous success. With a lot of talent back at RB, I would think the balanced paradigm will return in '12.

Let's pretend for a moment that every single candidate for the quarterback position in '12 goes the entire off-season without getting injured...and all of the verbals get to campus without a hiccup. Here's the what Hope/Nord have at the QB position (as of now):

Robert Marve (6th year Sr, fmr starter)
Caleb TerBush (5th year Sr, fmr starter)
Rob Henry (RS Jr, fmr starter)
Sean Robinson (RS So, fmr starter)

Austin Appleby (Fr)
Bilal Marshall (Fr)
Aloyis Gray (Fr)

Austin Parker (So Walk-On)
Dalapo Macarthy (So Walk-On)
Erich Berzinskas (Fr Walk-On)

Now is the part where I speculate based on what I've heard and read.

Aloyis Gray had a similar high school career as Rob Henry- he played a lot of WR before playing QB his Senior year. Plus, he was recruited as an athlete by many schools because of his ability at WR. I think he'd be very likely to see the field, after a redshirt season, at WR. Edison is a Senior and Bush and Ross are both Juniors.

The next candidate to petition for a sixth year of eligibility might be Rob Henry. That would effectively make the coming season his Sophomore year...but I believe they do not tell a player if he's received the additional year until prior to that sixth season..which would be in 2014.

Dalapo Macarthy would seem to be a pretty good candidate to take the Keith Smith, Justin Siller role and shift to the slot receiver position. He's similarly-sized and is a good athlete...and I see no scenario in which he'll play QB...but we've seen an odd thing or two happen in the past few years for Purdue QBs, haven't we?

There's a lot that can and will happen during this Spring and fall for Purdue QBs...we'll keep an eye on what goes down.

*I saw "The Duke" at the Purdue v. Wisconsin game- he looked much leaner than the last time I saw him...for those of you who don't know, Elliott plays in the CFL...and blew out his knee shortly after graduation.

Friday Gumbo

2012-01-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

Purdue: Good for What Ails Ya!

This season, we've seen some slumping teams bust out of their slumps with the help of our Boilers. Butler couldn't finish against anyone, but found a way to overcome a large deficit to beat our Boilers on a kinda neutral court. You're welcome, Blue.

PSU hadn't had many reasons to smile at home, or elsewhere this early winter, but Purdue allowed a role player to get into the mid-20s and carry the Lions to their lone victory this B1G season.

Wisconsin was skidding out of control toward a cliff...and Mackey Arena and Painter's squad acted as a softwall for the lumbering Badgers.

Next up, the Boilers will be playing an Iowa squad that will probably on a three game losing streak when it steps foot on Keady Court.

It's Always Nice Seeing IU Lose...But...

Not many Purdue fans enjoy watching IU win games. In fact, we really like seeing them lose; but they haven't been doing much of that this season.

Full Disclosure: if I didn't have to see the red unis, the orangish coach or the fans in the stands, I'd enjoy watching that team play the game. They do a lot well- they shoot well, rebound well, are athletic and play well as a team...plus, unlike my favorite team, they have a consistent defense and an overwhelming offense.

But, being able to watch an IU game without rooting against them isn't an option for me in this state or on this planet...so last night's B1G nightcap was salve in the most-recent wound left by my Boilers.

But more than just enjoying watching IU lose at home, this one was good for Matty's squad. Purdue's road win in Minneapolis looks a bit better after tonight. Will Minny rally and make a run at the dance? Probably not...but thanks anyway Goldy.

And speaking of boosting the RPI, Illinois' big win over aOSU was really helpful.

Nothing's Official Until They Sign

Signing Day is two and one-half weeks away for college football. As of right now, Hope's class sits as the 27th-best class in all of the land. But, there are a few bluechips who are ~~awaiting their bags of cash~~ waiting to sign until the last minute with their favorite school that might change the rankings among the top-10...and of course the dreaded defection is always in the back of the minds Purdue fans. That's especially true since two or three of Purdue's verbals are still taking visits and sound less-than-solid on their "commitments."

Hopefully most of them stick.

The Black Hole

On the way back from the game tonight, I came up with the nickname "The Black Hole" for the high end seats on Mackey. Sure, they're comfy and the view is stunning...but about half of the purchasers of these seats might not even know it since they never come to the games.

There's been an ongoing discussion about these seats on Twitter and the Knucklehead board, and some Purdue fans seem bothered that other fans and alums are angered by the sight of so many empties. I'm more than bothered, I'm embarrassed.

Packed Mackey Arena: 1967-2011 (RIP)

Mackey was pretty full tonight in spite of lousy conditions outside...but those seats weren't. And they haven't been for most of the season. In all seriousness, if you're a rich guy who bought some of those seats and it's too much trouble for you to go to the games, e-mail us at boiledsports@gmail.com.

We'll find a Purdue fan to sit in your seats- guaranteed.

While your financial commitment to the program and the university is inspiring and important, your lack of commitment on game nights is a black eye on one of the best venues and programs in America...and the empty gold seats send an even worse and more obvious message.

Boilers Make it Tougher on Themselves by Losing to Wisconsin at Mackey

2012-01-13T00:54:00.000-05:00

To win at home is a must in college basketball. Purdue needs ever victory it can get, especially this season, as March gets closer and closer. Coming in, the Forces of Good had won 26-straight at Mackey...and I expected the place to be fired up and ready. BUT, I also expected Wisconsin to be playing like they had to win. My expectations became reality, but that's where it stopped. Once again, Matty's club found creative ways to lose this one.

Coming into the game, Wisconsin had pretty much only died by the three, at least during the B1G schedule...but Painter and everyone else knew that wouldn't stop them from shooting it. So they came out with guns blazing...and Purdue responded by not defending the three; makes a ton of sense. At the same time, our Boilers couldn't buy a basket- they were driving, getting good looks and missing lay-ups and shots from 12 feet and in time and again. At the 12:43 mark, Wisconsin had staked its claim that Mackey would be their home court as they effectively quieted the crowd by jumping out to an 18 point lead.

Against PSU, that's all it took- a sizable lead, and the spirit of the Boilers seemingly was broken. Tonight that wasn't the case, but the end result was still a loss. The Paint Crew was thunderous as the defense turned up the pressure and forced Wisconsin into bad shots or no shot at all, and at just under the 9 minute mark, it looked like the game might turn- Purdue had cut the lead to 12 and Byrd was fouled on a three pointer; the always animated, if not whiny Bo Ryan took umbrage with the call and was teched up- the result would be Byrd would get 5 free throws. In typical 2012 Purdue fashion, Byrd, Purdue's second-leading free throw shooter by percentage, hit 2 of 5. And that disgusting free throw shooting monster wouldn't die there.

At the end of the day, Purdue had left 10 points on the floor in the form of missed FTs. On top of that, they missed five or six lay-ups...and to me, that's the game...plain and simple. We can over-analyze this team until we're depressed or numb, but the fundamentals just are nowhere to be found with any consistency on this squad- and that's with everybody- from Senior leaders to newbies...and that's maddening.

There were some good things tonight- Terone Johnson hit 6-of-8 of his free attempts, and it helped him score a team high 16 points...along with 5 rebound, 4 assists and just one TO, that's a pretty damned good game. He didn't shoot great from the floor...but unlike many of his teammates he seemed willing to take the big shot; and that said a lot to me. Granted, a couple of the shots were way out of the rhythm of the offense and resulted in easy buckets off of long rebounds, but I'm glad he's looking to score.

Barlow had a solid game, both offensively and defensively. He was frustrating the Wisconsin guards, after making the decision to play defense (like the rest of his team), took pretty good shots, hit his free throws and passed the ball well. He finished with 9 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Hummel had an OK game and ended with 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal...but never seemed to assert himself.

Travis Carroll had 8 boards, while leading the team in that category...Smith was rushed at times, but had a couple of shots that looked like they might help bring the Boilers back into the game...and Byrd had an effective game at times, but didn't get a lot of open looks. I'm not quite sure what happened to Jackson, but after scoring the initial points for Purdue in the opening minutes, he didn't score again and only played 20 minutes.

Wisconsin played like a team with their backs against the wall...and unlike Purdue, they don't seem prone to giving away 20 point leads; which is good for them, and was bad for Purdue on the night. Purdue made runs, would get it down to three or five points, but then Wisconsin would go on a run and make it as tough as possible on the Boilers.

A ton of people predicted Wisconsin to be in the top-3 of the conference, and I just assumed that with Taylor returning and Bo Ryan's painful to watch, yet effective system, the Badgers would be up among the elite. But, watching them in person, it makes sense that they have three early losses. Purdue allowed them to shoot over 80% from three in the first half; that's good, if you're into that sort of thing...but as a team they seem to accept the three way too often as they don't have a Jon Leuer-type of guy to go to on the team...but that didn't stop Berggren from looking exactly like him from the upper ring in Mackey.

Sidenote: I'm pretty sure Berggren is really just another guy from that white ~~goon~~ guy cloning machine that Wisconsin has been using for the last 15 years. The problem with clones, as the movie Multiplicity reminds us, is they get less and less like the original as time goes on...and Berggren is no Brian Butch.

But, as unimpressed as I was with the Wisconsin team as individual players, Ryan did what he usually does and had them playing well-enough to win...this time knocking Purdue down another rung by beating them 67-62.

Defending homecourt was of the utmost importance for this team that needs as many quality wins as it can get...but like they've done all season, they seem unwilling to take advantage of situations that present themselves and just love the struggle. Matty's squad only played one of the teams in the conference with 14 or more wins on the season...in the final 12 games, they'll play 7 games against the conference elite. At 13-5, you can decide for yourself what the forecast for the post-season looks like, but I'd say it's pretty bleak. This Purdue team still has no offensive identity and sadly, doesn't know what it wants to be on defense either.

After a weekend off, Purdue welcomes Iowa to to Mackey next Tuesday at 8:00.

Get Your Hate On: Wisconsin

2012-01-12T09:00:00.001-05:00

First off, have you heard the way they say it? "Bayydghurs." We get it. You're from the upper midwest. Newsflash: Fargo got annoying after a couple hours of hearing them talk like that.

Bo Ryan (pictured, putting a spell on those who defy him) is the Grinch, which makes it ironic that he coaches a team that wears red predominantly, but really, is it all that crazy? Maybe it's just the perfect cover.

Wisconsin is notorious in both football and basketball for producing gigantic, white farm boys who excel for 2-4 years at their sport in Madison and then, magically, are never heard from again and disappear back into Bo's cauldron.

Wisconsin fans are brutes who reek of beer and cheese. (And then men are worse. *rim shot*)

Please feel free to add your own.

ESPN, 7 PM.

Rush The Court Remembers Glenn Robinson

2012-01-11T23:04:00.000-05:00

Those of you our age or older, brace yourselves. Glenn Robinson first strolled onto campus at Purdue 20 years ago. Twenty. The Big Dog is remembered in this fine work by the folks at Rush The Court. A sample is below:

But what made Robinson so good was actually not even basketball-related. Raised on the rough streets of Gary, Indiana, the reserved Robinson was instilled early with an inner and outer toughness that took his already otherworldly hoops talents to a different level. Combining his immense physical gifts with a hunger for success and perseverance that can be borne only of struggle, Robinson reached that rare transcendence in sports that cannot be created solely by training and talent alone. Isiah Thomas had it. So did Larry Bird. And Glenn Robinson certainly did. His came from a natural place – his mother.

Read this piece and loads of other great stuff over there as they tirelessly express their undying love for the awesomeness that is college basketball.

Expecting The Unexpected

2012-01-11T10:11:00.000-05:00

I came into Mackey Arena prior to the Illinois game expecting to see a Purdue team that would struggle versus Illinois, but would pull out the game in front of the friendly Mackey crowd. As we all know, Purdue was dominant that night; at least for a half, as they frustrated the Illini and created havoc on defense that led to easy buckets.

I sat down to watch our Boilers play Penn State with the full expectation that Purdue would cruise to victory versus a team in the high-100s to low-200s that had struggled against every respectable opponent they'd played. Purdue was controlled, man-handled and embarrassed.

I thought this season would be like the previous seasons under Painter- defense would create offense, leads would be secure and victories would mount up as the team got better and better. Well, Painter's club is winning at about the rate I thought they'd be doing so, but the way they've done it hasn't been predictable.

They've given away 15 point leads time and time again. They've struggled shutting down marginally-effective guards from opposing teams. They haven't been able to defend the three with consistency. The middle of the defense has been soft. This is not the new norm...but for a season, this is what Purdue is.

I read an article about how practice was following the PSU game. Jackson called it grueling and painful...and about every player on the team said it wasn't like anything they'd seen this season. The team responded to the hellish practice by soundly beating Minnesota in a tough venue. Sure, that isn't beating IU, MSU or aOSU on the road, but it's a start.

As injuries have plagued this team, Painter has decided the only way to keep a cohesive unit on game day is to allow guys to sit out in practice. The problem is, Purdue has not defined by its ability to beat the opponent on offense, but instead has used tough defense, mental and physical toughness and grit to wear down the competition. This year, the cornerstone of what's rebuilt the program is not in place...and it shows.

Rob Hummel is not the Rob Hummel of old. LewJack might be a half step slower than he should be due to on-going back issues...and that's really enough. Two of the team captains, the guys who play more minutes than anyone simply can't sell out play after play. Ironically, they're both in this position because they had put their bodies on the line over and over and over. But now, when guys like AJ or Jacob Lawson seek an example of how to play the game, they're looking at two guys who are far from what they've been physically for the majority of their careers. And when Purdue needs to grind out point in crunch time or hit a free throw down the stretch, the leaders of the team are simply dog tired because they haven't been able to practice to get their legs and lungs back.

It's quite a lousy situation for the team and the coach to be in. But I think Painter figured something out after the PSU game that seems obvious to an outsider- if a guy can't play, he shouldn't play...plain and simple.

Granted, LewJack at 80% is still probably the best point guard on the team. And Hummel at 90% is most-assuredly the best wing on the team...both are still of the two best players in the conference when hobbled. But neither has been able to finish with regularity...and both of these guys' careers will be remembered for defensive stops, big drives and big shots to put games away. It's a shame their Senior seasons have been this way. But things are exactly what they seem to be- confusing.

There's no doubt that when their legs aren't wobbly and they're mentally in the game, this Purdue team can compete with anybody. And there's also no doubt that when they're not absolutely focused on the task at hand, they're the worst Purdue team since Painter's first year as HC at Purdue.

I have said this for years- offense takes skill, ability and athleticism, you can't score without physical tools. But defense is mental. It's the decision to not give up after being beaten on the previous play. It's the ability to ignore your body's reminder that it is ready to quit...and it takes five players who are on the same page to successfully play defense in this conference. Because of fatigue and lack of continuity, this team's defense has been deplorable at times; and as the defense goes, so goes a Painter squad.

Can they improve this season? Absolutely; there's still plenty of upside for this team. Will they become consistent? I doubt it. But next game will take all of the mental and physical toughness this team can muster as they'll play the 1-3 Badgers...who will try to beat up and physically dominate this already beaten up Purdue team.

Boilers Beat Gophers and Ghosts in the Barn: 79-66

2012-01-08T22:02:00.001-05:00

The adage is, you live by the three, you die by the three. And tonight, our Boilers were resurrected by the the three ball. Following (arguably) the worst game for a Purdue team under Painter since his first year coaching at his alma mater, Purdue needed a road win...and got it.

Early on, Purdue jumped out on the wings of Byrd. In the first half alone, the Junior had his career high of three pointers- five...he finished 5-of-6 from long distance. And when I say long distance, it's not an exaggeration. The Byrd Man was bombing from NBA range...and doing so with confidence and without hesitation. He set the tone for Purdue, and Smith followed suit going 3-of-4 from three...Hummel had a couple of threes as well. Byrd's hot shooting helped push Purdue to a 15 point halftime lead as the Boilers exceeded their PSU final tally by two points...in the first half alone. It was 47-32 at the break.

But as the team followed Byrd from deep, they also emulated him from the free throw line...as the ugly free throws returned. Purdue went 9-of-19 from the stripe, pushing the season average lower, yet again. LewJack was an OK 4-of-6 from the line...everyone else shot it pretty badly. But if you can shoot 67% from three, it'll cover up a lot of blemishes...and 55% from field ain't bad either.

In the second half, Minnesota made a conscious effort to keep Purdue, and specifically Byrd from shooting the trey. They played an extended man, pressed and played match up zone that left gaping holes in the lane. Jackson took advantage by driving time and again and slicing up Goldy. He ended with 20 (16 of those coming in the second) points, 4 assists and 0 turnovers. His ball handling was poised under pressure as he avoided and stepped through attempted traps and made Tubby pay for his zealousness on the defensive side of the ball.

But in spite of Jackson sacrificing his body as he was knocked down time and again on the drive, the Boilers let an 18 point lead shrink down to as few as 7...and Purdue fans everywhere felt that familiar feeling creep in again. A couple of cheap turnovers led to quick buckets by Minnesota and fouls mounted quickly by Purdue.

In spite of Minnesota playing an extended man-to-man or trapping zone press, Purdue had 8 fouls to Minny's 1 before the 10:00 mark in the second half. Sure, Purdue's prone to too many fouls, but the officials were doing their part to make it interesting.

Following a few minutes of hap hazard play, the last few minutes exhibited Barlow and Jackson's poise keeping Minny at more than an arm's length, and helped Purdue earn its second B1G road win of the season. Winning at the barn isn't easy- JJ and Smooge didn't do it last year and the Gophers were 10-1 this year before tonight at home. But their other loss came at the hands of Iowa just days ago in a close loss...and the B1G schedule has been rough on Tubby's Mbakwe-less squad; they're now 0-4 in conference.

But Purdue needed this one for a bunch of reasons. Obviously a 3-1 record in the conference doesn't sound too shabby...four other teams in the conference are knotted there with the Boilers in second chasing after the white-hot, undefeated Spartans. But, a ton of superstitious Purdue fans didn't like Hummel getting even close to Minneapolis as Minnesota was involved the last two times he blew out his knee. In a heart-breaking win two seasons ago, Hummel tore his ACL the first time. And with Minnesota in town for football Homecoming of the 2010 season, Hummel tore the same ligament again.

Hummel admitted it'd be "weird" to play there for him, but he wasn't worried. He played a typical Hummel game in a lot of ways- solid. He scored 13, rebounded the ball 7 times, had 2 steals and a block. But, he probably left the old gym with more confidence as another hurdle had been cleared in his final season for Purdue.

Along with Hummel, Barlow did a lot very well- he had 7 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists...but turned the ball over too many times. TJohn had a good rebound game following the egg he laid in Happy Valley- he finished with 10pts, 6reb, 2stl and a block...while only turning it over once.

AJ, Lawson and Carroll were all pretty quiet...Carroll started based on a solid effort at PSU.

The 13-4 Boilers get to come home to host the suddenly-struggling Wisconsin Badgers. Their lone win came versus Nebraska who looks to be the worst team in the conference. The bad news for Purdue is that Wisconsin will not be ranked, so even if Purdue can beat them, it won't be viewed by the polls as all-that-noteworthy.

All that said, any Bo Ryan coached team is dangerous in the B1G...and a wounded Badger is pretty scary. The Paint Crew will be back in full force for the first time in a while; I'm looking for big things out of the best student section in the land...This one will be televised on EsPN at 7:00 on Thursday evening.

Rehashing the Debacle: Stats

2012-01-06T11:04:00.000-05:00

This loss and the way the team played really got under my skin. So in an effort of separating myself from the game, here's an unemotional, statistical look at why the Forces of Good lost at PSU:

STARTERS
Rob Hummel
30mpg/16.4ppg/1.8apg/6.1rpg/.6spg
30min/-2.4pts/-.8ast/-1.1reb/+2.4stl

Lewis Jackson
25mpg/9.6ppg/3.9apg/3.6rpg/1.3spg
-3min/-5pts/-1.9ast/-2.6reb/-1.3stl

Ryne Smith
27.3mpg/10.3ppg/1.4apg/3.1rpg/.9spg
+5.7min/-5.3pts/+.6ast/+.9reb/+.1stl

Kelsey Barlow
25.1mpg/8.8ppg/2.1apg/3.9rpg/1.6spg
+4.9min/-.8pts/-.1reb/-1.9reb/-1.6stl

Jacob Lawson
14.9mpg/3.7ppg/.4apg/2.7rpg/.6spg/.9bpg
-3.9min/-3.7pts/-.4ast/-.8reb/-.6stl/-.9blk

BENCH
DJ Byrd
13.1mpg/5.1ppg/.8apg/1.3rpg/.4spg
+9.9min/+6.9pts/+1.2ast/+1.7reb/+.6stl

Terone Johnson
20mpg/6.8ppg/1.8apg/2.9rpg/1.2spg
-2min/-2.8pts/-1.8ast/+.1reb/-1.2stl

Travis Carroll
15.9mpg/2.8ppg/.6apg/3.1rpg/.6spg/.9bpg
-.9min/-.8pts/+.4ast/+.9reb/-.6stl/+2.1blk

Anthony Johnson
16.1mpg/6.6ppg/.9apg/2.4rpg/.4spg
-8.1min/-6.6pts/-.9ast/-2.4reb/-.4stl

John Hart
7.6mpg/2.8ppg/.2apg/0.0rpg/0.0spg
+.4min/-2.8pts/-.2ast/0.0reb/0.0stl

Embarrassed in Sleepy Valley: Boilers Lose 65-45

2012-01-05T23:08:00.002-05:00

Each time I watch a game that takes place in Happy Valley, it's either break or there's a blizzard outside; at least that's what it looks like. Tonight was no different as Purdue made the trip to the most-quiet, least-attended venue in the league...and pooped the bed.

Shooting 32% from the field while allowing an opponent to shoot 43% is a recipe for disaster. Getting out-rebounded by 10 is playing with fire. Hitting a quarter of your threes and allowing an opponent to hit half of theirs? Craziness. Purdue did all of this tonight...but at least their freethrows (high five?).

Hummel, Jackson and TJohn looked listless in this one for much of the contest. Lawson and Carroll looked overmatched. Purdue has lost big under Painter before, but never can I remember a game in which a team that is not good simply dominated his Purdue team from start to finish. After the Butler game I said this team might struggle to make the tournament if things didn't change...the team that drew that comment due to poor play in the second half at Conseco was at the Bryce Jordan Center tonight for 36 minutes.

We all know Purdue struggles against teams that play really disciplined, hard-nosed zone. Tonight, they struggled against a team that played an OK zone. No one looked to drive, no big men carved out space while bodying up PSU's forwards and Purdue hardly ever pushed the ball to thwart PSU's effort to set up the zone...and on the other end, simple high screens created chasms in Purdue's defense and gave PSU open look after open look.

The biggest beneficiary of Purdue's deplorable defense was PSU's version of Tim Doyle, Billy Oliver. Oliver came into the game averaging under 7 pts...he exploded for 21 easy points in just 25 minutes- he was hampered by foul trouble. He might have had 33 had he not gotten himself into trouble.

The unlikable Tim Frazier did what he's done this season, finishing with 15 points and a whopping 9 assists. Barlow, Jackson and TJohn all seemed like lil' speedbumps as they didn't do a whole lot to deter his effort; especially without help. And when they got help, the help would leave someone open for three upon wide open three. Back to the unlikable comment- he might be the nicest guy in the world...but his whining and mean mugging was silliness- good for he and his teammates, it worked tonight...And Purdue didn't.

I think losing is OK, but getting out-toughed, out-defended and out-hustled is never OK. Purdue was pistol-whipped tonight. If you didn't watch it and just saw the score, yes, it was as bad, if not worse, than the score.

I didn't listen to Cliz on the radio, so I really learned nothing about what was happening to Purdue in shoot around or in the days of practice leading up to the game...but honestly, is there an excuse for this type of game? LewJack's 0-5 2 TO, 2Ast game is one of the worst by him in memory. Ryne Smith took some forced threes, TJohn literally handed the ball to PSU three times, Jacob Lawson seemed like he didn't care about the game, Hummel's struggles continued from mid-range and further, and Painter and the coaching staff didn't make adjustments and didn't have the team ready to play.

The only guy that seemed to have urgency in the game was Byrd...and Smith's effort was there. That's the list.

The team that Purdue nearly got beaten by a week ago, Iowa, will get better and might make noise in the B1G. This PSU team won't. Thus, this is a very damaging loss...the type that tournament committees remember and make a note of. This is like the Wofford loss four years ago- a loud clanging bell telling a team that they're simply not good. But there are some key differences.

That Purdue team completely relied upon Freshman and Sophomores...their inconsistency and poor play could be blamed on youth. This Purdue team has three Senior starters, a bunch of Junior contributors and an only a few Frosh and Soph guys that are asked to do much. My point is, the 2012 team should know better than to come into a game with the idea or attitude that they can mail in a victory. I thought the Xavier collapse was a wake-up call. Nope- they nodded off two point five games later. I really thought the Butler second half collapse was the cold splash of water this team needed. Guess not. Just four games later, apathy and lethargy was deep in the fabric of the team yet again.

This team has developed a rhythm that every 2-4 games they're going to drop a game. The problem is, the conference schedule just started...and the best four teams Purdue will play this year have not been played yet.

Mackey Arena's crowd, and the Paint Crew in particular inspire this team to play its best basketball...sadly, six of the remaining 14 games are on the road...and of those 8 at home, half of them are against the cream of the conference.

I keep waiting for something to change this season, but this team is what they are. They're an OK-to-good team. They need high effort for 40 minutes to win...much like that team I talked about from four years ago. The problem is, in spite of what seems to be tremendous Senior leadership, the effort is hit or miss. 16 games into the season, it's awfully tough, if not impossible to change the habits that have formed.

Next up, Purdue plays a pretty good team...on the road...that they lost to last year in the same building. The roller coaster rolls into Minneapolis on Sunday at 6:00.

Boiler Resume Thus Far

2012-01-05T10:52:00.001-05:00

With two-straight winnable road games ahead of Matty's squad, a 12-3 record, and an RPI that leaves much to be desired (43), the post-season forecast for our favorite squad is murky right now. And last night's upsets had an effect on our Boilers.

-Beating Temple has been viewed as a quality win since it happened, but their win against Duke helps their RPI and in turn, helps Purdue's. Temple is 9-3 and 27th.

-Like Temple, Iona only has three losses. Also like them, they're in the top-30, but barely...at 30. I think we all had a hard time watching Purdue allow Iona score 90 points, but this season, they've scored over 100 twice, and have scored 89 or more points four times. As of now, they look to be the favorite in the MAAC.

-We thought High Point and Western Carolina were not good when Purdue squeaked by versus both...turns out, that's exactly right. High Point has won three games and Western Carolina, five.

-When it happened, losing to X seemed like a case of a very talented, solid team beating a team that wasn't quite ready for primetime. Let's remember, this was a Xavier team that was highly ranked that hadn't yet decided to go gangsta. After the suspensions, Xavier can't find its rhythm or chemistry and stands at 9-5. They're no 54th...they're not receiving any votes from the coaches and are a paltry two votes ahead of Purdue in the AP. Losing to a 10-4 LaSalle team doesn't sound bad at first blush...but LaSalle has consistently been in the 100s all season.

-Purdue gave the nation's reigning runner up a gift prior to the Christmas season at Conseco...and I for one saw this game as a massive indictment on Purdue's inability to finish games and play on a bigger stage. Butler's gone from a sub-.500 team to a .500 team and has two relatively easy games coming up before facing Cleveland State. They've broken the top-100 in the RPI and sit at 91st.

-Alabama is the only decisive loss for Purdue this season...and all Purdue fans agree that Purdue just wasn't as good as that team at that point. With 'Bama in the teens consistently for a few weeks coming into that game, it didn't seem like a bad one to drop. But after the Purdue win, Alabama lost three in a two week period and it looked like they were in the midst of a free fall. The ship has been righted in Tuscaloosa and Alabama, while not ranked, is barely receiving votes in both polls...but the RPI calculation loves them and they stand at 17th. The problem for them is their conference is 6th in total RPI...the good news for them is their conference is filled with cream puffs and patsies, so they'll only have to play 5 more top-50 games.

-The importance of the Illinois game might get larger as the weeks go on. Illinois is 22nd in the RPI...sure, they've been on a bit of a slide as they dropped from the teens to receiving no votes (other than Weber's) in the human polls in a matter of two weeks. But, their losses all come to quality opponents (UNLV, Mizzou & Purdue). Who knows if their dramatic road win over Northwestern means the Mildcats are on the express train to the NIT or that Illinois is back on track.

I know, I know, the RPI is a very flawed barometer of the quality of a team, especially before February. But, averages and equations limit a rocket ascent or rock-like plunge. While Purdue has been consistently un-noteworthy this year in that poll, hanging around in the 40s-60s, their stock has risen the last few games and they now are #43. That equation predicts Purdue going 21-10...which is exactly where we at BS saw the Boilers finishing (between 20-22 wins was my prediction). And I believe that record would get Purdue in the dance at a six seed. Not great...not bad.

I'm a bigger fan of Ken Pom's equation. It's had Purdue a bit higher all season. Currently the Forces of Good are 21st their...and 24th on the Sagarin Poll. But the tourney committee doesn't bring anything but the RPI and the team's resume into their room, I'm told. Still, I think the Composite Computer Ranking that we at BS bring you regularly might be the best sign of where a team truly is.

Right now, like much of the season, Purdue is hovering around 30 and the CCR is 29.3...probably exactly where my eyes tell me they should be. Like all of you, we see that this team has a ton of potential and a pretty high ceiling if Hummel gets hot, LewJack can mend a bit, TJohn can hit 50% of his FTs, Lawson and Carroll continue to improve, Barlow plays to potential, Byrd plays solid, etc...but a key injury that hurts the rotation could do the opposite. And, as we saw last night, anyone can beat anyone on a given night. This is why as it gets colder outside, the warmest, most-welcoming place in the world is a college basketball arena.

Tonight, Purdue travels to the loneliest valley in the nation during basketball season to play PSU at 8:00. They'll be greeted by hundreds of fans at the BJC who kind of care what happens on the court...but that won't stop the Lions from putting up a fight as two of the best PGs in America square off in Jackson and Frazier.

Freethrows, DCs and Luck (Tuesday Gumbo)

2012-01-02T23:39:00.003-05:00

We've talked about Purdue's free throw shooting woes once or ten times this season...and from the look and feel of it, things aren't getting better. Matty's squad shot in the low-mid 70 percentile range for much of the season last year. This year, it's been the upper 50s to low 60s...a notable and shocking drop.

College Basketball Stats by StatSheet.com

Hummel is the best free throw shooter on the team and he's down about 11% from before his injury (79%). Worst on the team is, of course, Terone Johnson. His shooting percentage is down a whopping 22% from last year's 55%.

The fact is that these guys haven't forgotten how to shoot free throws, but there's a mental disease in the line-up and it needs to be cured. The problem is, I don't know the cure...nor does Painter based on what I've heard him say.

Last Saturday, Butler played a game at Hinkle fieldhouse. and their starting point guard, Ronald Nored was 0-6 from the line in the first half. Out of frustration he decided he needed to have some additional practice between halves. The problem was that Butler's practice gym was full of alums and boosters eating hotdogs and popcorns and drinking soft drinks. So they made space for him:

Nored working on free throws as a few friends watch

Perhaps the new Brian Cardinal Court can help Terone and Co. break the slump in the near future? I don't think the John Purdue-rs will be using it on gameday.

(Credit The Janitor's very own Twitter acct. for photo)

Defensive Changes Looming
GBI has been reporting for a few days that there are imminent changes coming to Hope's coaching staff on the defensive side of the ball.

Former LB coach, Phil Elmassian has moved on, again. This time to UMass to be the DC there. And current DC, Gary Emanuel will be replaced soon. The details of the change are still pretty hazy. I'm not sure if it was Hope's decision, Emanuel's or Burke's...but I agree with it. Purdue's defense looked like it should have been the strength of the team coming into the season. But in spite of being an experienced and relatively deep group, the defense allowed the most points EVER on a Purdue defense v. Wisconsin (and it could have been worse) and was plagued by costly penalties at the worst times. And like the rest of the team, was frustratingly-inconsistent. Statistically, things weren't good either- they were 9th in the B1G in total defense and scoring defense, 9th in rushing defense and red zone defense, 10th in pass defense and 7th in third down conversions allowed and sacks.

I don't know if Emanuel will still be on staff, but I would guess not. Regardless, here are a few guys that I'd like to see in the hopper for the next DC:

Kirk Olivadotti is a Purdue alum; graduated while I was on campus in 1996 and played receiver for Colletto...don't hold that against him. Currently, he's coaching the LBs at Georgia under Mark Richt. He's also coached in the NFL for the Redskins.

Terrell Williams is the one that got away...but who can come back home. He coached Purdue's D-Line from '06-'09 and helped develop Mike Neal, Ryan Kerrigan and Alex Magee. He's currently in a bit of limbo as he was on the last T A&M staff, also as DL Coach, and Kevin Sumlin is making decisions on his staff as we speak.

Wild Card?
I doubt he's interested, and he's really not qualified...but that hasn't stopped Purdue in the past.

Wouldn't it be fun to see Rod Woodson in the gold and black again?

Armchair Draft
With the lousy football season behind the Indianapolis Colts and the draft ahead, the organization has already started making moves.

After months, no years of egotistical comments to local media, the ex-football genius, Bill Polian has been canned...and his son as well. The last five years have been pretty horrible for the Colts from a personel decisions standpoint. Perhaps the senior Polian was worn out or was allowing his son to make most of the calls; who knows. But, the old formula doesn't seem to be working anymore.

Rumors are swirling about Caldwell's future, but I don't know how the Colts can bring him back in the wake of the lack of adjustments made to the Colts' gameplan following Manning's injury.

I'm watching Andrew Luck play his final college game as I'm writing this and I know Kiper and everyone else calls him a sure bet; there's no doubt he's a tremendous talent (by the way, Purdue was in his final three along with Northwestern), but there are no guarantees in the NFL. There is a guarantee that his worth is substantial. As a ~~half-assed~~ Colts fan, I'm rooting for them to trade the pick if Manning improves over the next 60 days.

I've heard the Colts will get between three to five picks for the rights to get Luck...and the Colts have plenty of needs. Here's who I'd like to see them get:

Justin Blackmon (OK St.)- the Colts need a big time receiver, regardless of what they decide to do with Reggie Wayne
Landry Jones (OK)- If he decides to leave...and is still around
Alfonso Denard (Neb)- The Colts need a shutdown corner badly

Crazy Talk
I'd like to see Justin Siller get a camp contract and have the opportunity to play H Back behind Dallas Clark. Sure, it probably won't happen, but Siller's ability to do about anything on the field along with his football IQ make him a good risk for the Colts to take.

CCR
Matty's team won't be ranked in the top-25 any earlier than mid-January in all likelihood. In the meantime, The Forces of Good are 32nd in the Composite Computer Ranking.

Happy 2012, everybody!

A Step Forward- Second Look at Illinois Game

2012-01-01T11:35:00.001-05:00

Our pal Ed enabled me to take my wife to the Illinois game yesterday and I'm glad I was there to see Purdue's best defensive game of the year...but I don't think the formula for beating the Illini will work versus the better teams in the league.

I was ecstatic to see Illinois forced into bad shots inside 5 seconds on the shot clock time and again. Those possessions were clearly exhausting and frustrating to Weber's squad. But, mental lapses and not fighting through picks allowed Paul and Richardson to hit open jumpers from 18-22 feet time and again.

For me, the key to the defensive effort was an unlikely and welcomed source- Travis Carroll. 21 minutes, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 7 points isn't something to write home about. BUT, he was playing one of the big ten's more formidable centers in Leonard and played him nearly to a draw. More importantly, he, Lawson and some of the Purdue guards had Leonard completely mentally out of the game early in the second half.

Is any coach in America warned by officials more than Weber?

My favorite moment of the entire game was watching Leonard get his third foul after hip checking Ryne Smith. Illinois' 7 footer whined, made hand motions and headed toward the bench...his coach, also clearly irritated, didn't welcome him to the bench to keep him out of foul trouble, but just stared at Leonard with his arms crossed and told him to get back in the game.

Purdue won this game because of mental and physical toughness...something we haven't seen a ton of this season. And while I don't think it's a good formula in the long run for both Hummel and Jackson to score single digit points, I absolutely think it's good for this team to not wait around for those to to do it all.

Limiting both of their minutes, at least for the next two months will probably be the best thing for this team come March. But this game, especially from a shooting standpoint isn't and won't be the norm for Hummel- he missed some pretty easy shots that he needs to hit and Purdue needs him to hit.

Bullets
-John Hart is playing limited, but very efficient and effective minutes...and he seems extremely confident with the ball in his hands.

-Barlow showed us yesterday what he's physically capable of when his mind is in the right place. He had been sizing up Illinois' guards for much of the first half, getting very close to picking off a pass at the top of the key time and again. His defensive efficiently was matched by offensive tenacity as he seemed unstoppable for about 7 minutes. Let's keep in mind that this offensive explosion was against some of the most-talented guards in the B1G.

-Smith's three pointer midway through the second half was from about 27 feet and looked perfect. He had forced a few early in the game in which he didn't get his feet set...but that was the exception, not the rule. His shot-making ability isn't shocking or noteworthy, because everyone knows he can shoot. But his rebounding, defense and knack for annoying opponents is immeasurable.

-DJ Byrd's importance to the team shouldn't be minimized. He plays smart, makes big shots and can play about anywhere on defense.

-Terone Johnson's balanced game was a microcosm for the team- 21 minutes, 9 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals were really a continuation of what we've seen the past few games. BUT, his free throw shooting is deplorable. If he could figure out that part of the game (like the rest of his teammates), he'd be pretty tough to stop. TJohn's strength against slighter guards is obvious, but he seems to know he's a liability from the line so he doesn't finish the drives.

-AJ's teardrop might be harder to stop than TJohn's because of his length.

Yay BTN!
If you tuned into the BTN Finale show seeking to get some Purdue highlights, sorry, didn't happen.

After showing Purdue in the lead-in, and again on two commercial teasers, BTN's Finale producers thought it'd be best just to read the score. Excellent work, as usual.

Next Up
Purdue plays two-straight road games...first, versus Penn State on Thursday at 8:00. The BTN might broadcast the game if something else doesn't come up.

Boilers Move To 2-0 In Conference By Krushing Orange

2011-12-31T20:23:00.002-05:00

**Post updated at 10:45 PM ET**

The Boilers put on an impressive performance today to move to 2-0 in conference with a 75-60 victory over Illinois in a game that honestly wasn't even that close.

The Boilers trailed 23-15 with five minutes to go in the first half and I was definitely getting a bit concerned. However, a 37-6 howitzer blast of a run by the good guys swelled the lead to 23 (52-29) and that, coupled with the Illini's body language, showed this one was over.

I personally was pleased with this one for a number of reasons. Purdue lost two of the best players they've had in their stable in many years -- two of them -- and have still come out of the gate strong, to the tune of a 12-3 (2-0) start. And we also must remember -- not like you could forget -- that the Boilers' losses have all been games they had every right to win, if only they could have closed them out. It's not like this team has been outclassed in any contest.

In this game, Purdue only had two guys get into double digits, with Barlow netting a tidy 14, including 5/7 from the line, and Ryne Smith tallying 12, all from beyond the arc on 80% three-point shooting (4/5). Ryne also had four rebounds, an assist and two steals. I also loved Smith's hustle in this game, as he gave up his body a number of times and played some strong help defense under the basket, committing a foul to stop a slam -- I like that.

Elsewhere, LewJack had a quiet but important eight points on 67% FG shooting (2/3) and 80% FT shooting (4/5), as well as six rebounds and two dimes. He also only played 19 minutes and I think this was part of the concerted effort b-dowd mentioned in his last write-up to keep Jackson fresh. Once the Boilers were up big, why not give the younger guys some heavy minutes? It's never too early to think about next year, when convenient.

To that end, Terone and Travis Carroll both had 21 minutes off the bench, and scored nine and seven, respectively. AJ and DJ both played 18 minutes in relief and had seven and nine points, respectively.

Electric slide tonight for NYE?

Rob Hummel had his quietest game of the season, finishing with only five points in 22 minutes, but also with five rebounds and three assists. Lawson was incredibly quiet in another start, but on the plus side, he did commit only two fouls rather than his customary four.

John Hart only played nine minutes but most came in the first half and I liked what I saw out of John. I also liked seeing him get important, first half minutes. I'm not sure if that will continue, obviously, but as I said, I thought it was good to see as John continues to try to find his role within this team.

The reason I liked this win was because Purdue showed moxie. Just like the downhill direction can be contagious for a basketball team (like looking over your shoulder expecting to blow big leads when it happens a few times), I also think confidence can be just as, if not more, contagious. The Boilers, as mentioned, were down late in the first half before using a mini-surge to take a narrow halftime lead. They then came out and ballooned the lead into the 20s -- but with 12 minutes remaining. More than enough time to blow it, if you were worried they were inclined to do that.

But the boys in black and gold (and white and whatever gold that was) didn't fold and kept the Illini at a comfortable distance the rest of the way. I'll admit, the earlier flops this season make me a little gunshy as the lead went back under 20 and then down to 17.... but the Boilers held firm and looked confident doing so.

Hey, the best our boys could be right now in Big Ten play is 2-0 and they are just that -- which is a lot better than 0-2.

The alums who comprised the Paint Crew tonight while the students are on break did a good job and included the handsome Travis from H&R.Well done, old people.

Happy SBF New Year!

2011-12-30T09:00:00.003-05:00

And thus we come to the final Friday of the month of December 2011 and, thus, the final installment of Sideboob Friday for this special return engagement. Perhaps it will expose itself again in the future and spring up to provide well-rounded entertainment of a global variety. Or maybe it will stay covered and mysterious, making you wonder just what is under there....

Wait, what was I saying again?

Dry your tears and enjoy SBF for December 30, 2011. Until next time, my friends, be safe, be smart and maintain your sense of humor.

It's beach time! Is anyone available to rub lotion on whats-her-name's back?

The staff of BS highly recommends and approves the above outfit for all your New Year's Eve reveling needs.

Continuing with the beach theme because, well, who doesn't want to be on a beach in late December?

For those of you trapped at work this week....well, so is this poor, underappreciated, put-upon lass. And she just wants someone to give her a shoulder massage and take her out for drinks after work.

Be good, everyone.

Sideboob Friday is a production of Boiled Sports and has now concluded its limited return to BS for the month of December 2011. All complaints, donations and notes of thanks can be directed to BoiledSports@gmail.com.

Boilers Hang On at Iowa: 79-76

2011-12-29T00:21:00.000-05:00

After a week off, Purdue traveled to Iowa to begin the B1G schedule. Iowa's transition-based offense had been in rhythm the last three games, all wins, as Iowa scored 82 points twice and 105 once...and early on, the pace favored Iowa.

With the collapses of the Butler and Xavier losses in the front of his mind, Painter clearly was trying to keep Hummel and Jackson as fresh as possible for the closing minutes. Purdue's lead stayed around 6-8 points for much of the first half. But in the second half, the game got tighter as Iowa tied it twice and kept it within 5 points for most of the last 20 minutes. But, the Hawkeyes couldn't get over the hump. When they punched, Purdue had an answer...and much of the time, the answer came from unusual places like Byrd, Barlow or Lawson...but in the end, Hummel closed out the Hawkeyes with a few key rebounds and hitting his last four free throws; something Purdue has struggled with all season.

In the first half, Purdue had 30 points off the bench. Most-notably, DJ Byrd and John Hart both had 8 points...and looked as if they completely expected such a performance. Hart finished with an efficient 8 points in just 11 minutes...and looked very good shooting the three. Byrd scratched and clawed his way to 14 points, 2 assists and a steal in 22 minutes. Perhaps he's finally healthy...or maybe it was just a good night. Regardless, it was not only great to see, but absolutely needed.

Tim Doyle was on color for this game...so I watched large chunks of it on mute. But honestly, I was just happy that BTN was able to broadcast video alllllllll the way from Iowa. That's good of them.

The most interesting point in the game by far was following an assist from AJ to Hummel, Rob looked like he wanted to punch AJ in the face...so did Matty on the timeout...and Coach Shrewsberry didn't look too happy with the RS Frosh either. I went back and watched the play and deduced that AJ missed a screen and wasn't moving on offense and tried to say it was Hummel's fault as they walked off the court...I guess. Whatever it is, it's something to watch. I don't think I've ever seen something like that on a Painter team.

In the closing minutes, it had the feel of the Butler game- Iowa looked fresh, motivated and quick, Purdue looked sluggish as if they were just gutting the game out. And when Iowa's Gatens hit a three that made it a three point game with :49 seconds left, I had that not-so-confident feeling. I'm positive that crept into the minds of the squad as well.

But as they had for much of the night, Purdue answered. This time it was Barlow who finished close to the basket. He finished with a quiet 12 points, 2 rebounds and a steal...but played smart and tough for much of the game. LewJack seemed to end most possessions on the floor. He struggled to stay in control at times and was clearly wincing at times. He finished with 6 points and 4 assists; but turned it over 3 times.

Lawson started again as Marcius stayed home with the calf injury. He finished with just four points, but had 5 rebounds...and as usual, foul concerns kept him out of the game- he only played 14 minutes. Carroll played a quiet 17 minutes and looked more resolute at times, but had 0 rebounds. Ryne Smith struggled from behind the arc, going 1-5. He finished with 5 points and 5 rebounds. TJohn continued his frosty free throw shooting going 0-2. I don't think it's going to change this season, but he must make free throws as he seems to be at his best in traffic...and that game will draw fouls.

Iowa is not a great team...but they're well coached; a lot like Butler. Unlike the somewhat-friendly crowd at Conseco, there were no Purdue fans at this one and Purdue held on to a much-needed road win. Purdue's ability to get good looks and drive made the difference in this one. It's clear that the FT woes are here to stay, sadly. I think the immense amount of points that our Boilers are leaving on the floor will mount up and sting badly as Hightower and Co. get into midseason form while the Boilers travel.

Next up, the Forces of Good return home for a New Year's Eve Celebration v. Illinois. The party will be televised on EsPN2 at 4:00. Everyone in attendance is invited to Burke's office for punch and to watch the ball drop.

Stupidly-Early Look at Spring Football (and Beyond)

2011-12-28T09:02:00.000-05:00

We'll talk in more depth about the recruiting class and their potential impact to the team after signing day. As of right now, I love that Hope now has five verbals from offensive lineman...the shortest guy is 6'5"...the smallest guy is 270 lbs...the biggest, closest to ready Oline recruit is 6'7" and 315 pounds and is a JuCo transfer. The lack of DE commits is still bothersome...But there are a few LBs who seem to be growing into the DE position before our very eyes. Plus, no player should be considered a Boiler until they've signed their letter; we've been through this before.

Don't fall in love with a dream and love the one you're with.

Needs that must be addressed now

QB
Sure, TerBush and Marve both played OK at times...but Hope needs to have a QB that does more than merely trying to not make a big mistake. And the two-QB system needs to go the way of the New Purdue Pete.

If Rob Henry's knee allows it, give him the damned ball and let him play. In my opinion, the guy that was the #1 on the depth chart coming into camp last season should be given the chance to be the outright #1 again.

TE
One of the best ways to make a passing attack respectable in a hurry is to get the tight end involved. Crosby Wright and Gabe Holmes both showed the ability to make plays in '11...With Holmes size, athleticism and his work toward becoming a better blocker will make it tough to ignore him in '12.

Safety
Albert Evans was the only safety this season that seemed to be a threat to pick the ball off or blow up a play with a hard hit...he's now graduated.

It's time to see what Ismael Aristide, EJ Johnson, Taylor Richards and even Raheem Mostert can do...Safety was really the only position on the field this season in which I didn't see any evidence of Hope's "speed first" philosophy.

If it seems like I'm pushing Mostert onto the field in anyway possible, it's because I am.

DE
I'm kind of excited to see what Ryan Russell becomes...he showed some flashes of greatness in the second half of the season. I don't want to see him even flirt with moving inside- I love his athleticism and size and hope the coaches strive to make him leaner and faster in the off-season.

With the mass in the middle of Short, Gaston, Taylor and Isaac, I think speed on the edge is important now. We saw this season how important pass rush, or lack thereof, from the ends really is to the defense.

Brandon Cottom, Jelani Phillips and Robert Kugler might all be good at the position.

PR
Waynelle Gravesande was sure-handed at punt returner, but wasn't a threat to take it to the house. Gibboney's ST units took big strides forward this season, the next thing they need to do to keep the momentum is find a guy who can not only catch it, but do something with it to help field position.

Antavian Edison has shown he can do about anything he's asked to do...and can take a hit. Ismael Aristide and Josh Johnson have both been mentioned as options back there...and Ricardo Allent was given a look earlier this year. One of these guys might be the key to success in one of the most-difficult positions on the football field.

Who's taking over?
RB
Akeem Shavers showed that he'll be the clear #1 as Bolden works his way through rehab. Behind him Hunt, Pegram and Mostert should all push Shavers. I have no concerns at RB.

LB
With Holland graduating and the status of Beckford in question at this point, Purdue will need one or two of the guys who we've been waiting to see make an impact.

Armstead Williams, Joe Gilliam and Mike Lee should all vie for playing time in '12.

K
Purdue has two incoming kickers...one seems to be the clear starter. We'll talk about who that is on signing day.

P
Obviously, this is Webster's job...with Wiggs now graduated, Webster will need to work on his short punting accuracy.

The Scale: Little Caesars Bowl

2011-12-27T22:43:00.000-05:00

"The Scale" is an easily-digested, overly-simplified post-game synopsis from Boiled Sports.

Winning Winning: Boilers Finish '11 over .500

2011-12-27T21:29:00.001-05:00

Today's bowl game seemed to be more important in the broader sense for the program than just what happened on the field. As we've said for a long time and as readers reiterated via Twitter and here, a .500 team from the B1G should beat a MAC team. Period. And while the game leaves us with a slightly-sweet taste in our mouths to savor until Spring football, it had some putrid flavors as well.

I worried about Purdue's DBs and DEs struggling against WMU's pass-happy offense...they did; to the tune of allowing WMU's Carder to pass for 439 yards and three TDs. I was concerned about stupid penalties and generally-stupid play killing my Boilers...it did. But, I was wrong about the outcome; thankfully. Purdue had a double-digit lead at the half and kept the Broncos down for most of the half by a similar margin, but after a few great plays followed by bone-headed situational awareness, Purdue put WMU in a position to win in the closing half.

First, in the third quarter, as Purdue held a commanding lead of 34-18, Gerald Gooden intercepted a WMU pass and headed up the sideline while palming the ball with his left hand like a mini basketball. Instead of putting WMU away, Gooden's lack of situational awareness gave the ball back and WMU scored minutes later making the game 34-25.

In the fourth quarter, it was de ja vu all over again as Ryan Russell picked up a fumble and ran about 30 yards before losing a fumble at around midfield. The result was WMU scored a few minutes later and made the game a 37-32 game; Purdue held onto that five point for the victory.

Our Boilers' Akeem Hunt lost the first fumble for a Purdue RB early in the game (he still averaged 9.5 yards/carry)...but Akeem Shavers ran for just under 150 yards averaging 6.8 per carry and was a workhorse on his 22 carries. Purdue forced 7 turnovers...but lost 4 fumbles.

Raheem Mostert was large on special teams returning a 99 yard kickoff for a TD...but didn't get many shots to impress on offense. I will begin the season in '12 campaigning once again for Mostert to get more opportunities to change the complexion of the game for our Boilers; he's an electric player.

If you didn't watch, yes, Purdue was +3 in the turnover margin, had a kickoff returned for a TD, recoverred TWO STRAIGHT onside kicks...and still only won by five. That is a pretty good microcosm of the season- Purdue played at a high level...at times. But they kept the game interesting by shooting themselves in the foot- 9 penalties; around the average for this team...The Purdue DBs allowed WMU's White to nearly set a bowl record for total yardage; he finished with 265 yards receiving. And on the other side of the ball, Marve and TerBush COMBINED for 177 yards passing and 2 TDs.

I'm always glad to be wrong when I predict a Purdue loss...but this game shouldn't have been as close as it was. I think it's fair to say Purdue had a lot to overcome with the loss of four starters...but like most issues with this team, they're self-inflicted for the most part.

Holland (9 tackles, 2 TFL), Gooden (2 Int & 1 Sack) and Siller (10.8 yards/carry, 44 yds receiving) all played with high effort and in a manner that showed they were aware that this was their last game in a Purdue uniform. Pegram had his first two TDs of his career. Shavers ran hard and had fresh legs in the wake of sitting out due to post-concussion symptoms at the end of the season. Gary Bush filled the shoes of OJ Ross quite well finishing with 6 receptions for 90 yards and a TD. Gibboney had his Special Teams units ready as they played nearly a flawless game (one missed FG). And at times, Hope coached as if the team had nothing to lose- two onside kicks and heavy and effective use of the wildcat and hurry-up, especially in the first half...at other times, the asinine two-QB system seemed to completely disrupt the flow of the offense...and the defense would rush three to give WMU's Carder what felt like years to pick his receiver.

In the last three years, this is what Hope teams have done- they've had some great moments and some that make you cringe and curse. A pal of mine texted me that we are all on this roller coaster for the foreseeable future with Hope's recent contract extension. Honestly, I'm OK with a bit of a roller coaster, but the big hills need to become larger and more regular while the downhills need to become less steep and frequent. But following the '11 season, Purdue is what it is.

At the end of the day, this one goes in the left hand column. At the end of the season, Purdue is 7-6, a winning season...it's not much, but that's a lot more than the program has had to build upon the last few years.

Predicto - Bowl Edition; Broncos of Western Michigan

2011-12-27T00:15:00.000-05:00

Delicious Side Caesar

It's been a while folks, but we've got one more predicto in the chamber for a Tuesday night game that isn't basketball. The Good Guys take on Western Michigan at 4:30PM EST Tuesday, 12/27 in the Little Caesar's bowl. For one final time this season, we break it down for you all - predicto starts now.

Oh, and he broke some silly record.

Perhaps the most-important matchup of the game for the Boilers

J says:
Well, here we are. A mediocre season has come down to a mediocre bowl. And why not? This is what Purdue has earned this year. A game against a quality opponent that everyone will assume Purdue SHOULD beat simply by being from the power conference.

The Boilers turned inconsistency into an art form this year. Losing inexcusable games, winning surprising games and laying eggs at peculiar times.

We've said all year that this is a hard squad to predict because you never know how they're going to start games, if the play calling will make sense or who will get more snaps at QB.

Now they've had a month off to prep for this one and thus we have no idea what to expect. Could they have studied Western Michigan and devised a game plan specific to this opponent? They could have, but I have little confidence that that's what they did.

In the end, I can't help but say that I expect Purdue's maddening inconsistency to continue. They SHOULD be able to out-talent WMU but I don't know if they will. These guys SHOULD be thrilled to be playing in a bowl game, but we already know they were pissed off that Detroit was their reward. And Robert Marve SHOULD be starting this game and playing all of it but we all know that won't happen, either.

Danny Hope celebrates his new contact extension with his third straight losing season.

Western Michigan 31
Purdue 27

Famous Bronco

THuff says:
Back in Detroit, but we're looking incredibly different. After watching the boys battle in Bloomington, I know how bad they want to win one more time and I am confident they will, but it won't be easy.

Marve and TerBush will share the field for what I feel is the last time. Marve won't be handing the ball off as much due to Danny's 'Players first mindset'; he'll be given opportunities to be a hero. This is both awesome and alarming for many Boiler fans, or at least for me. His situational awareness is better than TerBush, but his confidence can cause as many problems as Caleb's newness.

Mostert will have no problem stepping up with the loss of Waynelle. This, along with the senior heavy special team - I'm looking at you Mr. Ballinger - will have a final game to remember. We're in a dome - could the 'Record' be set here? Would it have an asterisk next to it?

Defense loses a strong, passionate player in Dwayne Beckford, but this program cannot tolerate his behavior and has made an unquestionable right call. He leads the team in tackles and was the Defensive MVP. Unlike some individuals, namely Donald Wood, I don't feel like this will cause a loss. We have players that can step up and cover some slack, they just need to this day. Ricardo Allen will need to be a monster to guarantee a win and once again make me eat my words about Nike giving him the fan jersey of the year over Wiggs.

Purdue Wins in nail biting fashion. Field Goal for the win.

Western Michigan - 28
Purdue - 31

Bdowd says:

This season, Hope's team has played pretty lousy when following success. For this reason, they couldn't put together a winning streak. The team is coming off of the win versus the lowly Hoosiers as well as Hope's success in negotiating a contract extension...My guess is the coaches and many players are feeling pretty good about themselves heading into this game; and that's not good.

When this Purdue team was motivated, it played good football...when they weren't, they played flat-out lousy football. After the announcement came out that our Boilers would be going to Detroit, I read very few celebratory tweets from players, but a lot of belly-aching and bitching came from the players' accounts.

Many of these Purdue players believe they're as good as Coach Hope says they are to the media. There's the rub. This Purdue team beat no one with more than six wins...and lost some horrible games; but still has an ego problem. As they prepared for the game, they couldn't stay out of trouble and a few were lost due to poor academics. So now, a team that has had problems with discipline and consistency all season is down four starters...three of them (Gravesande, Bolden and Beckford) were pillars of consistency.

None of this is good news.

I think the game will be close as a few thousand enjoy this one on TV...but Western's offense has shown it can score with more regularity than Purdue's and Purdue's defense struggled all season versus good receivers.

If this happens, season ticket sales will be brisk in the fall!!
(Hope I'm very wrong.)

Western Michigan - 35
Purdue - 30

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!

It's Mostert Time.

2011-12-26T14:44:00.001-05:00

Yesterday it was announced that Waynelle Gravesande would be added to the list of players not playing in the game in Detroit tomorrow. Gravesande, like Ross is in his situation because of grades/academics. Gravesande, a Senior, has played his last down for Purdue.

For those keeping track at home, Bolden, Beckford, Ross and Gravesande are all starters who are unavailable. Gooden and Lucas were not suspended following wrestling a police boot off their car.

Hope says the dominative, but speedy TJ Barbarette and CB Josh Johnson will return punts in the stead of the sure-handed, but not-too-explosive Gravesande.

On the offensive side of the ball, Gravesande played pretty solid toward the end of the season. I'm hoping Hope and Nord use Raheem Mostert on offense as much as possible to fill the gap by Ross and Gravesande. As I said before, I really like Gary Bush in the primary role, but think Mostert should be given more opportunities as good things seem to happen when he has the ball in his hands.

The Extension: Why Now?

2011-12-26T11:54:00.000-05:00

I think we have a pretty educated reader base here at BS...and while you're generally all Boilers, you have a wide range of opinions on the athletic department. J and I pride ourselves in being honest and fair on the site, regardless of popular opinion...and because of it, we seemingly get railroaded by you guys about once a week.

We've been called fanboys, we've been told we're too hard on our alma mater's Athletic Department and I think that shows that we've been balanced...the re-up of Hope is another post that we're catching flack about, so I'll expound a bit right now about a few points since the Christmas presents have been unwrapped and the house is cleaned up.

Since Purdue beat aOSU, we thought it would take a catastrophe to push Hope out. Burke's history with football and basketball coaches is that he just doesn't like firing people as he seems to want to avoid a costly buyout and the messy fallout of a coach being thrown out. So in spite of heavily-lagging ticket sales, the carrot of beating the Buckeyes seemed to be enough to buy Hope at least one more season. Remember, at that point, we weren't in accord with the idea, we just believed things were as they were and we would be forced to live with it.

After watching the Iowa debacle in person, I felt like Burke might go either way depending on what happened in Bloomington. Purdue had a chance to grab a solid bowl with a win over a mediocre Iowa team...instead they rolled over and pooped the bed. That one pissed me off because of its predictability. Hope has repeatedly not been able to motivate this team in the wake of a victory...no matter how big or small, the team seems to think it is one of the nation's best following placing a V in the left column.

After Purdue beat a flat-out crappy IU team in meh fashion, Purdue had earned a 6-6 record. This decidedly-middling record is just good enough to scrape into a lousy bowl game. But coming into this season, I predicted a losing season. So I'll take my lumps- I thought they'd beat Rice, SEMo, Minny, and IU...and that's it. I thought MTSU would have a better season...I was wrong. I thought Illinois would have a good season behind Scheelhause...I was wrong. I thought Purdue would be home for the holidays...I was wrong.

Predicting outcomes of a season prior to seeing a team play is tough for a guy who does it for a living. Prognosticating as a side project when you work in the real world is foolish. Thus, I'm foolish...time and again.

As we watched the season there were some things that were obvious. First off, this team was simply not ready for the pre-con coming out of camp. That's on Hope. We've said that a million times...and it's a recurring them. But, after a few games, improvement was pretty obvious. You could see that Purdue was a much-improved running team and had a few tools on the defensive side of the ball that, if used correctly, could wreak havoc in the B1G.

Sadly, not much havoc was created. The top of the conference dominated Purdue...with the exception of PSU. For the record, in a conference that suffered from inept offenses, PSU's was notably feeble. Sure, their defense was what it usually is...but you have to score an offensive TD every now and again to be considered good. After PSU, Purdue showed it belonged squarely in the gray blob...the big boring middle that included Illinois, Northwestern, aOSU and Iowa.

So that's where we stand now; Hope's team isn't great...and it isn't horrible. Purdue's fanbase, myself included, feel apathetic about the program. We all hope for more, we all want more, but it's been 7 seasons since Purdue was a solid football team. Burke blamed the ticket sales on the economy...I'd blame them on season upon season of unimpressive, unimaginative, uninspired football. I'm not saying it's good or right for Purdue alums in the Indy and Chicago areas to simply never go to games...but I absolutely understand why people don't want to invest hundreds or thousands of dollars in the product.

But due to BTN contracts and Hope's league-smallest salary, Purdue is now standing pat.

At the season's advent, Burke said that he wouldn't talk about Hope's contract until the season's end. He followed that by saying a bowl game was the goal. In my opinion, that was kind of pointed talk from Burke as he usually doesn't talk about tangible goals to the public. I have no idea what Burke promised to Hope behind closed doors...but the above seem pretty obvious. Burke's goal was for the program to take a step forward and get to a bowl. I'm positive that the goal wasn't to barely get into one of the worst bowls...but I guess specificity might be in order in the future.

After the regular season ended, I had my eye on Houston's Sumlin...who seemed to be a no-brainer fit for Purdue. Outside of Sumlin, I liked Beckman at Toledo who had been given a horrible situation at Toledo, but had done pretty well in spite of it. Other Boiler fans liked Leach (who would have never been hired by Purdue) quite a bit.

But after a crazy two weeks to kick off December, all was quiet from Purdue and Burke...but Leach, Sumlin, Beckman, and other fast-rising coaching prospects had been snatched up. Hell, even Bob Davie and Charlie Weis found new HC positions...But Burke, Hope and Purdue stood pat.

In good conscience, could the Purdue fans demand Hope be out as HC at the end of November? Perhaps some could. A five-win, three-win and six-win season does not, by anyone's standard spell success. But, is it good, fair or right to push a coach out after three seasons? Many argue (myself included) that Tiller had left the program in a pretty tough position at the end of his tenure. In the closing seasons of his time at Purdue, he had clearly become weary of seeking the higher-touted talent. Plus, he didn't seem to ready to jump in the rental car and drive further than a few hours to watch and pursue a player. Purdue was left with some high-character kids predominantly from the Midwest...but missed out on a lot of local talent due to multiple reasons...and Texas, that had been a stronghold for Tiller was no longer the focus for his coaching staff.

I know it's en vogue to throw a coach out on his ear in the programs that have deep tradition and deeper pockets. But Purdue, while having some history of success still only boasts of one double-digit winning season...two conference titles...and just 15 bowls...11 of those coming under Tiller.

If you think Purdue should have fired Hope after a six-win season, there's really nothing I can say to change your mind, and it's already too late to change. But the guy who holds the cards and the contracts disagreed- and you and I both knew that. Since it's his standard practice to act slowly on contract extensions, he did so this year. While doing that he lost out on a ton of potential candidates. Some of you wanted Burke to make the decision following the bowl game...a good idea. But, with 20-or-so coaching changes in the month of December, where would you go for the guy to turn the program around.

With ticket sales in the can, you'd need to make a splash with the hire, right? An unknown coordinator wouldn't generate ticket sales...and that's part of the reasoning. So without a huge chunk of cash, it'd be tough. In this scenario, the athletic department would have been buying out Hope (which isn't a huge amount of money when compared to some other contracts), but the cash to get a name would have been large...and Purdue's history with hiring big name coaches wasn't great and was astoundingly-unlikely.

Plus, agents and coaches alike have the right to turn Burke and Co. down. Sumlin and others turned down multiple jobs before landing in the place they wanted...and money was only part of the equation. Coming to Purdue with poor ticket sales, an AD that's near the end of his time in the position, cold weather and a tough recruiting location is far from ideal for many coaches.

It happen this season. But for those of you/us that aren't sold on Hope (which seems to be about 85% of the Purdue fanbase) rest assured, this most-recent contract extension is a show-me contract. Hope simply had to be extended to avoid additional negative recruiting by opposing coaches. And the incoming recruiting class looks to be the best in about a decade.

Next year will be year number four for Hope and co. regardless of what happens tomorrow evening. In year four, his recruits are the upper classmen...the team speed should be exactly as Hope had envisioned. Injuries to quarterbacks, RBs and any other back cannot and should not be an argument for why the team doesn't succeed as these coaches should be prepared for about any injury situation by this point.

I thought this season was a make-or-break campaign for Hope. Turns out, it was merely a maybe things are getting better year for the coach. Six wins in '12 will not be good enough for Hope to keep his job this time next year, because his program simply must continue to progress. But sadly, this season good enough was just that.

Hope Extended Through 2016

2011-12-24T11:01:00.001-05:00

Before the season, Burke refused to talk about Hope's contract but said the program needed to take a step forward by going to a bowl. After Hope's squad was picked to play in Detroit following the season, it seemed that the contract extension was inevitable. Yesterday, Burke and Hope got together and made it semi-official by extending Hope's contract through 2016.

The terms are not final or public yet, but we'll probably know more in the coming weeks.

Purdue also received a $2 million gift to go toward the football program's marketing in an effort to boost quickly slipping ticket sales.

Methinks having the team ready to play in the pre-conference would help ticket sales a bit too.

Addendum:

I've said this on the Handsome Hour a few times, but never typed it here- I don't believe in Karma off the field, but I do believe in sports Karma. Meaning, if you do something bad to someone in sports, the word spreads about you and your program and it become difficult to find someone to do the job better.

IU has dealt with sports Karma on the football field for a while. When they shoved Mallory out early back in the 90s, I think the word spread among the college football world. Sure, they got an offensive genius in the form of Cam Cameron, but never saw a bowl game in his tenure...and that trend continued for the next two coaches. Guys who coach football are in a pretty tight fraternity...and they talk to each other.

I don't think anyone will say they're pleased with this football season...from guys like me writing about it, all the way to Morgan Burke. BUT, most of us didn't expect much better than 6 wins back in August...and not being a losing team, even if by the slightest of margins, is a step forward for this program. Burke pointed toward a bowl back in August, the team is in one in December, and now he's making good on a promise...and avoiding some pretty lousy football Karma. Now for the next step.

We'll talk about this more in the coming days/weeks.

Chryst to Pitt, Crist to Kansas, Christ to Earth

2011-12-23T09:46:00.000-05:00

Pitt's new coach a gifted offensive mind

-A few years ago, it looked like Purdue would hire Wisconsin OC Paul Chryst. Instead, Burke and the committee hired Hope. Now, Chryst will be heading to coach Pitt. An interesting bi-product of the hire is Purdue looks like a few of the recruits that were iffy on their decision to go to steel town have reaffirmed their commitment to the Panthers. Hope's recruiting class did get another Olineman this week...which is something we at BS have been hoping and asking Santa for.

God's favorite team wasn't a good fit for Crist

-Dayne Crist, the nation's best QB out of high school has officially left UND after some rocky seasons in the ~~armpit of Lake Michigan~~ South Bend. Crist will join fellow football god, Charlie Weis at Kansas for his final season of eligibility. Look for the Jayhawks to win the World Championship...or at least the national championship...or at least the Big 12 Championship...or at least be state champs...nevermind, KState and their whipper snapper coach might keep them from doing that.

-Merry Christmas, everybody. A little over 2000 years ago, my Savior was born. I love the feeling of this time of year- kids waiting for Santa, the twinkling lights and time with family. But the real reason for this season is still the first six letters of the day, Christ.

I hope you and your family have a great few days off. Students, don't wear out your welcome at home...old people, enjoy the worthless bowl games, over-eating and tacky ties and sweaters. If you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a good couple of days too with your family. If you're offended by me using the word Christmas, tough crap. When my Jewish pals wished me a Happy Hanukkah when I lived back east quite regularly...I always appreciated it for what it was- a well-wish to someone with hope they have the same special feelings this time of year that they have.

I feel blessed, even with Purdue choking away games on the hardwood and going to a pretty meaningless bowlgame because of the things that I don't talk about on this site very often. I hope you do too.

The real gift of the season

A Very SBF Christmas

2011-12-23T09:22:00.000-05:00

It's the Friday of Christmas weekend and so, in all seriousness, we wish you a happy holiday season. And to make it more happy, we'd like to share the cheer that is....boobs.

Click for more, but only if you dare. Make sure your boss/wife aren't over your shoulder.

Lucy Pinder is a personal favorite. And she only wants to make your holiday season brighter.

The above is the BS Christmas card for this year. Glad tidings!

God bless us, everyone...indeed.

Sideboob Friday is a production of Boiled Sports and runs on December Fridays in this space. We hope the photos in this feature do not cause you to snarfle your egg nog, but if so, then we've done well.

Quick Take On Recent Football Stupidity

2011-12-21T09:56:00.001-05:00

It's now official, Beckford has been rightfully suspended for the bowl game...and in his wake, Gerald Gooden and Will Lucas thought it'd be a good time for them to introduce themselves to the police.

On Monday night after accruing a bunch of parking tickets, Lucas and Gooden removed the boot from Gooden's (I believe) and took back the property. The problem is, once a vehicle is booted, I believe the police regard that car as theirs until the fines are paid...but if you get that far, usually the tickets and fees are a few hundred bucks.

After taking their car back, the two were arrested for theft. Sweet.

Gooden (2) & Lucas (45)

If you're keeping count, Purdue has two starters already suspended and another with a blown ACL. So now, Gooden, Lucas and Hope await Purdue's ruling on the matter (it was university police, not West Lafayette). My thought is pretty simple- these guys deserve to be suspended for the bowl game.

If they are, either by Purdue or by Hope, Gooden will have played his last game at Purdue and the team will lose its second LB this week.

Perhaps the three seasons in which the team didn't go to a bowl game kept Purdue's players from getting themselves into trouble. In both Beckford's and the Gooden/Lucas cases, the players probably would have been at home had they not been forced to stay on campus. In a roundabout way, they're getting what they want, right? Many players complained about the bowl draw via Twitter...so I'd give these guys their wish and send them home.

There's a pretty good debate raging on GBI and Twitter about the most-recent arrests and how egregious they are. Some are calling the guys thugs; I don't agree with that assessment...but they're definitely two guys who made some silly decisions (not paying parking tickets) followed by a really stupid one (taking the car back without paying the fines). Like Mom always said, you can pay now or pay later, but you're going to pay. As is the case in most crimes, this one would/could only end with the police getting involved as the proof is extremely simple to gather.

The second part of this issue that tweaks me a bit is if a normal student were to do this, what trouble would he be in? I don't think he'd get off by merely paying the parking tickets and boot fine; so these guys should be no different.

I think most of the Purdue football players are pretty decent people...I've met enough of them to make my own opinion about it. Purdue's football program struggled all season to get the fans behind them...and incidents like what we've seen in the last week don't help an already beleaguered program's image. Hope shouldn't wait for the university's ruling, in my opinion, to react to this one...his waiting two days on the Beckford situation was probably too much.

Western Michigan's offense feasted (at times) during the regular season on weak defenses. I really thought they'd struggle to put up a big number versus Purdue. Now, since three starting defenders are potentially out, we might have seen the tipping point that I joked about yesterday.

Out for Little Caesar's Bowl
Beckford (LB)- DWI
Ross (WR)- Academics

Bolden- ACL injury

Awaiting Decision
Gooden (DE)- theft
Lucas (LB)- theft

Boilers Build Huge Lead Then Mix Things Up A Bit By Hanging Onto It

2011-12-20T22:23:00.000-05:00

Boo!! Ryne Smith scares
the Mastodons away

Tonight the Boilers continued their home winning streak (now at 24 games) tonight with a resounding thumping of the IPFW Mastodons, 81-56.

The Boilers came out strong, shooting 70% in the first half and the game was truly never in doubt. Of course, it's possible that IPFW had watching game tape of the Xavier and Butler games and was simply letting Purdue race out to their customary lead, but if that was the plan, well, IT BACKFIRED suckers!

The team looked very loose and comfortable out there tonight and it was genuinely fun to watch. Sandi Marcius sat out with a calf injury (minor) and so Travis Carroll (26 minutes, most of any Boilermaker) and Jacob Lawson (starting his first game) got some big man minutes. DJ Byrd also played a significant role for perhaps the first time this season, playing 20 minutes and scoring 11 points on 50% shooting from beyond the arc. He looked comfortable and in rhythm, which of course could have something to do with the opponent. The Mastodons are, how you say...not good.

(As an aside, Boilerdowd was so down on things after his in person experience at the Crossroads Classic that he actually said to me yesterday "They could lose to IPFW.")

There wasn't a whole lot of defense played in this game, though the Boilers held IPFW to 23 points in the first half in building a hearty 50-23 lead. That lead was punctuated by the first Hummel dunk I can remember:

I particularly like how he tries to keep the mean-mug going but it lasts just mere seconds before he breaks into his customary, nice-guy grin. I'd also like to point out that LewJack and Hummel have now dunked this season... Ryne, you're the last senior left who needs to do so. Let's complete the unlikely dunking trifecta.

I'd like to give knuckles to the Big Ten Network for not only sending broadcasters to West Lafayette for the game, but for airing it in its entirety and for making sure Mike Hall didn't insult an entire fan base! Yay!

Back to the game itself, the Boilers had astonishingly good scoring distribution tonight, with six guys getting into double figures. Hummel, Jackson, Smith and Barlow each had ten and off the bench Byrd (as mentioned) had 11, as did Anthony Johnson. In addition, all twelve players who got into the game tonight also got into the scorebook. This includes former walk-on, Dru Anthrop and freshman Neal Beshears. Having twelve guys score is a nice experience usually only found in Bloomington sororities.

The Boilers also shot 75% from the line, improving their 310th ranked FT percentage. Yikes. It's astounding, frankly, just how badly the Boilers have shot from the free throw line, made all the more jarring by the fact that it used to be a strength.

So, yes, there is still plenty to be concerned about heading into Big Ten play, but the Boilers wrapped up the pre-conference schedule in style and stand at 10-3. If you're an optimist, you look at those three losses and realize how easily they could have been (should have been?) wins. If you're a pessimist, you worry about how the Boilers will win a close game against a quality opponent in conference play. The fun part about this point in the season is that it's all still ahead of us.

The Boilers have a little over a week off before the big boy games get rolling and they kick off conference play at Iowa on December 28.

Brother Boilers and Pizza Prep

2011-12-20T10:48:00.000-05:00

Woody and Chad Austin, Greg and Gary McQuay all have done what Terone and Ronnie Johnson chose to do- play basketball at Purdue. But the Johnsons are the only pair of Boiler brothers in the last 20 years that have the ability to be on the court at the same time. And with Ryne Smith and LewJack both graduating at the end of this year, they will probably both be starting very early next season.

We received an e-mail from Indiana Recruiting Guide telling us they were about to post a look at the younger Johnson, so we wanted to pass it on to you.

Johnson's court vision, quickness, ability to find the open man and keep the defense honest with his three-point shot all make him a player that will be tough to keep off the court next season. The void LewJack will leave will be sizable and tough to fill...but Johnson like Jackson seems to have the tools that will allow his game to translate to the next level in spite of being shorter than many high recruits at the PG position.

Click HERE for videos and info about Ronnie Johnson.

All News is Bad News
As Purdue gets ready for the bowl game on the 27th more bad news than good seems to be coming out of West La La. First we heard about OJ Ross being suspended for academic concerns...two days ago, we heard what we thought we'd be hearing- Ross will not be playing in the bowl due to missing too much practice.

Gary Bush will be picking up the slack that Ross' suspension leaves. I've been a fan of Bush all season as he's been very consistent, runs crisp routes and doesn't take plays off. There's no doubt that Ross is a gifted guy, but talent alone only takes you so far...and Bush's ability to do the little things made the offense better when he played this season.

Atop of Ross' academic woes, starting linebacker and leading tackler Dwayne Beckford was arrested for DWI this weekend. Purdue had kept it pretty quiet, but Beckford had been arrested back in July for possession of drug paraphernalia...and in June was arrested for leaving the scene in which he had hit a parked car.

The most-recent charge is made more serious because Beckford was already on probation due to the previous arrests.

One of the aspects of Hope's time at Purdue has been this type of stuff has been less prevalent than it was in the latter seasons of Tiller's tenure at Purdue. I didn't have any time for repeat offenders then, and really don't now. Making one mistake isn't the same as getting arrested three times in a six month period...And while I really like Hope's focus on academics, there is no comparison to the severity of not going to class or doing poorly on tests and drinking while driving.

Seems to me that Beckford should be suspended right away- not because he's automatically guilty, but because he's already had a history of poor behavior...so I'd think he'd not only be on probation with the police, but also with the coaches.

Prior to Beckford's arrest, the coaches had already announced they'd be playing more nickel defense to counter Western Michigan's pass-happy offense...so Beckford not playing shouldn't be the end of the world. Harris was going to see the field more and on running downs, I'd think Carlino will play. Carlino of course has been a starter and plays with a ton of intensity, which is never bad for a defense.

Losing a RB like Ralph Bolden with only weeks to prepare a back-up would have been catastrophic in previous seasons...but as we've talked about ad nauseaum, this year's Purdue backfield is just different. Shavers was Bolden's 1A when healthy, and the guys behind him proved themselves to be talented time and again.

The other Akeem that'll be getting more carries, Hunt, gives up about 25 pounds in the stead of Bolden/Shavers...but is a shiftier runner and has better break-away speed.

All this said, the way Nord called the offense this season, the loss of an RB really doesn't affect Purdue's game plan at all. Edison, Pegram, Crank and even Mostert will probably all get chances to carry the ball in Detroit.

Hope says there are a few guys that are still not out of the woods academically and there might be more that can't play in Detroit. The coaches will know in the next week.

Regardless of academic attrition, injuries or problems with the law, I don't think these issues should matter. Heck, even if Purdue were to lose a QB, would we really see a quantitative difference in offensive output?

Purdue would be hurt with the loss of Allen and/or Johnson...or if Short and/or Gaston couldn't play v. WMU. And if Kelly couldn't play, that'd be costly...and obviously, there's a tipping point when you lose 3, 4, 5...starters, but I've heard nothing to make me think any of these guys are in danger.

So let's just enjoy the 10th-best B1G bowl for 2011/12, regardless of which Boilers can suit up, shall we?

Is Purdue a Tournament Team?

2011-12-19T09:46:00.000-05:00

Three losses to date.

It may seem hard to believe it's being asked, but that's a fair question right now. The Purdue basketball team is in trouble if things continue on this path, not because they have had a horrible pre-con, but because the conference is stout, as we all know, and the road is not going to get easier.

I think you can make arguments that Purdue has shown better than it feels right now, with quality wins over Iona and Temple, in which they did not fold down the stretch, even when playing a tempo they didn't want to play.

However, their three losses -- particularly the last two, to Xavier and Butler -- were excruciating and make you begin to wonder how this team will compete in the Big Ten against all the quality big men.

Do they go back to the four guards and a forward approach of a few years ago? Do they hope that a combination of Sandi/Lawson can give them enough quality big man minutes in conference play?

As much as we appreciate and trust in Coach Painter, this will now be a test for him. Purdue not making the NCAA tournament would be a very bad thing for the program and a crushing way for the careers of Smith, Jackson and Hummel to end.

So this week's poll is to the right and it's pretty simple -- in your opinion, is Purdue a tournament team?

Purdue Gives Away Another. This Time Butler is the Recipient

2011-12-17T18:46:00.000-05:00

I've gotten to see Butler play in person twice before today...and a few times on TV. In each game their lack of offensive fire power coupled with ill-advised three upon three spelled their doom. I feared they would have everything come together versus Purdue and in the closing minutes, they did just that while beating Purdue on a tip-in (with 1 second left) 67-65.

I was in Conseco...surrounded by ex-IU fans (read as Butler fans), current IU fans (read as Notre Dame football fans) and Purdue fans. The atmosphere had the feel of an NCAA regional in which your favorite team is the highest seed- No one beside your brethren is rooting for your squad. With Purdue holding a 10-12 point lead for much of the first half and early in the second half, I thought this one would be good for Purdue. As Butler rallied to shrink the lead to just four about eight minutes into the second half only to watch Purdue push it back to double digits, I thought this was going to be a nice afternoon.

But, just as in the Xavier game, Purdue seemingly wilted and disappeared as Butler started hitting perimeter shots...and the once-vaunted Purdue defense seemed to be a spectator as much as I was as they watched the game slip through their hands. I haven't watched the tape to know who was guarding Butler's shooters down the stretch...but it didn't seem to matter. Stigall, Woods and Fromm all seemed to hit a shot or two when Butler needed them most.

Purdue had chances...plenty of them. LewJack missed some very important free throws in the closing minutes that might have changed the outcome, Hummel looked tentative in the closing minutes, especially on offense, and Smith simply didn't get open to take shots. On top of the Seniors, Butler shut down Barlow's ability to drive as time and again, Butler's unimpressive bigs physically beat Purdue into the loss column.

Butler's youngins under the basket outshined Purdue's as once again Carroll and Marcius struggled. Specifically, Carroll finished with Zero points, Zero rebounds and Zero blocks in five minutes of play. Marcius played a pretty solid first half, but didn't do much of note in the second. One thing I liked is that Painter didn't pull Lawson out of the game with four fouls as he simply must learn to play in foul trouble as he is Purdue's most-consistent power forward at this point. His 7 rebounds and 2 blocks were critical...but I don't remember him pulling down any in the last few minutes as he played shackled by fouls.

I think Painter is at a critical juncture...and something must change for this squad. Hummel, TJohn and LewJack's lack of consistent practices are showing down the stretch of recent games. The team can't seem create space on the scoreboard and finish strong v. bad (or mediocre) teams like Western Carolina, Miami and Butler...and they've looked dead tired versus good teams like Alabama & Xavier. I'm not sure if that means AJ and Barlow should play while TJohn and LewJack are shelved in an effort to get them healthy over the next 11 days. Or maybe DJ Byrd must be thrust back into playing a PF role again like last year. I don't claim to have the knowledge of Painter and his assistants...but as an outsider, I have noticed some bad trends that aren't going away...and that's bothersome.

For the first time this season, I'm not sure if Purdue can make the NCAA tournament simply because the same issues are arising time and again. Purdue's glaring lack of physicality and athleticism under the basket will be exploited by not just the elite of the conference, but teams like Minnesota, Illinois, Northwestern and Indiana...let alone Wisconsin, aOSU and MSU. And at the same time, Purdue's weary legs in the backcourt might continue to have problems rotating and fighting through screens.

Have I mentioned Purdue shot 58.3% from the free throw line? Oh yeah, they did that too...again. That and going 6-for-29 while only scoring 19 points in the second half is a recipe for disaster...and it yielded just that: a loss to a sub-.500 team on a neutral court.

Next up, Purdue gets one more local team before heading into the B1G. IPFW comes to Mackey on Tuesday at 6:30. It'll be aired on BTN (if we're lucky).

What's a Couple Million In Lost Ticket Revenue Between Friends?

2011-12-16T15:17:00.000-05:00

Morgan Burke, rocking the "short sleeves with tie" look. Nice.

Mike Carmin over at the J&C has a very interesting article up regarding the freefalling ticket revenue for Purdue football. It's essentially an interview with Burke about the issue and I encourage you to go read it, but I'll also pull out a few choice cuts for you here.

During the 2008 football season, Purdue's football program generated $12.5 million in ticket revenue.The next season, the figure dipped to $11.5 million. In 2010, ticket revenue fell to $10.2 million.

That's $2.3 million in lost ticket revenue in just two years and it's expected that it will have fallen again when 2011 is officially accounted for. So let's say, conservatively, that it's another $700,000 down for 2011 just to play with nice round numbers. That puts Purdue in a $3 million hole (or loss, whatever you want to call it) in three years. Which, and I'm no math major, works out to {checks math} yes, a million dollars per year. Yowsa.

There are roughly 14,000 fewer season ticket holders compared to 2007, when the count was 42,880. Purdue sold 28,914 season tickets for the 2011 season.

So in a four year span, season tickets have declined in numbers by about 33%. Obviously, we all know this is alarming, but let me ask you this: What if we see another 33% decline over the next four years? That's a little over 9,000 more seats not filled (and, really, is it hard to imagine another 9,000 empties given the way people are flocking away in droves?), bringing season ticket totals down to the sub-20,000 range.

I don't know about you, but that sounds almost impossible, doesn't it? And yet, so possible, given the current trajectory.

Burke veers into comments about the coaching situation as well, and it's hard to know if he was asked specifically about it or if he is just very aware of the noise outside his office:

Burke said the responsibility for attendance and ticket revenue is "on me" but added "if everybody thinks you make one personnel change ... how many different coaches have been at Notre Dame and Indiana since I've been here? It's staggering.

I'm not sure anyone has suggested Purdue needs to make "one" personnel change. I think some want the whole coaching staff gone. I think others have said, hey, maybe Danny Hope can work out, but not with this staff. I will tell you this, however: how many coaches ND and IU have had in the past 20 years is probably the least relevant part of this equation.

"The head coach is like the quarterback -- they may get too much credit when things are going good but too much blame when things go bad. But they're the captain of the ship and ultimately I'm the captain of the ship too and I have to take responsibility."

I could not love this quote more, because it sounds like something Hopeful Danny on Twitter would say. Mixing up metaphors and figures of speech is one of my personal favorite things to take note of. So we have two captains here? Who outranks who? Wouldn't Burke be the....admiral? I'm so confused.

Asked if the steady downturn in football ticket revenue is hurting the overall athletic department, Burke said: "It's not yet but you can't go on very much longer.

Wow, that doesn't sound good...right? Wait. I'm so confused.

"The way we budget, we try to build reserves. Our business is much more cyclical than people think. That's one of the reasons you live within your means."

Ah, yes, live within your means. Like underpaying your basketball coach no matter how good he is, to the point where he nearly leaves. That sort of living within your means? Gotcha.

This next nugget is telling in some ways:

While football ticket revenue is down, the athletic department -- which receives no funding from the university and is expected to show a net income of $9.85 million following the 2011-12 academic year -- probably will remain in sound financial shape because of other revenue sources.

Net income, by its definition, is basically profit. It's interesting that the term "profit" is not used here. That could be Carmin's choice of words or it could come from the University in one way or another. But the point is, the athletic department is going to be positive by almost $10 million after this school year is over. So when you find yourself wondering why Burke isn't taking a flame-thrower to the coaching offices, that's a big, big part of it.

Burke also expresses surprise in the story that more fans didn't come to the Purdue-Iowa game. (Hey, we were there! We did our part, Morgan!) And for those who think Burke may be a little out of touch, he commented that he expected to see 50,000-52,000 in the house for that game, which wound up having just over 40,000 in attendance.

I think an athletic department, in order to be realistic and make the logical decisions so many fans want, needs to first have someone at the helm who is fully in touch with reality. I'm not going so far as to say Burke is not in touch with reality, but I can only hear so many comments like this until I begin to think he's just a guy riding out his time to retirement.

And finally, Purdue has sold 3,900 tickets for the Little Caesars Bowl. Western Michigan has sold 4,500. The interest, quite simply, is not there. I don't know if it's Coach Hope or the players or Morgan Burke or the fans. Maybe it's some combination -- in life, it usually is. But I know things aren't in good shape and this article doesn't make me feel much better.

SBF -- The Discretion Edition

2011-12-16T11:04:00.001-05:00

It's Friday, which around here -- at least for now -- means SBF time.

On last week's episode, we invited you to share photos for consideration and while we definitely want you to share things that you think other BS readers would enjoy, I feel compelled to suggest that you not send in pics of ex-girlfriends without their permission. Yes, that happened last week. No, I don't think it would be right to share them. So I guess I should modify that -- feel free to send any kinds of pictures you want of anyone, perhaps especially if I can't post them. I'll be glad to evaluate and provide feedback. But just understand that we do have some level of ethics here.

Okay, carry on. And if you're worried about looking at these pics at work, the handy jump link is below and you can just be left to wonder... do I click it? Or don't I?

Can you spot the brick wall in that picture? Neither can I.

This photo was bouncing around Twitter recently and I saw at least one Boiler female comment on how hot she is. I cannot disagree. If this is you, please identify yourself.

I think we can all admit, boobs are awesome from any angle.

Enjoy your weekends, everybody. Bowls start this weekend and you've got one week of shopping left.

Sideboob Friday is a production of Boiled Sports and is back for a limited time this December. If you have suggestions for SBF -- including ones taken at your office holiday party that are just too good not to share -- you can submit them for consideration at BoiledSports@gmail.com.

Finishing Strong: Handsome Hour Season Finale

2011-12-15T08:29:00.000-05:00

After a few weeks off, the guys get the band back together for one more classic to end 2011.

They talk about the outlook for the season that's ahead...

They look into the reasons for optimism on the gridiron...

and teach you what real gangstas do when they're disrespected.

Get your holiday handsome cheer here...NOW!

Listen to internet radio with Boiled Sports on Blog Talk Radio

A Word On Sportsmanship and Being Critical

2011-12-14T14:49:00.000-05:00

I shared this story on Twitter the other night from Kentucky Sports Radio about a UK fan and his experience in Bloomington with his dad and brothers.

Here at BS, we rant about a lot of things and we're certainly passionate and have a lot of distaste for programs like ND football, IU basketball, Duke basketball, etc. As you know, we do not hide that or shy away from saying things that might tweak people -- I dare say that it might be one of the reasons that a lot of you read us.

However, we do actually appreciate and believe in good sportsmanship and respecting other human beings. Taking digs at a program or ripping a coach or calling an on-court action embarrassing is no where near the same as throwing debris at fans of opposing teams or cursing at them or calling them slurs. I'd just like to get that out there because I think the lines get blurred these days and for every time we (or someone like us) has an issue with the behavior of fans/coaches/etc., someone else has to point out a shortcoming of ours or our program's.

Let's be clear -- when other fans act like toolbags and embarrass their university, we're allowed to take issue with it. It doesn't mean that there aren't embarrassing douchebags representing Purdue (remember the one who called us Nazis in September?) -- there absolutely are. And we're on record as calling out our own student section for their unnecessary use of the word "bitch" after the first down chant.

There's always this nonsense out there that unless you're utterly flawless that you cannot take umbrage with something else. Enjoy your rival losing? "Yeah, well, look at our banners!" Find fan behavior awful? "Hey, Purdue fans do obnoxious things, too!" Think Georgia is the worst SEC ten-win team ever? "Durrr! We (SEC) still are winning another national title this year!"

It seems that the world of sports criticism is flanked by doofus people who feel that unless you're undefeated, #1 in the country and flawless in terms of every having done anything wrong -- ever -- you cannot comment on the world around you. This is silly and kind of naive.

The fact is, every program is flawed and every teams, whether professional or collegiate, has fans who display rotten behavior or cluelessness. So let's just understand that.

Let's also understand this: In no way are we endorsing Kentucky fans, nor are we under any sort of illusion that they're innocent, paragons of morality. But if what is outlined in the above-linked piece is accurate then IU fans should be ashamed.

I know that if there were reports of that happening to that degree on our beloved campus, we would surely be critical and embarrassed. And I also know the experience does not have to be like that. B-dowd and I have talked with opposing fans many times -- in fact, most times we are in an opposing venue, we talk with people who on the surface shouldn't like us. However, if someone walked into Harry's wearing IU gear, aside from the good-natured boo, I don't think many of us would be obnoxious to them. In fact, I think we'd drink a brew together as fans of basketball and look forward to the rivalry. But maybe I'm the one being naive.

When B-dowd and I attended the Sweet 16 in Houston in 2010, we spent some time talking to a couple guys dressed in Duke blue who claimed to be huge fans (from Ohio or something, if I recall correctly). We chatted for a while, got pics with them in their Zubaz pants, and learned that one of the guys was wearing a blue shirt without a logo because he likes Duke and Kentucky. Wow. So while we think they're kind of goobers as fans, we would never hurl epithets at them or call them slur-names. Why would we? What does that get us? And moreover, they weren't insulting us or our school. They might be front-runners but that's about all you can say about them.

I hope that when fans of opposing schools venture onto Purdue's campus that the current students and visiting alums treat them the way they would like to be treated. If they mouth off to you or give you the finger, well, far be it from me to lecture you on keeping your cool. But if they're just there to support their team/school and are relatively respectful? Why not show them class? Isn't that what we want of our children and our team?

Or would we rather our programs turn into "gangstas"?

Handsome Hour Season Finale - Ho Edition

2011-12-14T10:20:00.000-05:00

After standing you up for two weeks, the Handsome Hour returns with gusto tonight -- only to leave you hanging once again as tonight is the season finale.

But fret not! Just like James Bond, we will return.

However, let's not get all sad about the gaping chasm in your life created by the absence of the Handsome Hour while we're in between seasons, redecorating the studio, hiring new interns and whatnot. Let's instead get together tonight, curl up with our snowflake and reindeer blankets and a cup of egg nog and listen as Boilerdowd sings about his roasting chestnuts.

It's the Boiled Sports Handsome Hour for December 14, at 10 PM, Eastern, tonight.

Painter Weighs in on Xavier, officials and his squad

2011-12-14T09:39:00.002-05:00

If you've got time to listen to your Lady Ga Ga or Michael Buble at work (and who doesn't), you have time to listen to a very honest interview from Matty.

Click HERE to do so.

IU shill, and Indianapolis ESPN 1070 radio host, Dan Dakich hosts one of the best college basketball coaches and it doesn't take too long to read into what Painter really thinks.

-In spite of not drawing techs very often and seemingly not laying into the officials enough (for my liking), it's pretty clear he's not fond of the way the game is called by some. Good. There are a ton of officials that stink at their job.

-Painter has some guys (read as one specific guy) on a very short leash when it comes to on-court, in-game behavior.

If you already liked Matty before this, you'll probably like him more...If you didn't like Painter before listening to this, I don't see how you could continue the madness.

A Review of Ford Field, Home of the Little Caesars Bowl

2011-12-13T12:42:00.000-05:00

For those going -- or considering going -- to the Purdue-Western Michigan bowl game in Detroit, the Stadium Journey has been there and has a detailed rundown on what you need to know.

It turns out it's a nice place to watch a game and you might not even be shot. Cool!

Enjoy.

Poll Dancing: a Look at the Awesomeness of the Rankings

2011-12-12T16:29:00.001-05:00

The polls came out this afternoon.

Some polls are
uglier than others.

-Unsurprisingly, IU is ranked. In my opinion, they should have been a bit higher (low teens). I know they haven't had a rugged schedule thus far, but neither have a lot of teams...and IU has beaten the bad teams badly, won a road game in the B1G/ACC challenge and now beat the #1 team. I'm not happy with this as the central Indiana media coverage has made me think I actually missed IU winning their 6th national title...but I went back and re-checked and found it was still just the 10th game of the season.

That said, IU deserves to be ranked in my opinion.

-Vanderbilt has three losses, yet is still in the top 25. Their one loss coming at the hands of an unranked Cleveland State team...whose one loss was at the hands of Hofstra.

-Creighton lost to an OK St. Joe's team and stays ranked. Creighton has yet to have beaten a ranked team.

-Undefeated Louisville didn't jump over aOSU after the Buckeyes loss on Saturday...But Louisville only has one win over ranked opponents (Vandy). The number one team, Syracuse's lone win versus a ranked opponent was versus the over-rated Florida Gators at home...and their only other good win was also at home versus Stanford...but I guess their history of underwhelming in the mid & late season helps boost their ranking.

-Alabama now has two losses versus unranked opponents and remains ranked. Most recently, they lost to unranked Dayton and they fell 7 spots.

-Illinois, Missouri, Marquette, IU and Murray State all have a perfect record that includes one win over a ranked opponent and none are in the single-digits.

-Memphis finally was knocked out of the polls after their third loss; they started the season in the top-10, for some reason I can't explain.

-Purdue and San Diego State have had similar seasons- both with two losses to ranked opponents...SDSU did beat the barely-ranked Cal Bears, and Purdue has yet to have beaten a ranked opponent. Both teams are receiving votes in the Coaches Poll (Purdue 14, SDSU 26) while SDSU is just out of the rankings (27) receiving 59 votes in the media poll and Purdue is receiving ZERO.

After six days off, Purdue will play Butler, who is clearly not the Butler from the past few seasons. When other teams beat Butler (i.e. IU & Louisville), the game was viewed as a quality win and helped both receive more votes. I'm pretty confident that even if Purdue beats Butler on a neutral court in Indianapolis, the win be looked at by the media as just a win over a bad team...if Purdue were to lose, I'd wager that Purdue won't be ranked until mid-January, if at all this season.

As we always say, there's no science to the polls...and in fact, there isn't a ton of worth to the polls either, but a high ranking helps a team's perception in March which in turn should help its seeding...that's why the polls do matter. Thank God there is a tournament at the end of the year...time and time again, polls show themselves to be wrought with inconsistencies.

Purdue's current CCR is 35 as they keep falling in the RPI (they're now 67th in that poll). KenPom has had them consistently in the 10-15 range; they're 14 currently...and the Sagarin has them at 24.

Boilers Return to Defensive Roots Beat EMU 61-36 (and notes from the day)

2011-12-10T22:19:00.001-05:00

"My Name's AJ. No one outside of the Purdue family seems to know who I am...but they will soon."

It was a big sports day, and we'll talk about some of the other stories in a second, but first, here are my thoughts on what happened in God's country today.

First off, the problem from the free throw line is officially a trend. Purdue was 250th in the nation in free throw shooting coming into the game...after today's 52.2% performance from the stripe, our Boilers will most-assuredly be even worse. Good teams will make Purdue pay for these points left on the floor in the win-loss column, bad teams, like EMU won't be close enough for it to matter.

Coming into the game, I was a bit concerned with EMU's size as they have three players that are around 6'10" in their regular rotation...plus, they play a zone, which Purdue has struggled greatly against in the past few seasons.

The game started well with Hummel scoring on his first two attempts from behind the three point line...and that'll soften up a zone. But, after the first few minutes, Purdue's woes from behind the arc were pretty obvious. The good guys shot 32% from the line, and Smith was only 1-for-7. But Purdue out-rebounded the outmanned Eagles by 8 and frustrated them time and time again.

Kelsey Barlow only had 5 points, 2 rebounds an assist and a steal...but his defense made his presence impossible to ignore as he completely disrupted EMU's offense time and again. TJohn had 4 turnovers...but also had three steals. He missed five free throws...but made a couple shots when the game was a bit closer than it should have been in the first half. He finished with 9 points and is improving, but isn't ready to start; yet. AJ had another solid game and finished with 7 points and 4 rebounds...and had 0 turnovers while running the point a bit in the second half. But if you didn't get to see his put-back dunk in the second half, you missed Purdue's offensive play of the year, in my opinion. Click here for more.

Ryne Smith struggled from three, but still finished with 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 0 turnovers. Hummel was streaky, but lead the team with 13 points...but his 8 rebounds were my favorite part of his game. He missed a few open mid-range jumpers, which bothered me a bit to see...but I don't think he's forgotten how to shoot the 15 footer. Byrd played scrappy and seemed to be in the right place over and over again as he scratched and clawed out 6 rebounds...Jacob Lawson showed some finesse around the basket finishing with 7 points, but only 2 boards. I loved what I saw out of Carroll- only one point, but 5 rebounds...and three blocks. Plus, he was just more resolute than he had been the last three games. John Hart saw his first action of the season, playing the final three minutes of the game...but not getting many opportunities to show a whole bunch.

EMU is a pretty bad team, and Purdue treated them as such. EMU's big men didn't look very athletic and weren't, their guards struggled to find space and shots against Purdue's pressure. In other words, Purdue did what they should have done versus some of the other sub-par teams they played this year, and left no doubt. I think the hangover that was around the heads of our Boilers following the X game was flushed out in this one.

Now, Matty's boys get 6 days off before going to Indy to play Butler. I think the break might be a great springboard for this team as they head toward the B1G season.

Special Note: From what I understand, BTN sent live humans to Mackey Arena to sit courtside and talk about what they saw as cameras rolled and the images were beamed to satellites and homes across America. That's nice.

Gangstas Doing What Gangstas Do
I watched Tu Holloway and his ~~fellow gang members~~ teammates versus Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse earlier this week and couldn't get over the mouthiness, lack of discipline and unlikable nature of that team and their leader. I even had a discussion with a Xavier fan this week about how easy that team was to hate for me because of the brand of basketball they play. But they gave me more reason to loathe them earlier today.

Now, there's no doubt, it takes two gangs for there to be a gang fight...and Cincy players definitely had a significant role in the melee on the very same court that Purdue lost on last Saturday. But, Tu Holloway threw gas on the fire as he walked down the court yelling at Cincy's players, pointing to the court and getting into his adversary's face. After that, Holloway's henchmen, Lyons and Wells did his bidding for him.

After the game, Holloway said he was disrespected and and his gangsta teammates took care of the conflict for him. X's classy coach, Mack did nothing (as he seems to do each game) in the wake of the on-court riot saying he wasn't in the position to suspend players...Conversely, Cincy's Coach Mick Cronin saw the incident as embarrassing and disgusting...and continued saying some of his players might never play for Cincy again.

Like it or not, IU's Back
In the last few weeks, I've been asked if part of me wants IU to be good again. I always answer 'No'...because the reversible jacket fans come out of the woodwork in the Indy area as IU succeeds and I'd rather never see or hear from any of those people for the rest of my life. But, beating a crappy IU team over and over really doesn't help the rivalry, and isn't very gratifying- we've said that before.

Well, IU is now 9-0 and has not only beaten a good team, but one of the best in the land in Kentucky...and will probably ranked in the low teens come Monday afternoon while Purdue remains unranked. So I really don't see a scenario in the next few season in which IU will be back in the cellar of the B1G.

The Paint Crew has chanted "IU Sucks" for a few years...and I actually like it. I don't yell it myself, because I think it's something that should be reserved for students. But, it kept the rivalry burning as it got colder and colder on the court...I'm all for that. But, Clappy's team no longer sucks.

The irony about this evening's win to me is that it came off of an assist of Verdell Jones to Christian Watford. I think both of these guys are good players, and I've been saying that for a few seasons as Crean's lemmings told me that IU didn't have any talent. In fact, many IU fans told me that Jones was a bum and Watford should transfer to make room for all of the good players coming in. I'd bet that tune won't be sung again by ~~UND football~~ IU basketball fans.

IU fans rushed the court today...for good reason this time. Kentucky had NO business losing to that IU team, but the Wildcats' cockiness and a coach that refuses to care about anything but sending guys onto the league bit them in the ass. That coupled with an IU team that's much-improved and was extremely-motivated to make a statement to Kentucky and the nation. Mission accomplished.

Tom Crean's stupid face after the shot fell made me want to slap the bronzer off of his shiny forehead. Congrats to the IU fans out there who aren't tool bags (I can think of four).

Sumlin to A&M
The apple of my eye in the college coaching market has been Kevin Sumlin for quite some time...and I actually wanted Sumlin to get an interview four years ago as Purdue sought a replacement for Tiller. But neither Burke nor Tiller seemed to think he was the guy for Purdue.

I thought as grublings got loud this season and Hope's support among Purdue fans eroded, he might get a look from Burke this time around. But, it's not going to happen (let's be honest, it was never going to happen) as the ex-Purdue player and coach is on his way to College Station...and the SEC.

The Return of SBF for a Limited Run

2011-12-09T10:05:00.000-05:00

Back in the early years of BS, we launched a feature called Sideboob Friday. Yeah, it was juvenile, but it was our site and we figured, why not? Also, we always meant it in a good-natured way. We're warm for the female form and we make no apologies about it.

After a long run, it felt like SBF had run its course and it was time to retire the feature. After all, Google Images can get you anything, from an elephant pooping to a cat operating an automatic weapon.

But the demands/requests have continued and so for December 2011, we're bringing it back for a limited return engagement.

Enjoy, hornballs.

Let's bow our heads and give thanks.

No, I don't know Verona Pooth. But I wish I did.

Slippery as an SEC coach.

Heidi Cortez must have just worked out. Or taken a shower. Or lubed up with baby oil.

Is that a pool cue in your....ah, you know the rest.

Sure, this isn't as in-your-face a some, but I love it.

Sideboob Friday is a production of Boiled Sports and is back for a limited time. Get your boobs while you can! Wait, what? I don't know. If you have suggestions for SBF -- including ones of yourself -- you can submit them for consideration at BoiledSports@gmail.com.

Nearly Half-Way Look and Notes

2011-12-09T09:27:00.001-05:00

Matty's boys stand at 8-2 after ten games. They have a loss to a team that had been beaten up by Purdue two-straight times, but is also pretty good in Alabama. They stole defeat from the mouth of victory as Hummel writhed in pain at Xavier and they've beaten two solid opponents in Iona and Temple. We haven't been too surprised at what we've seen thus far.

We knew that this team would have some growing pains as guys tried to figure out their new roles on this team- Hummel as a primary scorer who has to look for his shot, Jackson as not only a ball-handler, but a secondary scorer, AJ and Lawson learning how to play the college game and TJohn being counted on more as a scorer. There' no doubt that this team has shown at times that it's still a work in progress...here are a few things that are noteworthy about this year's squad thus far:

-The defense seems to still struggle when it needs a stop. I still have faith in this part of the game as Purdue teams seem to gel in Early February under Painter.

-The injury problems that Purdue had coming into the season are still having effects on the team. Hart still hasn't played, TJohn is showing flashes of brilliance, but still lacks consistency, LewJack is still not practicing everyday due to tendonitis and other ailments and Hummel doesn't rebound like he did before his two knee injuries. I'm not so sure that I even want Hummel sticking his nose into every loose ball situation...for the sake of longevity, I'd like to see Rob keep doing what he's doing. I'm still convinced TJohn will earn a starting job by January as he gets stronger. Byrd isn't playing as much because of a bit of a nagging injury and he's now behind #4. Not sure if he wants to, but I wouldn't mind seeing him play a bit more forward behind Lawson instead of wing.

credit: GBI's Tom Campbell

-Barlow is important. When Kelsey is playing smart, he's nearly un-guardable. When he's in the mood to pull up from 21 feet, it's pretty detrimental. Defensively, he's a monster when he wants to be. I'm still convinced that the way Barlow goes this season, so go the Boilers.

-Bigs playing small. I think many Boiler fans were hoping to see Marcius and Carroll be able to take a big step forward this season and become a collective force underneath the basket. Instead, their lack of production and Lawson's physical play have pushed Lawson into the forefront. As a result, Purdue's most-effective line-up right now has no one taller than 6'8" in it. That could be very problematic in the B1G.

Painter said this week that one of the biggest problems this team has is that the practices aren't very competitive right now due to attrition. Hummel, Hart, Jackson, TJohn and Byrd have all been held out of multiple practices this season, and many of these guys are held out regularly. I think we see the effects of this very often as Purdue seems to struggle in pulling away from teams, even lesser teams, time and time again.

This team has shown how good it can be at times (for 25 minutes v. Xavier, for 20 minutes v. Alabama and v. NIU) and has shown how flat-out lousy it can be (for the final 10 minutes v. Xavier & 'Bama, v. High Point and in the first half v. Western Carolina). I think we'll see this all season, but I still think this Purdue team will have around 22 wins.

I know a ton of people are bothered by performances like High Point and Western Carolina, and there are reasons to be concerned, no doubt. But, college basketball is a bit of a mother- the 22nd team in the land almost was beaten by a sub-.500 St. Bonneventure at home this week, the 15th-ranked team in the nation lost to a .500 Long Beach State team in November...upsets happen and near-misses happen even more. If the Forces of Good keep winning, regardless of the margin, I'll be a pretty happy guy.

Purdue's CCR is currently 33rd thanks to a silly high-50s RPI ranking.

Case Against the BTN for Purdue faithful

People who don't root for Purdue often wonder if Purdue fans have a complex about media coverage...and the more I observe, the more I believe we have a reason to have this chip on our shoulder. Purdue has three home, non-exhibition games this season not televised live by the BTN. When asked why this happens, the network assures paying customers like me that they still have full coverage (read as paid internet broadcasts with awful production and broadcast teams).

One of the bones that they threw to Purdue fans was the promise of the games being on tape delay the next day just so you could get your fix if you couldn't make it to Mackey. Of course, when they re-aired the Coppin State game, they cut in so Urban Meyer could be ~~coronated~~ named as head coach...then didn't show the game again.

Then of course, what happened this week for the most recent game was historically-bad. BTN's defense was that it hadn't happened before and the cost-saving measure of not sending a broadcast team to the venue allowed them to hire Gus Johnson and Keith Jackson.

Seriously.

I think everyone who watches sports understands that technical difficulties happen. But, instead of putting running stats on the screen and having a play-by-play, we got to see Bo Schembechler's Icon's program again. Perhaps they could have shown a Purdue-based program as salve for the wound? Nah. They're just Purdue fans, ammiright, BTN.

If the BTN wants to save money, I'm sure they could find local TV guys to do the "less-important" pre-con games IN PERSON and they'll be able to avoid this type of thing. Instead, they seem to say- "yeah, it happened, we're going to go ahead and keep doing things this way and hope for the best...we'll make sure it doesn't happen to the programs we value."

Hey BTN- Gus Johnson is a half-rung above Dick Vitale in my opinion (I mean that in the bad way)...and wasn't Keith Jackson fired a few years ago by a big network? You guys stink and you simply haven't fulfilled your promise to cover every home B1G basketball games...but great job on the Icon re-runs and extra-long press conference coverage!!

You can let the BTN know you care by clicking here.

The NBA Still Stinks

When I saw that the Lakers were preparing to trade for Chris Paul and Dwight Howard last week, I thought- this league is awesome- 5 super teams and a bunch of also-rans.

Then the league blocked the trade of Chris Paul and I was conflicted.

The Lakers gave up a lot to get Paul...so it wasn't like he was being stolen (as it's happened often in the crappy league), so why not?

But then I remembered, the flipping league OWNS the team that Paul currently plays for. No wonder Stern doesn't want to allow their money maker to leave town.

In a recent conversation to a friend, I said the NBA represents all that's wrong with pro sports, in my opinion. From a game that doesn't even resemble basketball being played, to locking-out at the worst-possible time, to rigged games, to making the worst-possible people as the face of the league, the NBA has turned me off at every turn. Now we can add an intense conflict of interest and inconsistent trade rule enforcement to the laundry list of stink that defines this crap league.

Keep up the bad work, Stern and Co.

The BTN Apology

2011-12-08T11:10:00.000-05:00

As pointed out by a number of our readers, the BTN has an apology on their site, though you have to search for it.

If you go to About Us and then Contact Us, one of the drop-down choices is about the Purdue/Western Michigan game. When you select that, you get the following mea culpa:

"We sincerely apologize for our technical difficulties during tonight's Purdue-Western Carolina game. We experienced a transmission failure that prevented us from being able to carry the Purdue game. We recognize that it is completely unacceptable and we will do everything necessary to prevent this from happening again."

I attempted to send a note regarding Hall's attitude through this, including the BS address, etc., but as another reader pointed out, it won't let you complete it. Nicely done, BTN.

Boilers Overtake Western Carolina In Second Half As BTN Embarrasses Selves

2011-12-07T23:00:00.001-05:00

Not a good night for the BTN. Almost as bad a night for Purdue, as the Boilers struggled through an atrocious first half, shooting only 23%, to trail by eight at the break, 29-21. I had faith the Boilers could overcome this Western Carolina team with even a moderate improvement in the second half, and I turned out to be right, as Purdue rallied to win 65-60. Not that any of us got to see it, as the BTN lost their feed midway through the first half and never got it back. This was after those first ten minutes were intermittently littered with interruptions....

...and then returns to the action. But we'll get to all that.

So glad he's back

Rob Hummel led the Boilers with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal, and two blocks. I don't know about you, but I think Rob is more than comfortable in his role as the number 1 option, something that more than a few people raised as a concern before the season started. He looks comfortable out there, hustling as much as he always did, being a leader by example, and always seeming to be calm and in position.

Lewis Jackson had 15 big points, including 9 of 12 from the FT line. Lew also left the game with a limp (according to reports -- I didn't see it, remember) and officially logged 24 minutes.

Kelsey Barlow had a crazy stat line (I would have loved to see this game!), with 6 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, a block, 2 turnovers....and FIVE fouls. All in 27 minutes. Weird.

DJ Byrd again played single digit minutes. Hope he's back to strength soon.

Ryne Smith had a steady 9 points, all from beyond the arc, and also added 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Jacob Lawson continues to be a guy I like, as he turned in a six point performance, along with 3 blocks in 21 minutes. Yes, he fouls a lot. Yes, he's got to work on his free throws. But the raw talent and good composure for a freshman is very fun to watch.

Purdue continues to struggle in the post, however, and this is indeed becoming a major concern. If the Boilers shoot poorly, as they did in the first half tonight and in the second half against Xavier, they are going to lose more games than any of us are comfortable with. And this nonsense at the free throw line -- Purdue missed seventeen free throws tonight -- only makes things more irritating. They have some time to work these kinks out before conference play begins, but the issues are becoming epidemic and regular. Not a good sign.

Now, since I wasn't able to see much of the action, let's get back to talking about that abomination.

What made it even more keystone cops-ish was the fact that the BTN decided that while Purdue was (kinda) worthy to put on the network, they were only really sort of worthy. So the network that generated more than $220 million in ad revenue in 2010 elected to half-ass the broadcast tonight and have Eric Collins do the play-by-play with an analyst whom I cannot remember from the studio in Chicago while watching....

...the same troublesome feed we all were being subjected to. This led to me being somewhat amused when the feed was first lost (approximately 5 seconds into the game -- no, I am not kidding), because Collins sounded a bit distressed. And why not? When you're actually at the game you're calling, you simply continue calling the action and apologize for the technical issues and do your best to describe the action.

But Collins was not there. He was, presumably, in Chicago. Which also means that we'll never see this game replayed because, well, there is no commentary. Unless the BTN elects to have the commentary track recorded and added to the footage of the game (if it exists) and then air it as a replay. But think of the level of effort involved there. They can't even bother to send their broadcast team to West Lafayette -- why would anyone expect them to do something to remedy their problems?

Isn't this one of the reasons the BTN is headquartered in Chicago? To be right in the heart of Big Ten country?

And then, Mike Hall -- after being rather cheeky and goofy during the halftime report -- takes to Twitter and derides Purdue fans as "rude" because of the notes he's seeing on there:

Hey, sorry everyone! But back off! We're working on it! You serfs should be happy with the Bo Schembechler soul-crushingly boring Icons documentary we tossed on the screen!

I gently pointed out to Michael that ripping frustrated Purdue fans is probably not the best approach right now and that being the face of the BTN has its downs to go along with its many, I am sure, perks. Oh, and also? Welcome to Twitter, Mike. Sometimes people are mean. Time to grow up and put on your big boy pants.

Let's be clear here. Purdue fans had every right to be pissed off tonight and to take out their frustrations on the multimillion dollar network that is supposed to be a professional broadcasting entity. The BTN's primary focus -- far above all else -- should be broadcasting games. Not the Icons series, not what failed coaches like Gerry DiNardo or Glen Mason think, not clever Journey commercials...but games. And they failed miserably this evening.

The Big Ten Network should be ashamed of themselves and should make it clear that they will never let this sort of joke happen on their airwaves again. But they won't, because they really don't care. You're not going anywhere.

(Incidentally, if you do wish to contact the nice people at the BTN, their address is 600 W. Chicago Ave, Suite 875, Chicago, IL 60610. Their phone number is 312 665 0700 and their fax number is 312 665 0740. I encourage you to express your displeasure.)

HH for SBF Trade?

2011-12-07T11:22:00.000-05:00

For the second week in a row, we must delay the Handsome Hour, dear readers/listeners. I hope you can forgive us.

B-dowd has an Amway meeting tonight and is just a few sales away from turning a tidy profit (you suckers are all going to be sorry you didn't join him), and since our next episode will be the Exciting Season Finale™, we'd like you to hear from both your handsome hosts -- we know how much you miss us when we're gone. Right? No? Oh, okay.

As of now, the Handsome Hour Season Five Finale will be held next Wednesday, 12/14, and then we'll take a few weeks off to get ready for the insanity that is the Big Ten basketball season, followed by the conference and NCAA tourneys. Then we'll take a nap.

As a peace offering, however, I pledge to bring back SBF for the remainder of December. We've gotten numerous requests for it, plus signoff by many of the ladies of BS, so we're a go.

Monday Gumbo (basketball and football notes)

2011-12-05T10:13:00.002-05:00

Did it Work?
The worst-kept secret in the past few weeks around Purdue sports has been Bolden's ACL. The Tuesday after the IU game, local radio shows talked about it...but Purdue's sports information department and head coach were mum on Bolden's injury.

Methinks they played it close to the vest to not let bowl committees know that Purdue would be without its leading rusher and probably its best offensive weapon. So controlling information like a former Soviet state works out as well as Communism- It always ends up failing.

As I said after I saw the injury, I'm saddened for Bolden. I haven't heard if he'll petition the NCAA for another redshirt season or just play next season as he gets healthy (which will probably be just over a half season). Regardless of his decision, I feel awful for Ralph.

From what I understand, this is Bolden's third tear to the same knee.

Kinda-Wanted Man
Last week, there was a buzz on GBI that Gary Nord was one of the final candidates for the Florida Atlantic head coaching job. After deliberation, FAU decided to go another direction, and some Purdue fans weren't too happy with the owls decision.

I think Nord has been so worried about keeping other teams off balance and out of rhythm this season that he hasn't let his team get into a rhythm. He and Hope have made decisions like throwing to 10-12 receivers in a game, running 3-5 running backs regularly and playing two quarterbacks in most contests. The end result seems to be a very balanced, decidedly-mediocre offense that doesn't let a hot hand dominate a game. This system instead settles for surprise while sacrificing power and punch.

Don't get me wrong here- I think there is plenty of talent on the offensive side of the ball- guys like Bolden, Siller, Edison, Shavers, Holmes, Hunt, Mostert, Bush and Ross (when he's focused) could play about anywhere, in my opinion...but they're not given enough opportunities.

A Lil' Hart
If you've been to Purdue basketball games in the last few weeks, you've seen John Hart in warm-ups going through pre-game with the team.

Since the late summer, Painter has said Hart would be available around December...and while I haven't heard anything official, I'd bet we get to see Hart play in the next week...at least for a few minutes. Hart's addition will make Purdue's rotation 11-deep.

Non-Con Home Stretch
Our Boilers have four more games before heading to Iowa to start the B1G schedule on December 28. The Forces of Good have the exact record I thought they'd have at this point...but I didn't think they'd have Xavier in their clutches before giving that one away. Regardless, there aren't a ton of contests left for Matty to figure out his rotation and regular starting line-up. But be sure of one thing- the rotation will shrink...it has every year Painter's been coach.

But, Painter seems to handle personel in a different manner than many coaches. Some games he won't play a guy at all because of match-up concerns...the next game, that same guy will play 20 minutes...we saw this with John Hart a few seasons ago.

While a couple things are shaping up, a couple question marks still remain.

First, DJ Byrd is still struggling with an ankle injury that happend v. High Point (I believe). Last game he only played 9 minutes. I don't think that should be read as Painter giving up on Byrd...just wanting people on the floor who are physically able to play. I hope to see Byrd as a major contributor again by the B1G season...and think he'll be in the regular 9-man rotation...if nothing else because his versatility and hustle.

Here's the rotation I'd like to see in the B1G schedule:

Jackson PG
TJohn SG
Smith SG
Hummel SF
Lawson PF

Barlow
AJ
Byrd
Carroll/Marcius

I think we'll see Smith, Barlow and TJohn all rotate in the starting line-up depending on the opponent...and if Purdue's playing a quicker opponent, Marcius and Carroll might play limited minutes. But the B1G schedule is a meat grinder...and the flu almost always has a hand in at least one game/season...so having too much depth is the best problem to have for a coach.

Unimportant
Polls are nearly-inconsequential at this point in the season...and even computer polls lack sufficient data to be very accurate in early December. But here's a quick look at where Purdue stands:

When the human polls come out later today, Purdue will probably still be receiving votes, but outside of the top-25. Without a ranked opponent on the schedule until possibly Illinois, definitely Wisconsin, Purdue doesn't have many chances to prove itself in the eyes of the nation...just win and everything else will take care of itself.

As of this morning, the CCR for the Boilers was 29.

Yet Another Playoff/BCS Post

2011-12-05T10:10:00.000-05:00

One of b-dowd's comments in his excellent earlier post about the bowl situation struck me and I wanted to comment on it. He said that this is one of the least-anticipated bowl seasons he can remember, and then he speculated on whether or not that was just something he was feeling. And I think the answer is that it's not and that is what makes this as good of a year as ever for a playoff.

In some years, there are three teams with a legit claim to the national title game (think the 13-0 2004 Auburn team that got shut out). In those years, a "plus 1" feels like a great solution. Let the best sort it out at the top, and let all the mediocre teams have their little, meaningless bowls. But then there are years like this one, when there's an argument among flawed teams for even the number 2 slot in the country.

One of my dingbat SEC friends said, matter-of-factly, that "LSU and Alabama are the two best teams in the country." Of course, we also hear all the time about how the reason college football doesn't need a playoff is because "the whole season is a playoff" and blah blah blah. I guess that only applies for everybody outside of the SEC. What a complete sham. Alabama had their chance, just like Houston "had their chance" and Boise "had their chance." They've all lost once. Oh, but since Alabama lost to LSU, they.....get another chance? Gee, I wonder if Boise would love another shot at TCU, who they lost two by one point, or if Houston would love another crack at Southern Miss. But I digress.

In college basketball, some years there are a handful of absolutely dominant teams and then the "rest," right? In those years, you wind up seeing everyone pick the same Final Four, or something very close. Lots of 1 and 2 seeds making it. But then there are those years -- like 2011 -- when there is maybe one or two dominant teams (or no dominant teams) and nobody has any idea who will win the championship. And aren't those the most exciting tournaments to watch? This year could be that in college football.

Sure, we know that LSU is #1 and they absolutely deserve it. For all the bashing we do on the SEC mouth-breathers, let's make no mistake here: LSU has earned every bit of the respect they have. But after that? There can definitely be arguments made, as I quickly did above, that a number of teams should get a look. There is no 100%, clear cut, #2 or #3 team. Everybody could make a claim and so just imagine an 8-team playoff or even a 16-team playoff. Here's what the top 8 in the BCS would include:

LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Oregon, Arkansas, Boise State, Kansas State.

And if we added the next 8, too?

South Carolina, Wisconsin, Va Tech, Baylor, Michigan, Oklahoma, Clemson, Georgia.

Look at that mix. You've got teams that get a "shot" that didn't have a chance previously. You've got the chance to see what Boise State could do against these big shots (if their previous BCS appearances haven't been enough). You've got teams in (like Michigan) who are hitting their stride and have been better and better as the season has worn on. And you've got the requisite number of SEC teams in there, with their chance to prove how dominant they all are, ya'll.

I'm not going to go into all the reasons (money) and points (money) about why the bowl system (money) still exists, but it's got a lot to do with money. And only for the bowl operators themselves. Even Oregon and Auburn lost money (well into the six figures) in the national title game last year. How ridiculous is that?

My point here is that this bowl season is completely boring, and that's because there aren't engaging storylines. We aren't even getting to see a great national title matchup -- we're seeing a rematch of a game that anyone with two eyes and a rudimentary knowledge of football knows sucked. And then we have the rest, none of which matters at all.

Whee! Exciting!