Can we call it a trend when it happens twice? I don't know...but we can call it bothersome, disturbing and upsetting. Much like in the Clemson game, Purdue had the home Tigers on the ropes in Missouri on Saturday afternoon. And despite a 10-point lead with a little over 7:00 left, our Boilers managed to lose going away.
I know, I know the Baby Boilers are young and extremely young. But, I have to pin quite a bit of this loss on the coach that I like quite a bit, Painter. With a comfortable lead, Purdue went into its "Prevent" offense and seemed to believe that not even attempting to shoot was better than an outside shot. I do understand that Mizzou's zone was tough for Purdue to handle, but I also know that if Missouri has three defender's above 18 feet, there's space down low...Instead of passing with the purpose to set up entry to the lane, Purdue seemed to be passing as if it was UNC playing the old four-corners offense in 1985.
Hummel & Martin fouled out and Calasan seemed to never get on track...Plus, JaJuan Johnson looked completely confused at times and doesn't seem to be able to rebound even when "battling" with a smaller shooting forward. It'll be nice when he gains a pound or two; until then Purdue really has very little presence in the lane.
I am hopeful for the future, but I'm also not blind...Purdue under Painter simply doesn't win games on the road; and to be a good team, you simply must be able to win away from home. As optimistic as I am about what can be, I'm pretty sure now that it's going to be at least another season before Purdue can be considered a contender for the Big Ten title. For this young Purdue team there is much yet to learn and the conference schedule will be here very soon.
Up next, following a finals week break, Purdue faces Louisville in The Wooden Tradition...Purdue's timing is pretty poor as Louisville is coming off of a loss and will be playing to prove something. I still think the NCAA tournament is possible, but Purdue MUST have a quality win or two in the pre-conference season to make the dance later this year.
Shocking!
Model citizen, Jamal Tinsley joined Selwyn Lymon in the long list of athletes who have become helpless, innocent victims to violent attacks. Tinsley, who was out with his entourage at around 3:00 am at a strip club got into an argument that later turned into gun play in downtown Indy. A Pacers' trainer was hit in the elbow by shots intended for Tinsley...and Tinsley's Rolls Royce looked like Suge Knights' BMW in Las Vegas a few years ago.
I'm positive that most Pacers fans will have no problem forgetting about this or any of the other incidents involving Tinsley in the past few seasons. Way to keep it real, Jamal!
Refreshing!
I'm not a big fan of awards shows, even sports award shows, but I watched the last ten minutes of the Heisman show on Saturday night...I'm glad I did. I had never heard Tim Tebow speak before that night, but I like what I heard. My perception of him is that he seemed like a kid who was really excited to win the award and completely gracious to have done so as well (so excited that he repeated his "thank yous" twice).
As a Christian, some of the thanking God by athletes seems shallow and trendy to me, but the mention of Jesus Christ holds more weight as it's not generic and it's much more intentional. I don't know, and probably never will know Tebow, but I like the fact that he claims Christ and seems to be humble enough to give Him credit for his physical gifts. Clearly, Tebow's unusual mix of size and speed coupled with his ability to prepare and think the game has made him a special player.
Amazing!
I'm currently watching the Colts beat a deflated and let-down Ravents team 44-13 in the fourth quarter. I'm shocked and perplexed by much that I'm witnessing. How and why do the Colts have so many second-stringers in the game? At the beginning of the fourth quarter Manning left the game, Sorgi came in and so did a bunch of guys who I honestly didn't know were even on the roster...both offensively and defensively.
How can the Colts call themselves competitors? The truest of all competitors, Tom Brady and his wise and fantastically-brilliant coach have told us that if a team is driven to be excellent, they must attempt to score a touchdown every time they have the ball and must never let off the pressure defensively. Clearly, Dungy, Manning and the Colts don't have what it takes to win a championship.
You stay classy, New England.
Manning should be ashamed of himself for not striving for more v. Baltimore...And Dungy Stinks.