Purdue hasn't been ranked since 2004...I'll say it again, hasn't been ranked since 2004. That's a long-damned time for a school that was once a powerful force in college basketball. But, they have sneaked into one of the polls at 24th. What's that mean? Well, many would say it means they're prime for an upset.
Penn State is coming off of the biggest upset of the first half of the Big Ten season...Purdue coming off a solid road victory versus Painter's mentor. Purdue is playing good ball, but perhaps PSU has figured out how to play without Claxton...that's what many in the PSU family believe anyway. From an outside view, based on just highlights, it seems to me that Penn State had a great shooting night v. the Spartans- Question is, can they do it again versus the Boilermakers in Mackey? Another factor in tomorrow's contest is revenge- I'm pretty sure the ass-kicking that Purdue gave the Lions is fresh in their mind.
The newfound ranking coupled with Purdue being on upset alert should have the Paint Crew ready to help the basketball team in every possible way. Let's hope the crowd is near capacity or full for all remaining games on the schedule...Purdue must defend home court in order to contend for the title. Especially with games like IU and Wisconsin on the road on the horizon.
Oh yeah, when asked about the possibility of being ranked this morning, Painter said, "Our goal isn't to get ranked. It's to get ranked and stay ranked. That would mean continued success."
Painter continues to say the right things and show that he isn't going to be pleased with just good enough or an OK season...It's a good thing, because despite what the national media thinks, the Big Ten is pretty dang strong down the stretch.