We said earlier in the season -- several times -- that this was a significant season for Matt Painter. There really were no excuses for underachievement or collapses this year. There were no major injuries, no sudden transfers, no cancerous malcontents on the team. This team had talent, depth, experience and hunger. It was time for Coach Painter to bring it all together.
Postseason play goes into full swing this week as both Purdue teams begin their quest for a title. The fifth-seeded men open against Arkansas-Little Rock at 4:30 PM Thursday on TBS, while the 11th-seeded women open against Oklahoma at 1:30 PM Saturday on WatchESPN (and possibly ESPN2).
Experience a Boiled Sports Bracketgasm!
The Boiled Sports Megazord got together on Selection Sunday to talk about Purdue's performance in the Big Ten Tournament and the Boilermakers' #5 seed in March Madness, and preview Purdue's opening matchup with UA-Little Rock.
Last year Purdue closed the pre-NCAA Tournament season with wins against hapless Illinois and Penn State, and losses against the much stronger Ohio State, Michigan State, and Wisconsin. This year has been different.
The Boilers win going away for the second straight day at the Big Ten Tourney and look a bit like a team on a mission. They'll go for the completion tomorrow but for now, let's enjoy today's dismantling of Michigan. Also, retro jerseys again, for those of you who love your '90s.
Purdue beat Illinois in the Boilers’ first game of the Big Ten Tournament, 89-58. Everything is incredible.
Aneesh, Andy, and Boilerdowd recap the end of the Boilermakers' 2015-2016 regular season, the fantastic play of PJ Thompson, Dakota Mathias, and Caleb Swanigan, the rough stretch from Kendall Stephens and Ryan Cline, and the way Vince Edwards and AJ Hammons have taken control of this team.
All that, plus a recap of Boilerdowd's dreams, and listener questions about preferred BTT/March Madness matchups, seeding predictions, baseline wins for a "successful" season, if Johnny Hill filled Jon Octeus' role well, and whether this class has lived up to the Baby Boilers' legacy. We also give our thoughts on Purdue's CrowdFunding campaign to raise funds for Mackey Arena.
The first day of the men's Big 14 conference tournament in Indianapolis went as expected, with Illinois blowing out Minnesota 85-52 and Nebraska beating Rutgers 89-72. They will advance to meet Iowa and Wisconsin respectively as Day 2 action begins with the early session on BTN starting at noon; the late session will be shown on ESPN2 starting at 6:30.
AJ Hammons, Raphael Davis, Vince Edwards and Caleb Swanigan pick up some Big Ten season awards.
The Boilers are one of a select few teams to be ranked all season long. A nice accomplishment, but now on to the postseason. (Which Aneesh doesn't care about.)
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough scored 19 points and was one of three Terrapins with 10 or more rebounds, earning Most Outstanding Player honors, as Maryland held Michigan State to a tournament-final record-low 44 points, winning their second straight Big 14 tournament 60-44 Sunday in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
