SB Nation - Marcus Green

Proud to be a Boilermaker

BoilerTMill — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:39:50 -0000

I am proud to be a Boilermaker today.

I never thought eight words would mean so much to me. When I was born, I came home from the hospital in a Purdue outfit. I can't even remember a time when I haven't watched Purdue sports. Standing in my living room last night though, with tears beginning to flow as I heard the Paint Crew members that went all the way to Arizona give us one final Bobby Buckets chant, those words gained an even more poignant meaning to me. My eyes are even getting a little misty this morning thinking about it again.

J Money gets it. There are normal people, then there are sports fans. For people like us our teams become an extension of ourselves. We live by them. We feel like we know the guys. I know that is true about this group of young men. Because of this blog I feel like I know them better than any other team. I have written almost daily about them since November. They have been what sports need to be: a pleasant distraction at times when we need them the most. They have allowed me to vent so many personal frustrations and re-direct so much pent up energy that I literally do not know what I would do without them. Dammit I am proud of these guys today.

Remember this moment, fellas. We will be back to avenge it.

Last night that Buckets chant said so much about who we are as Purdue fans. Over the course of the open thread here and the Liveblog that the UConn Blog was doing, the Husky fans continued to comment how we simply refused to go away. Even in the final minutes, with the game well decided, we did not give up. Instead of an arena filled with UConn fans cheering their team's advancement to the elite 8 what did we hear on the broadcast?

BOBBY BUCKETS!!!

Clap clap clapclapclap

BOBBY BUCKETS!!!

Clap clap clapclapclap

How can you not be moved by that? I admit we got our asses handed to us by a bigger, stronger, better team. UConn hit the shots they needed to hit. Thabeet thoroughly disrupted our offense. Price hit some very tough shots and Austrie hit some absolute back-breaking threes. Still, in face of everything, here are some select comments from UConn fans during the liveblog in the final minutes.

gxpanos: You guys play GREAT D, though, T-Mill. You'll be around in the Big 10 next year.

GoHuskiesGo: I think Purdue can dominate the Big Ten because they play BASKETBALL

GoHuskiesGo: Hey T-Mill- your kids wont die. its irritating.

Jesus Shuttlesworth: man, purdue just does not go away.

GoHuskiesGo: I'm very impressed by Purdue

Jesus Shuttlesworth: yeah, and considering they're all coming back, you have to think this team can do some damage.

Those statements just mean so much to me as does the Paint Crew last night. I will always remember that. Even in defeat we were still there, and we made my original prediction came true. At 9:25 last night, UConn did respect us.

BOBBY BUCKETS!!!

Clap clap clapclapclap

BOBBY BUCKETS!!!

Clap clap clapclapclap

Positives from the UConn game:

All of the above - Well, obviously. Last night was the first time this season where I really felt the general youth of our team. Maybe it is because the Big Ten in general was so youthful this year. Connecticut's experience made as much of a difference as Xavier's did in last season's tournament. They had that little extra push from it. They knew when to get in a passing lane, when to change tempo. They understood all the little nuances of the game that only experience can bring. A prime example was the fast break we had when down four and LewJack was looking for the open layup. Price knew exactly where to be, intercepted the freshman's pass, and it ended up being a dunk the other way. It was a four point shift and psychologically was a killing blow. The ability to get the lead under three almost became a mental barrier, and that (other than Keaton's second half layup that rimmed out, failing to cut it to one) was our best chance.

Robbie Hummel (first half edition) - Robbie kept us alive last night. Nothing was falling early on except for Robbie's shot. I don't know if it was the atmosphere of essentially shooting in a warehouse or what, but that was about the worst possible start we could have had last night. UConn basically won that game in the first six minutes by grabbing a 14-3 lead. Honestly, it could have been a whole lot more too. UConn did a great job of taking Robbie out of the second half.

Bobby, Nemanja, Marcus, and Chris - Although the circumstances were obviously not the best, all four got to play last night in the final games of their careers. Marcus had a very nice layup by collecting a tough pass on a fast break. Buckets gave us one more three to remember him. Chally had a bad night offensively, but I was very proud of the way he worked against Thabeet and got some tough offensive rebounds. Chris only got in in the final minute, but I know his contributions in practice will be missed. I know I speak for all Purdue fans when I say I love these guys, and I will miss them. Thank you.

The Paint Crew - Thank you guys for traveling last night. I am so envious of you right now it is not even funny. I remember watching the first Penn State game back in January and you guys took over their arena with a group not even 100 strong. You took over Glendale last night. I am proud to have you guys representing our University.

Negatives from the UConn game.

That one little bounce - I feel that is all we needed last night to turn the game around. The biggest moment, to me, was the open drive Keaton Grant had to the basket. We were down three at the time and we had actually pulled Thabeet away from the rim. Keaton had an easy layup, but it just barely rimmed out. We had been unable to get it under three despite several chances at that point, and if that shot drops it cuts it to one. That came with 15:35 left, and UConn went on an 8-0 run after the miss. We never got it to three again.

Hasheem Thabeet - He was the difference last night. He completely disrupted our offensive flow. We were afraid to attack him, and when we did attack he showed how smart he was by not fouling on a block. This was honestly a very poor matchup for us because of his size. He is a true 7'3". Many guys that are that tall aren't nearly as athletic as Thabeet is. I know I was impressed. I think without his disruptions we have a real shot because every time he was away from the basket or on the bench we looked good offensively. Yes Austrie hit three daggers threes. Yes Robinson was tough down low. Yes Price hit some tough drives, but it was Thabeet's physical presence that made the biggest difference. He played 36 minutes last night when he normally only averages 32. UConn needed him that badly. I have a feeling that facing a super-sized player like Thabeet will be our weakness, but fortunately not many teams have him.

36.4% - That was our shooting percentage last night. We shot 6 of 23 from the three point line, and one of those makes was from Buckets in the last 20 seconds. It was the one night we could not afford to have a poor shooting night. Thabeet played a large role with blocks or "influences", as I like to call them. Defensively we did everything we needed to do. If the game is close I think we keep them around 60 points because free throws in the last five minutes pushed it out. UConn didn't have a made field goal in the last six minutes, but they hit 15 of 18 free throws in that time.

Up next:

I know the future is very bright for us. Next year can easily be a Final Four year, with 2011 being a year in which I think we will have our best chance ever at a National Championship. There are many factors in thinking that. I think the talent we have coming in is better than the talent we have leaving. I think another year of experience will greatly help us, especially if we can bulk up in the weight room. It will help LewJack running the point especially. I also think that the Big Ten, with all its young sophomore talent, will only get tougher, and that will make us even better come tournament time.

I know a lot has been made about the Big East being a mega-conference, but they have delivered in this tournament. They won all three games they were a part of last night, making an all-Big East Final Four a real possibility. There is something to be said about conference toughness, and that could be the Big Ten next year. UConn was clearly the better team last night. I was very impressed with their defense, but I think that can be us in a year or two because most of the time JaJuan is going to be as big of a matchup problem for other teams as Thabeet was for us.

We will learn from this game. Depending on the outcome of tonight's game we might be able to say that we have played five of this year's Elite 8 at some point in the past two seasons. Had Duke and Xavier won last night that number could have been seven. As it is, we have now played seven of this year's sweet 16 in the past two years, and only one of those teams was in our own conference. We have taken our lumps, going 3-7 against the likes of Louisville, Michigan State, Missouri, Duke, Oklahoma, UConn, and Xavier, but we will learn from these games. I am very proud of where we are, and very excited about the future, but it still doesn't mean I am not upset over losing a game we very easily could have won if a few things are different.

As for the blog, I'll still do some basketball stuff as long as the women are still playing. I am leaving for Miami on Wednesday, and I may be doing some stuff for SBNation's Miami blog the Seventh floor in that time since I am going to a baseball series down there, but I don't know yet. Through the spring I'll be talking about Purdue baseball, as well as Spring practice. I have another series idea as well that is similar to last year's Best Wins of the Tiller Era. Over the summer it will be team and unit previews as we gear up for football as well.

I do want to thank everyone for stopping by and making the midseason transition over here to SBNation so successful. I wouldn't be here if not for two groups of people: you the readers and the teams themselves. I thank you both.

Purdue: Know Your Glendale Travel Companion

Bill C. — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:00:10 -0000

Yesterday we looked at UConn. Today, the #5 seeded Purdue Boilermakers.

Purdue: 26-9

	Boilers	Opp
Points Per Minute	1.71	1.47
Points Per Possession (PPP)	1.06	0.91
Points Per Shot (PPS)	1.24	1.09
2-PT FG%	49.2%	41.7%
3-PT FG%	34.9%	32.8%
FT%	70.6%	67.2%
True Shooting %	54.2%	47.8%

	Boilers	Opp
Assists/Gm	15.0	12.3
Steals/Gm	7.2	5.3
Turnovers/Gm	11.6	14.9
Ball Control Index (Assists + Steals) / TO	1.92	1.18

	Boilers	Opp
Expected Offensive Rebounds/Gm	11.8	12.8
Offensive Rebounds/Gm	9.8	11.4
Difference	-2.0	-1.4

Where PU's good: Forcing turnovers, forcing bad shots, defensive rebounds, passing, ball-handling
Where PU's not as good: Offensive rebounds, overall points per possession and free throw shooting are only decent but not great

NCAA Basketball Stats

Player	AdjGS*	GmSc/Min	Line
JaJuan Johnson (6'10, 215, So.)	14.42	0.54	13.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.1 BPG, 1.3 TOPG
Robbie Hummel (6'8, 208, So.)	13.75	0.47	12.4 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 TOPG
E'Twaun Moore (6'3, 180, So.)	11.56	0.35	14.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.1 SPG, 2.6 TOPG
Chris Kramer (6'3, 205, Jr.)	7.71	0.28	5.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, 2.1 SPG, 1.4 TOPG
Keaton Grant (6'4, 207, Jr.)	6.21	0.23	8.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.4 TOPG
Lewis Jackson (5'9, 165, Fr.)	5.34	0.23	5.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 3.3 APG, 2.0 TOPG
Marcus Green (6'4, 229, Sr.)	4.63	0.29	4.0 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.0 APG
Nemanja Calasan (6'9, 250, Sr.)	4.58	0.29	6.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.0 TOPG
Bobby Riddell (5'9, 163, Sr.)	2.23	0.32	2.3 PPG
Ryne Smith (6'3, 175, Fr.)	0.86	0.16	1.1 PPG
Mark Wohlford (6'0, 185, Jr.)	0.19	0.07	36 minutes
Chris Reid (6'9, 251, Sr.)	-0.23	-0.11	30 minutes

* AdjGS = a take-off of the Game Score metric (definition here) accepted by a lot of basketball stat nerds. It does the same thing my previous measure of choice did (it takes points, assists, rebounds (offensive & defensive), steals, blocks, turnovers and fouls into account to determine an individual's "score" for a given game), only the formula is more used and accepted. The "adjustment" in Adjusted Game Score is simply matching the total game scores to the total points scored in the game, thereby redistributing the game's points scored to those who had the biggest impact on the game itself, instead of just how many balls a player put through a basket.

JaJuan Johnson is a much more physically dominant player than his weight would suggest. He's a great shot-blocker and shooter, though I guess really his rebounding leaves a bit to be desired considering he's PU's #1 post man.
Robbie Hummel, on the other hand, rebounds particularly well considering how much time he spends on the offensive perimeter. He's one of the team's best 3-point shooters and its best rebounder. Interesting combination. Purdue's three major seniors are their #7, #8 and #9 contributors. They'll only be better next year.
One thing quickly jumps out, though, when comparing this roster to that of UConn: size. Not a lot of it here...some height, but not a lot of weight.

What does Ken Pomeroy have to say?

You look at KenPom's stats, and you start to think the Purdue-UConn game is going to be about 63-58 one way or the other. Like UConn, Purdue is a defense-first team. They are a reasonable offensively efficient team--#57 in efficiency, #19 in turnover %, high assist-to-FG ratio--but they are in the Sweet Sixteen because of defense (and anybody who watched the last minute of Purdue-Washington can attest to that). They are #5 in the country in defensive efficiency, #9 in Effective FG% allowed, #10 in 2pt% allowed, and #25 in block%.

What are Purdue's weaknesses? They're only an average FT shooting team (#109), and they don't get to the line very much at all (#243). A good passing team can pick them apart (#279 in Assist-to-FG ratio), and as you would guess from all the sophomores contributing for them, they are not high in the experience ratings (#189). And as mentioned earlier, they just do not grab many offensive boards (#265). It's rare for a team to be so great defensively and so finesse- and jumper-oriented offensively, but that's Purdue.

Keys to the Huskies-Boilers Game

Purdue's offensive rebounds. Purdue's offensive rebounding ability vs UConn's defensive rebounding ability is the single biggest statistical contrast in this game. UConn has an extreme advantage here, and the Boilers will either have to get very hot shooting the ball, or they're going to have to find some way to grab some second-chance opportunities.
The hot hand. Points will be at a premium in this game, and neither team has a true go-to scorer--Purdue and UConn both have three guys averaging double digits, and the leading scorer seems to change from game to game. If somebody gets hot, especially from 3-point land (away from the blocked shots in the paint), one nice spurt of scoring could create the necessary distance between the two teams. Will that hot hand be AJ Price? E'Twaun Moore?
Size vs Speed. UConn's a really big team, Purdue not so much. They both play very well defensively, but can Purdue compensate for such a disparity in, um, girth? Hasheem Thabeet (7'3, 265) and Jeff Adrien (6'7, 243) will win any battle of size and muscle over JaJuan Johnson (6'10, 215) and Robbie Hummel (6'8, 208).

However, Johnson and Hummel will have a significant advantage in terms of speed and range. Johnson has decent shooting range, and Hummel actually seems to prefer the perimeter by far, having made the second-most 3-pointers on Purdue's roster. The winner of this mini 2-on-2 battle will probably win the game. If Purdue's skinny bigs can draw UConn's away from the paint, Purdue's options double or triple. If not, then Purdue's going to have to sink a ton of 3-pointers to win this game.

Prediction

Nevermind how well UConn played the first weekend of the tournament. It's ancient history. What clearly resides in the present tense, however, is that Purdue has much less margin for error in this game. UConn will likely dominate the glass on Purdue's side of the court, so Purdue either finds a hot shooter or loses. Hummel or Moore or maybe Keaton Grant can take a lot of pressure off of JaJuan Johnson if they can make some 3-pointers and open up the court a bit, but in the end I just don't think Purdue matches up well. Purdue's strengths are UConn's strengths, only the Huskies seem just a bit better in every category. This will be a halfcourt dogfight, but I expect UConn to end up advancing. UConn 69, Purdue 62.

Know thy NCAA Tournament Opponent Round 3: Connecticut Huskies

BoilerTMill — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:18:10 -0000

I think we are supposed to be quaking in fear. All I have seen this week is how good Connecticut has looked. They need to re-seed the tournament right now because they should be the number 1 overall seed. They need to book a reservation for Detroit right now because no one in Glendale is going to challenge them. One comment on a recent post here even said:

After seeing the monster who is Hasheem Thabeet and realize you do not have the size or the strength to play with Uconn, you'll immediately see that you guys are just outclassed. The athletes are just too much to handle for Purdue this time. You can throw in all the statistics you, bottom line 7'3" and a hall of fame coach doesn't lie. Sorry boys

The funny thing is that I am not afraid. We have faced teams with "better athletes" this year and held our own. We have faced dominant big men like Blake Griffin and Jon Brockman and done just fine. Sure, people say Griffin owned us in a win, but it's hard to lose when you shoot 39 more free throws than your opponent, and we still tookt hem to overtime. We have faced Hall of Fame coaches like Krzyzewski, Izzo, and Crean (kidding!) and have come out just fine. We may have lost some of those games, but I would say only in the Duke game were we outclassed. That was months ago. We are a different team now.

Is this where we tell Bob Barker, "The Price is Wrong, bitch!"?

There is little question that Connecticut is well coached and supremely talented. We will respect them, but we are far from afraid of them.

Record: 29-4, 15-3 Big East

NCAA Tournament Appearances: 29 (missed one tournament in last 10 years)

All-Time NCAA Record: 44-27 (Champions in 1999 and 2004)

All-Time Record vs. Purdue: 0-4 (Last meeting: unranked Purdue beat #16 UConn 73-69 on 11/28/92 in Springfield, MA)

2008-09 common opponents: Wisconsin (W 76-57), Michigan (W 69-61)

Notable games vs. 2008-09 NCAA Tournament teams: Wisconsin (W 76-57), Gonzaga (W 88-83 OT), West Virginia (W 61-55), Villanova (W 89-83), Louisville (W 68-51), Michigan (W 69-61), Syracuse (W 63-49, L 127-117 6OT), Pittsburgh (L 76-68, L 70-60), Marquette (W 93-82), Tennessee-Chattanooga (W 103-47), Texas A&M (W 92-66)

2007-08 record: 24-9, 13-5 Big East (lost 70-69 to San Diego in NCAA first round, breaking streak of 14 straight wins in first round)

Blog Representation: The UConn blog, UConn Huskies Basketball, Matt's UConn blog (each will have their say later this week)

It is safe to say that this is our next shot at national recognition. Based on some early preseason rankings the teams are about equal. We have obviously fallen from that lofty perch, but Connecticut has done nothing to move out of the top five all season long. I mentioned that we will not be afraid of them, but they certainly will not fear us. They are an elite national program with the profile and wins to match. They have faced some of the country's best teams and walked away the winner more often than they have lost. A major reason Pittsburgh is a number one seed is because they have given the Huskies two of their four losses. A third came in a six overtime classic against Syracuse two weeks ago in the Big East Tournament. The only other team to beat UConn was Georgetown. The Hoyas were a Final Four team two years ago that severely underachieved this season. They aren't exactly Sisters of the Poor and Blind. Even though the loss came at UConn it is far from a bad loss. At the time Georgetown was 9-1 and ranked 8^th. Afterward they went 5-15.

It is not a stretch to say those were a couple of UConn's worst games this season. If you match common opponents we only have two games of comparison, but they are two solid games. UConn defeated Wisconsin by 19 very early in the season to win the Paradise Jam down in the Virgin Islands. Michigan then played a strange non-conference game at Connecticut during a conference bye and hung with the Huskies before losing 69-61 in January. The Wolverines actually led by a point at halftime and were within five in the final minutes. We went 3-1 against those same foes, so we are certainly capable of competing.

Our biggest challenge on Thursday night will be rebounding. Connecticut's offense is very balanced with four players averaging in double figures (though Jerome Dyson and his 13.2 points per game is out for the season), but their rebounding is what keeps them in games. It is absolutely imperative that we limit them to one shot per possession as much as possible. 7'3" Hasheem Thabeet (13.7 ppg, 10.7 rpg) and 6'7" Jeff Adrien (13.9 ppg, 10.2 rpg) each average double-doubles every night. Thabeet is a natural shot blocker with his size, adding 4.4 blocks per contest. Hummel and Adrien are similar in size, but Thabeet has an advantage even over JaJuan Johnson. Beating them on the boards will be a matter of out-working them and getting in the proper position. We cannot be lazy. Every time a shot goes up we need to shove a butt right in their stomachs and get the right position. Boxing out is absolutely critical because we cannot win this game if Adrien and Thabeet are constantly beating us on the glass. Both of them are excellent offensive rebounders with more than 100 second chances on the season.

Thabeet is obviously an imposing physical presence, but the advantage we have is that JaJuan can draw him out of the lane. He is not nearly as effective away from the basket as JaJuan is. When we have the ball it will be important to attack the basket when JaJuan has the ball against him in the high post. This can eliminate his shot blocking defensive presence as well as his rebounding ability. Offensively we just have to keep him off the glass and keep their guards from penetrating.

6'2 senior guard A.J. Price is Connecticut's leading scorer at 14.6 points per game. He is also an excellent distributor with 4.8 assists per contest. The guy is an excellent scoring, slashing guard and is capable of dropping 30 points on anyone. He can play on the perimeter or drive. He has made nine 3-pointers already in this tournament and is shooting almost 50% from the field. As much as we need to concentrate on Thabeet and Adrien, Price is the catalyst that runs the Connecticut offense. Kramer will likely draw the assignment against him, but I can see us switching up defenders on him like we did against Stephen Curry, Kalin Lucas, and Talor Battle. He is a similar type of player to them, but he is probably better than all of them with more size.

Dyson's injury means Connecticut's bench is shorter than it has been most of the year. He hasn't played since a win over Syracuse on February 11^th though, so they have had plenty of time to adjust. 6'1 freshman Kemba Walker (8.7 ppg, 2.8 apg) is a promising young talent that helps run the show in the backcourt with Price. 6'9" forward Stanley Robinson (8 ppg) could be a major factor as well. If Connecticut goes big with Robinson, Thabeet, and Adrien it will be difficult to match their size.

Connecticut normally goes with just a seven man rotation. 6'3" senior guard Craig Austrie (7ppg) and 6'9" junior forward Gavin Edwards (4 ppg) round out their rotation. No one else plays more than four minutes per night. It is a smaller core than some of the teams we have recently faced, but let's face it, they are really, really good. We can't expect to tire Connecticut out. They are just fine with running and can comfortably score almost 80 points per night.

As with most number one seeds, it is difficult to find a weakness in Connecticut's game. They share the basketball (almost 16 assists per night), they rebound well, they don't turn it over much, and they are rarely in foul trouble. Things may be different if we can get them into a Big Ten slugfest, but they only average 13 fouls per game. Because of their short bench it could give us a big advantage if we can get them into foul trouble. That is why positioning is important on rebounding. If we can get proper position and grab a few over the back calls it can change the game's entire dynamic.

Getting them into a Big Ten slugfest does not mean an automatic win, either. Connecticut can play some defense. Holding a team under 60 points is pretty common for them. Their size allows them to adjust well to a slowdown pace because they can pound teams into submission with Adrien and Thabeet inside. We may actually be better suited running against them because it doesn't allow Thabeet to set up in the low post and swat everything away. Still, I would attack him directly. We must show we don't have any fear of going against him and draw some early fouls if we can.

This is going to be a tough one for us. I know we don't fear them, but that can only go so far. I am confident we can give them a game, but we will have to continue playing as a team with each piece complimenting the others. JaJuan has to draw Thabeet away from the basket on the offensive end and avoid foul trouble on defense. Robbie has to keep putting in work on the glass. If he can score more that will be a huge boost. We need Marcus to do all the little things when he is in there and avoid foul trouble. The same is true with Chally. Against dominant big men in Griffin and Brockman we were competitive, but battled foul trouble the whole game. Keaton and E'Twaun need to hit some threes to draw out their defense. Moore must also create his own shots and seize the moment. I saw it in his eyes out in Portland. I can feel E'Twaun has a big scoring game coming very soon. Kramer and LewJack need to lock in on Price and essentially make his life a living hell every time he has the basketball the same way they didn't let Kalin Lucas even call plays.

Teams beat Connecticut, not individuals. The last two times Connecticut has lost in NCAA play they didn't lose to teams with superior talent. Indeed, Connecticut had superior talent each time. San Diego and George Mason toppled them because they played virtually flawless team basketball against an opponent that occasionally (but not always) strays into a trap of NBA individuality. I do think this UConn team is different from those UConn teams though. They have learned from those losses and don't go intot hat "me first" mode as much. The challenge we present is that we play as a team like George Mason and San Diego plus we have pretty good talent.

The biggest keys, however, are to hit some shots and not allow them to own the offensive glass. I really like our chances if we can consistently limit them to one shot per possession. Unfortunately, I am also a realist. I believe we will give Connecticut a much closer game than people expect, but in the end their size will be a little too much. UConn 73, Purdue 69

Champions once again

BoilerTMill — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:43:06 -0000

I was a sophomore in high school the last time Purdue won a men's basketball championship of any kind (unless you count the Great Alaska Shootout from 2003-04). That was the third of three straight Big Ten titles, but the program with the most such titles had been in a drought until today. We were more than read. The vastly pro-Purdue crowd (at least 75/25 in our favor) was in a frenzy once things started to turn our way in the second half.

Those who stay will be champions

That is the thing I will take away most from today. Purdue fans came out in force and took over downtown Indianapolis. We had a large contingent in the 5K race in the morning to witness my 93^rd place finish. I would say at least one in six of the more than 600 people in the run were in Purdue attire. At lunch restaurants were overrun with fans. The scalpers out in full force practically attacked anyone wearing Purdue attire, and fans were more than happy to relieve them of tickets. Once inside the arena the lower two bowls were almost completely full, while my ticket purchased for half price had me sitting right at center court of the balcony level. Only the upper corners of Conseco were virtually empty. I was lucky that some friends of mine had club level seats on the opposite side and two seats behind them were open, so I was able to join a very vocal Purdue contingent down there for the second half.

Even the students came in full force. They were scattered throughout the arena, but Paint Crew shirts were everywhere. The band even led chants over the Ohio State band when they were playing (complete with IU Sucks in appropriate places). We took over Conseco and made an atmosphere that was much like a home game in the second half. It was a better, louder crowd than even the two Pacer games I have been to this season. It's only natural it felt like home too. We've now played four games there and we're 4-0 for the year. The only place we've played more games in is Mackey Arena.

I'll have a lot more about the NCAA Tournament and our first round opponent in Northern Iowa later, but for now this was just a great win.

Positives from the Big Ten Tournament Championship:

The crowd - Every Purdue fan in attendance today had a lot of fun. When I left the arena after the team was finished cutting the nets down my hands hurt from clapping and my voice was raw. I wasn't the only one, either. Most of the fans stayed for the trophy presentation and net cutting as well. In the second half everyone was on their feet. This was totally unlike a game at Mackey. It seemed like all my favorite loud, boisterous, jump-around fans were there while the stay-in-your-seat alumni that Boilerdowd loves so much stayed at home to watch it on TV. Once the team started giving us energy we gave it back tenfold. You could feel those guys thrive on it and I know the crowd gave them a huge closing boost.

The crowd should have been able to trim some net today. They worked just as hard.

Chris Kramer - If the crowd was a nuclear reactor, Chris Kramer was plugged into it the entire second half. His steal and assist to LewJack at the 6:43 mark of the second half was probably the play of the game. He read the pass perfectly, played the lane, and had a beautiful dish to Lew Jack instead of forcing the issue himself. It came at a critical juncture where an Ohio State basket would have made things interesting. Instead, it pushed the lead to nine and we were able to hold it above seven for another four minutes. He also banked in a short jumper on the next possession hat was huge. Remember what I said last night about momentum points? All four of those were huge momentum points. Closing out the game with four straight free throws was only appropriate.

Chris Kramer clinches it from the line.

E'Twaun Moore - E'Twaun, JJ, and Robbie each made the all-tournament team. Each one was an MVP of one of the three wins, with E'twaun taking today's honors. I know he has been struggling lately, but Mr. Moore finally found his stroke at the right time. You could tell once his threes started falling he got a huge confidence boost and became much more aggressive with the ball. That is the E'Twaun we need because he is one of the few guys that can create his own shot. Away from the bigger, faster defenders of the Big Ten I expect him to have a field day now in the NCAA Tournament. It was his three at the 12:12 mark of the second half, his third of the half, that gave us the lead for good.

JaJuan Johnson - I will admit that JJ got some awfully lucky rolls on a few shots today, but we'll take them. I like that we once again looked to him when we absolutely needed a basket. We also had the confidence to go to him down low when we were looking for a clinching basket or two. Along with Calasan he took away Ohio State's interior game of Lauderdale and Mullens. Ohio State was shooting well on the perimeter, but they still need more of an interior game to beat elite teams. Calasan and Johnson combined for 21 while Mullens and Lauderdale combined for 7. That's also before you factor in our tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Robbie Hummel - If you look at the scale to your left on the main page I think we can agree that Robbie has now reached at least level five: Dead male hooker. The kid has played hurt. He has gritted through a rough season that only makes me more excited for next season when he is completely healthy. The questions about his health with the short turnaround of the NCAA Tournament are officially answered after 95 minutes, 48 points, and 28 rebounds in three days. He wasn't as big off an offensive threat today. He deferred mostly to E'Twaun and JJ, but his rebounding was huge. I know this week could be a flare up, but I think we saw what can happen and how things are opened up when he is able to play at a high level.

Keaton Grant - I mention Keaton simply because of the stones he had for that dagger 3-pointer with 47 seconds left. It simply blew the roof off the place and sent the Ohio State fans streaming for the exits.

Everyone else - This was truly a team win. Chally had six boards and five points off the bench. He also made life difficult in the paint for Ohio State. LewJack played turnover-free basketball for 27 minutes of a championship game. He also had a key tie-up with Dallas Lauderdale that was very innocent, but Lauderdale acted like he couldn't believe the little man had the guts to grab the ball. It was a saavy play ebcause LewJack didn't really try to knock the ball away. He delicately placed his hand on top of the ball and ball only, and Lauderdale let him until the jump ball was called.Lewjack's only mistake on the day was an illadvised 3-point attempt just after that when we needed to run clock instead of rushing a three.

Marcus Green had a huge offensive putback for his only points. Even Bobby Buckets played some solid defense during his brief stint that allowed someone else to rest. We did not shoot the ball well, but everything else was flawless.

The seniors - This had to be especially sweet for Marcus Green and Bobby Riddell. They remember the losing. They remember coming to Indianapolis as freshmen and getting their heads handed to them. Bobby was actually the one that grabbed the trophy and carried it to the locker room. That had to be a moment for him that was about as sweet as his performance in the Penn State game at Mackey. As for Green, what perseverance! He deserved this day.

Negatives from the Big Ten Tournament Championship:

Perimeter defense - Diebler got loose too many times in the first half. Turner and Buford tried to repeat their performance from our game in Columbus. It is scary how we had so much trouble playing against their guards, but thankfully we won't have to see them again.

Field goal shooting - It didn't seem like it because we had 14 offensive rebounds to generate second chance points, but we didn't shoot well for most of the game. Having a sub-35% performance next week could mean an early ticket home even against Northern Iowa.

Up Next:

Is this a turning point? This is the first championship this still young team has formally won. It came with their 50^th victory as a group, so it was a milestone in both ways. Beating Northern Iowa will set a new high water mark for wins in a season, topping last year's record. It would also give us our 11^th straight opening round win in NCAA play. I am not a huge fan of where we ended up. I think a five was about a seed too low and I really don't like playing a major conference champ or major conference tournament champ in round 2. It is what it is though. If this team keeps playing like it did in Indy we can win those first two games.

I'll have more about Northern Iowa, Washington, and Mississippi State later in the week, but for now it is time to pick brackets and do ridiculous analysis. I think it is a very fair field, and the only mistake I saw was putting Arizona in instead of Penn State. I am Big Ten-centric though.

Speaking of picks, I am following in the steps of many SB Nation blogs and I have created a tournament challenge through yahoo. Feel free to sign up here and see if you can beat me. The group ID is 96124 and the password is: rails.

Big Ten Tournament Day 2

BoilerTMill — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:09:47 -0000

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany has to be thrilled with the first day results in Indianapolis. The scenario to get eight Big Ten teams into the NCAA Tournament went perfectly. Michigan, Penn State, and Minnesota each had convincing wins over the teams that probably needed the automatic bid in order to dance. Only Northwestern had an outside chance at an at large bid without winning the auto-bid. Best of all, Michigan and Penn State weren't immediately eliminated with bad losses. Even ESPN's Bubble Watch agreed this morning.

There has been plenty of help around the country. Miami sucked yesterday, much to my chagrin. Kansas State is likely gone. Providence may be gone. Arizona may be gone. Boston College locking up a bid helps our seeding as that has been a nice win for us all year. If I had my way Virginia Tech and Maryland would already be out because I don't think any team that can't finish at least .500 in their league should get invited unless they get the automatic bid. For those Big Ten bubble teams that lose today they had better hope Baylor does not win the Big 12 tournament. That would steal a bid, and they absolutely have the talent to do so.

Anyone up for round 2?

#1 Michigan State (25-5) vs. #8 Minnesota (22-9) Noon

Blogcentric previews: The Daily Gopher, Spartans Weblog, Enlightened Spartan

Michigan State is obviously safe. Minnesota should be safe, but a win over the Spartans would likely take care of business. Taking care of business is exactly what Michigan State did in both meetings. The Spartans won 70-58 in Minneapolis before crushing the Gophers 76-47 in East Lansing. If Minnesota plays the way it did for much of its game with Northwestern yesterday you can expect another Michigan State blowout.

I think Michigan State has been on a mission since getting throttled by Purdue. They practically pitched a shutout in the final five minutes at Illinois to lock up the Big Ten title. They held off a determined Indiana team during the Hoosiers' final game in Bloomington, and judging by Indiana's results in their last two games it may have finally broken their spirits. The Spartans have won five straight since that night in Mackey Arena, and with Oklahoma, Connecticut, and Pittsburgh already waiting they can make a serious case for a #1 seed.

If Michigan State plays as they have lately I have a hard time seeing Minnesota beating them. I think it will take a lackluster effort by the Spartans for Tubby and Co. to move on. The Gophers do have a win over a #1 seed-esque team in Lousiville. They dominated that game as well, so the ability is there. I like Minnesota's size because with it they can compete with Michigan State on the glass. The Gophers didn't use it well yesterday though in getting outrebounded by Northwestern. Northwestern is the worst rebounding team in the league, while Michigan State is easily the best. Michigan State 75, Minnesota 65

#4 Wisconsin (19-11) vs. #5 Ohio State (20-9) 2:30pm

Blogcentric Previews: Eleven Warriors, Bucky's 5^th Quarter,

I see two identical teams here, and that is often what you get in the Big Ten's 4/5 game. Wisconsin gets the white jerseys by virtue of their 55-50 win in Madison, which was the only previous meeting between the two this year. Both were 10-8 in Big Ten play. Both played tough non-conference schedules, but Ohio State's win over Butler is a difference maker. Wisconsin lost to Marquette, Texas, and Connecticut. Both teams are likely safe, but I think Wisconsin needs this one just a little bit more. In my mind, getting to 20 overall wins in a tough conference like the Big Ten is still a solid litmus test for an at large berth. Of the eight teams in question, Wisconsin is the only one not there yet. They would be well served not to have that strike against them as competitive as the race for bids is. That 6 game losing streak in the middle of conference play is still a mark against them, as is Minnesota's sweep of them.

Marcus Landry had a big game for Wisconsin the first time around, but Evan Turner was even bigger with 23 points. Dallas Lauderdale was ineffective and Jon Diebler couldn't get open for anything. Wisconsin also kept Ohio State off the glass, winning the rebounding battle 30-21. That helped the Badgers overcome a very poor shooting night. Wisconsin was 20 of 55 the first time around, but allowed just 3 offensive rebounds and limited Ohio State to just 38 field goal attempts. Ohio State also had 19 turnovers.

If Wisconsin puts up those defensive numbers again the Buckeyes will have a difficult time getting the win. Ohio State had to grit out wins over Iowa and Northwestern to close the season as well. Wisconsin has gotten every game it absolutely had to win down the stretch here except the loss at Minnesota. Indiana is the only team to score more than 60 against them in that span, and Wisconsin countered that by scoring 85 for the first time since the second game of the year. They are playing great defense right now, and that is why I give them a slight edge in what should be a great Big Ten-style game. First team to 60 wins. Wisconsin 61, Ohio State 55

#2 Illinois (23-8) vs. #7 Michigan (20-12) 6:30pm

Blogcentric Previews: Maize N' Brew, Hail to the Orange, UM Hoops, Michigan Sports Center

Maize N' Brew practically had a party yesterday during their Cover it Live event with Black Heart Gold Pants. The convincing win over Iowa combined with solid victories over Purdue and Minnesota to finish the year likely put the Wolverines into the Dance for the first time in 11 years. That is the longest non-Northwestern drought in the conference. If Michigan wins the rubber match with Illinois they are definitely in. The Wolverines won in Ann Arbor 74-64 while The Illini won in Champaign 66-51.

Few teams in America rely on two guys as much as Michigan relies on DeShawn Sims and Manny Harris. They combined for 45 points yesterday and Michigan won in convincing fashion. If one or both are off Michigan looks awful. If Laval Lucas-Perry helps out like he did against Minnesota, Michigan becomes that much tougher to beat. Illinois has to prevent Sims from establishing himself down low early. If they can do that it allows them to get out on Harris.

A big factor in Michigan's favor could be the status of Chester Frazier. He is one of Illinois' top defensive players and he is doubtful with a hand injury. He also is the catalyst of Illinois offense with 5.3 assists per game. The Illini offense wasn't exactly a well-oiled machine down the stretch in losses to Michigan State and Penn State. It has had a tendency to disappear at times this season, especially in the infamous 38-33 loss to Penn State.

Michigan is on a mission right now. They want to erase any lingering doubt about an NCAA bid and they can do that with another win over the Illini. I can't see Illinois functioning the same way without a player like Frazier who means so much to them on both sides of the ball. Michigan 70, Illinois 61

#3 Purdue (22-9) vs. #3 Penn State (22-10) 9pm

Blogcentric Previews: Boiled Sports, Black Shoe Diaries

Our historical performance in the Big Ten Tournament is awful. Since winning our first two games ever in 1998 we're 2-11. That's just sad. Only Northwestern has been worse, never making it to Saturday or having a first round bye. They are now 4-12 in the event, and with a loss tonight we will join them. We also played like crap in our last two games.

Despite that, I like our chances tonight. While the fans have been grousing, things have been strangely quiet from Mackey Arena since the Michigan State loss on Sunday. No players have spoken. Coach Painter hasn't said much. You get the sense this team is simmering right now after having their nose rubbed in two straight dismal performances. And they should be pissed off. We're better than this, and we need to freakin' act like it.

I honestly don't see how you can have Penn State listed as the worst of the Big Ten Bubble teams. If you say that the Big Ten definitely has three locks right now Penn State went 4-2 against them. Rhode Island, Temple, and even at Iowa in double OT aren't horrible losses. They have 22 wins and I think they should be in with yesterday's convincing win over IU.

They won 67-64 in Happy Valley, but we were without both Chris Kramer and Robbie Hummel in that game. Even then, I felt like we let one get away. We were dominating in the second half and had actually built a small lead before we froze up at the end. With both Kramer and Hummel in West Lafayette we dominated, shutting out Talor Battle and winning. 61-47.

We need angry Purdue tonight. This is our fourth two game losing streak. We followed the previous three with convincing wins over Arkansas Pine Bluff, Wisconsin, and Penn State. We also showed we like the rims at Conseco Fieldhouse before the season by blowing out Davidson there. We will be the last team to take the floor in the Big Ten Tournament, but we were the only ones to play a regular season game there. I think we're going to come out angry tonight. We have a lot to prove and we're a dangerous team when that is the case. We need to keep harassing Battle and not let Cornley dominate down low. We also absolutely need Calasan and Green to show up tonight. They have been absent the last two games and need to start playing like men again. Purdue 68, Penn State 62

I'll be in and out throughout the day to comment on games. I'll also likely do a separate open thread for tonight's game at 9. I am still hoping to score some cheap tickets, so I may actually be there. If not, I may try a Cover it Live event.

Curtain Closer

BoilerTMill — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 15:10:44 -0000

We're going to war early today.

Thanks to Daylight Savings Time, a late night from covering high school ball last night, and a noon tipoff, my eyes are barely open this morning as I get ready to watch Purdue take on Michigan State in the regular season finale. There really isn't much at stake for either team in this one. Some are arguing that Michigan State has a chance for a #1 seed, but I think they are pretty much a lock for a 2 at this point. There isn't as much enthusiasm about this game as there was before our losses to Michigan and Northwestern, but that is to be expected.

Defense needs to move to East Lansing for the Day

Blog-centric Previews:

Spartans Weblog - Solid statistical analysis, but they sound about as excited as we are. I think both teams just want to get to the Big Ten Tournament.

SpartyMSU - No real updates this week.

The Enlightened Spartan - There are a series of good and bad points here. The good is that they point out the chance for Michigan State to win the league by four games, something that has never happened before. As tough as the league has been this year that would be very impressive. As it is, they will win by two games even with a loss today. I know we helped with some bad losses, but I think we probably would have had at least three losses going into today regardless of health issues. MSU has had health issues to and they have done very well.

The ES gets demerits though for using the "Purdon't" term. Come on guys, you're better than Notre Dame! I also now want this game for the shot he took at the changeover from Off the Tracks to Hammer and Rails

By the way, I HATE the SB Nation and long for the old Off the Tracks -- SBN just a terrible blog interface to read.

Well, that's not really a shot at me per se, but I am trying to stir the fires of hatred a little for a game that has lost some luster recently. We all know it is essentially the same blog as Off the Tracks was in terms of content, but I actually like the interface for editing purposes a lot better. Of course, I am lazy when it comes to learning web-design, so it is my fault.

Off the Tracks/Hammer and Rails original preview - Much of the same remains true, and we pulled it off in West Lafayette by playing our best game of the season and thoroughly dominating the Spartans in the second half. Since basketball is often about matchups I honestly think Michigan State is one of those teams that we happen to just match up very well against. In watching the Big Ten very closely for the last two seasons I have seen that we consistently perform well against Wisconsin and Michigan State, while teams like Northwestern and Ohio State often cause us trouble because of match up issues. Last year we were supposed to be severely overmatched in East Lansing, but nearly pulled out a win sans Robbie Hummel.

Like always, this game will be determined by how we start. These guys have had a few days to sit and stew over the Northwestern loss. I think we can still gain a top four seed in the NCAA's, but getting this game would go a long way toward that. Marcus Green must have a great little things game. JaJuan has to dominate the offensive end and continue to be a force defensively. Kramer needs to thoroughly disrupt Lucas and we need to maintain our defensive pressure of not even allowing teams a second to call a play in the halfcourt. We've gone away from that the last few games. We were far from aggressive against Northwestern and it cost us.

If the Purdue that played them in West Lafayette shows up that is the only way we get a solid road win to finish the season. Purdue 66, Michigan State 65.

Danger awaits

BoilerTMill — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:47:58 -0000

Tonight is senior night. Other than the motivation to lock up a #2 seed in next week's Big Ten Tournament that is the only thing we have to play for tonight. These seniors have zealously defended their home court over the past three seasons, losing just four times in Mackey Arena during that span. Ohio State (2007), Duke (2009), and Illinois (2009) are explainable losses, but I still can't figure out how in the hell we lost to Wofford at home last year. What these guys have done in Mackey Arena is nothing short of astounding at times. It's like we are a different team, completely unbeatable, when things are working well at home.

Tonight's opponent is one that might be in a bit of a desperation mode. Northwestern has already likely locked up an NIT berth. If not, they will play in one of the other two postseason tournaments. It is rare for the Wildcats to even be thinking postseason in basketball, so this is a very positive season for them. A win tonight and Saturday in Columbus, however, could make them a little greedy for more. Getting both games would put them at .500 in conference play. If they can then grab a game or two in Indianapolis next week they just might have a chance to make the tournament as an at large depending on what else happens around the country.

One last time for the seniors...

Northwestern is a very hard team to figure out. They have played well enough to be a tournament team on many occasions this year. The home win over Florida State in the ACC/Big Ten challenge looks like the best the Big Ten got in that event at the moment. I was unable to do a formal Northwestern preview because of my grandmother's death on the date of game one, but Lake the Posts provided some help with a solid back and forth on January 15^th. Our reactions to that game were varied. I was relieved we had pulled of a win in a game we honestly had no business winning. Lake the Posts was disgusted as the Wildcats blew another close game late.

Unfortunately, Northwestern has only itself to blame for not having an NCAA tournament bid locked up right now. They are currently 16-11 and 7-9 in Big Ten play. They blew a big lead in their Big Ten opener at Penn State. They dropped a game to us at home that they easily should have won. In mid-February they had a particularly brutal stretch where they lost at Iowa, dropped a heartbreaking game at home to Illinois in which they had an even bigger lead than they did against us, then dropped another home game to Michigan in overtime. I fully believe that had they gotten just three of those five, maybe even two, they would at least be at the forefront of the discussion for an NCAA bid, if not in the field already. I know they would feel a lot better about it at 18-9, 9-7 with two games plus the Big Ten Tournament to play, especially since two of those wins would have been very good wins.

Northwestern's "should have been" season comes in a weird way because many of those stumbles were at home. This team has actually been pretty good, by Northwestern standards, away from Welsh-Ryan Arena. They've won at Michigan State. They pounded Indiana for their first ever win in Assembly Hall (and it should be noted that Indiana was a very tough out in Bloomington this year for better teams). They also were very competitive in losses at Stanford and Butler.

The key to tonight's game will be how well we handle their 1-3-1 pressure defense. That was a major point of contention up in Evanston and if they continually force us into dumb passes again it could mean trouble tonight. We had an uncharacteristic 22 turnovers in that game and most of the time we refused to move without the basketball to help the guy that was being trapped. It's not a hard concept. If the guy with the ball is being double teamed and is in trouble there is at least one guy open on the floor. It is therefore your job to get in a position to help the ballhandler since he can't get to you. We didn't do this up in Evanston and nothing frustrates me more than when we show a serious lack of basic fundamentals such as this.

As Boiled Sports said this morning: these guys won in East Lansing. They have an outside chance at the school's first ever NCAA Tournament and absolutely nothing to lose. They looked very good last week at Indiana and took care of business against Iowa last weekend to secure the NIT bid. Why not go for more if you have the chance?

Offensively I would say we struggled against Kevin Coble and Craig Moore since they each had 16 points, but they took a combined 29 shots from the field to get those 32 points. All told, northwestern had a pretty poor night shooting the basketball at 35%, especially since they concentrate on 3-pointers and easy backdoor layups with their offense. Northwestern was also undone in the end by poor free throw shooting down the stretch. We also need to keep an eye on guard Michael Thompson. He averages 10 points per game and leads them in assists at four per night. He had 20 in the win at Michigan State.

I think we should run against this team. We killed them on the glass last time 39-23 and they are not a high scoring team. If we run against them it does not allow their defense to set up. We proved we can run against teams last year against Baylor, so why not tonight? Defensively we allowed next to nothing in the final five minutes of the first game, so I know we will play with that same confidence. Much of that great goes to JaJuan, who had Northwestern fearful of venturing anywhere near the basket.

I think the first five minutes will set the tone of this game. If Mackey Arena is rocking and we come out focused to send the seniors off the right way Northwestern won't have much of a chance. We probably can't go much higher than a 4 seed in the NCAA's at this point, but we can certainly drop lower. Let's aim high. Purdue 70, Northwestern 55

FYI: There will be an open thrad tonight, but I won't be able to participate much except by phone, so it will be slow. Stop on by. the thread opens at 6pm

Senior Night

BoilerTMill — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:10:10 -0000

Chris Reid, Bobby Riddell, Marcus Green, and Nemanja Calasan courtesy of the Purdue Media Guide

Tomorrow night marks the final time four Purdue seniors will play at Mackey Arena. Since Purdue is on its way to a third consecutive NCAA Tournament it almost seems like success is an expectation once again. That wasn't the case when these four players stepped on campus, however. Each one of them has a different story, and as a result has left a unique impression on Purdue's basketball history.

The Survivor - Marcus Green - Though Marcus will be joined by three other seniors for tomorrow night's festivities, his journey has been quite lonely. Marcus is technically the only player left from coach Matt Painter's first recruiting class. That class had a rough first season, going 9-19 and winning just three Big Ten games. That 2005-06 team suffered the ignominy of losing to Evansville, Loyola-Chicago, and getting swept by Penn State, Northwestern, Indiana, and Ohio State in Big Ten play.

Yes, Marcus, We love you.

Green set career highs that season for points and minutes played simply because we didn't have any other options. Both Carl Landry and David Teague were out with knee injuries. Even tight end Charles Davis, who had given some minutes the previous season after football was done, didn't come out as he concentrated on the NFL draft. Green stuck with the program though, even as the other six recruits in that class fell by the wayside. Here is the fate of those other six guys:

Nate Minnoy - Quit team after season. Eventually transferred to Central Michigan where he has not played this season.

Chris Lutz - Transferred to Marshall after 2006-07 season. Currently averaging 11.4 points per game.

Korey Spates - Kicked off team. Now plays at Division II Valdosta State.

Gordon Watt - Transferred from Boston College. Dismissed from team after second DUI. Now averages 16.6 points per game at Houston Baptist (D-I transitional member)

Marcus White - Transferred from Connecticut. Played half a season before a lingering back problem ended his career.

Tarrance Crump - JUCO transfer. Was suspended for 2005-06 season due to hit and run incident. Played the last two years for us and graduated as 2008's lone senior.

GBI did an excellent focus piece on Marcus Green yesterday in light of the honor he received by the student section at Saturday's Ohio State game. Marcus' game has reflected his tenacity. He's not our leading scorer or rebounder, but he has evolved to do all the little things we need each night in order to win. A play that stands out happened in the Michigan State game a few weeks ago. After missing a layup, Marcus physically ripped the ball from a Spartan player who had secured the rebound and put the ball in the basket before said player realized the ball was gone. It was only two points, but plays like that really affect the flow of the game. That is what Marcus does.

Most importantly, Marcus will graduate in May with a degree in Organizational Leadership and Supervision. There is no NBA for him, but he is still a success story. I wish Marcus the best after this season, and thank him for his contribution to Purdue.

The Townie - Bobby Riddell - I feel like I have known Bobby Riddell forever. Through my work with the Kokomo Tribune I covered Bobby a two or three times in high school since I always seem to get the Kokomo-Harrison game at Harrison. The kid was a pure shooter even then. In my opinion, there is always room for kids like Bobby who can simply fill the basket if they are open. That's what Bobby did from the minute he got on campus.

Like Marcus Green, Bobby had to play quite a bit that freshman season in 2005-06. He didn't have the benefit of a scholarship though. He came in as a walk-on with incredibly low expectations, but developed a penchant for hitting threes. Even then the student section went nuts whenever he scored, and his tendency to hit the 3-pointer gave way to the name Bobby Buckets.

He's far from physically gifted at 5'9", but man can the kid shoot. His seminal moment had to have come this year in the Penn State game at home. Robbie Hummel was out for the night and we needed a boost. Though Bobby's minutes were cut back drastically the past two seasons, we needed him on this night. In 24 minutes he gave us a career high 13 points, nailed three huge triples, and even had a coast to coast layup weaving through the defense. Bobby also had four assists in that game, and could have had a few more as perfect entry passes allowed JaJuan Johnson and Nemanja Calasan to get to the line.

I am one of the people that loves seeing Bobby Buckets play. I am very glad he has emerged as a key role player down the stretch here, expanding our rotation from 8 to 9 players and giving us keys moments of rest for the other guys. Bobby will graduate in May with a degree in Accounting. I thank Bobby for being a crowd favorite and getting to do what many only dream of. His hard work has paid off and it had to be a special moment when he was interviewed on the court aft the Penn State game to a standing ovation.

The Bosnian Bruiser - Nemanja Calasan- I was actually involved slightly with the recruitment of Nemanja Calasan. Chally is now a key component of our roster, but when he was trying to decide where to go once he was done at Midland Junior College we were unsure if we would get him. Kentucky wanted his services, but we desperately needed his size and strength considering we had little to no post presence returning. Fortunately, Chally chose us.

That's where the fun begins. One of the many temp job I have had in the past four years was answering phones at the NCAA's eligibility center. It was a fun job, as I was involved in assisting players, parents, and schools with getting kids eligible. Academically Chally was fine, but in his native Bosnia he had sat the bench with a professional team for a couple of games. This led to an amateurism issue and I was the one who fielded a call from the Purdue compliance department one day asking about his status.

Amateurism is a funny thing with the NCAA. Normally it is a slam dunk approval process as long as the student fills out the form online and signs the questionnaire. If there is an issue, like there honestly was in Chally's case and it was documented, it can take quite a while to get all the information necessary before a player can be cleared to play. Amateurism can hang a player up just as much as an academic issue too. Because it took so long to get all the necessary information there were serious questions on whether Chally would get to play last year at all.

Eventually, those issues were resolved, but they cost Chally the first two games of last season. Since then he has become a valuable contributor and a player that can give us an unexpected 10 to 15 points at any time. He's a hard worker and we definitely would not be where we are without his contributions. Chally will graduate in May with a degree in Criminal Justice and Law. I thank him for coming to Purdue and inspiring some students to proudly display the Bosnian flag for every home game. Chally, I'll accept my thank you for helping you in a very small way to get eligible by continuing to watch you play with a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

The Consummate practice professional - Chris Reid - In two seasons Chris Reid has scored just three points. He had a basket against Northwestern on senior day last season and added a free throw against Arkansas-Pine Bluff earlier this year. When we recruited him from Butte Junior College he knew he likely was not going to see much actual playing time. We needed a big body in practice for Calasan and JaJuan to train against and Reid fit the bill.

I would like to have seen him play a little more this season, but that hasn't been the case. We really could have used him last week against Michigan, but Chris is just one of those guys that makes his contributions during practice when few people are in the stands. That means he embodies the spirit of Purdue basketball by being the ultimate team player. It would be a shock to see him play more than a minute in any game the rest of the season, but he is still a valuable member of this team that will be missed.

Chris will graduate in May with a degree in Sociology. I will remember him as the brave man that wore the short-shorts during Mackey madness this season. Chris, you're a good guy ad I thank you for your contributions, but please don't ever wear those shorts again.

Making Mackey a Nutcracker

BoilerTMill — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:00:09 -0000

Saturday afternoon we go for payback.

On March 4^th last year we headed to Columbus needing a win in order to stay alive in the race for a Big Ten championship. The desperate Buckeyes knocked us off 80-77 in overtime and cost the Baby Boilers a share of the Big Ten championship. They didn't even have the decency to parlay that win into an NCAA berth. A loss to Michigan State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament sent them to the NIT, which they eventually went on to win.

This guy has the right idea (courtesy of Everyday Should be Saturday)

2008-09 record: 18-8, 8-7 Big Ten
2007-08 Postseason: Won NIT 92-85 over Massachusetts in final.
2007-08 Final record: 24-13
Blog Representation: Around the Oval , Buckeye Battle Cry , Eleven Warriors , Men of Scarlet & Gray , Buckeye Blog

We find ourselves in a similar situation again. The Buckeyes stand in our way of playing for a share of the title next week when we go to East Lansing. Of course, we still need the Spartans to cooperate and lose another game, but that is moot unless we take care of business. Ohio State is the toughest of two challenging home games before that showdown. I call them the toughest because, like Illinois, they present a huge matchup problem for us. There are certain teams that just match up well with better teams and give them fits. Ohio State is one of those teams. Like Illinois, they tend to have streaky outside shooting. That is often the difference between a win and a loss for them. They have enough size inside to give us problems which only amplify their good shooting performances.

Of the five teams jockeying for an NCAA bid the Buckeyes are probably in the best shape. The win earlier this week over Penn State was key because it was the only game between the two this year. Ohio State also swept Michigan and split with Minnesota. They are so far 1-4 against the top three in the league (Purdue, Illinois, Michigan State), but they have avoided a bad loss in conference play. I don't count losing at Northwestern as a bad loss, and as long as Ohio State wins at Iowa next week and at home against the Wildcats in the season finale they will have 20 wins, 10 in conference, and likely be on the good side of the bubble because of their non-conference work.

Getting a season sweep of Purdue, therefore, would be icing for them, and it would likely move their seed up a little. Aside from missing Robbie Hummel when we went to Columbus, our biggest problem was containing their guards. Evan Turner and William Buford flat out abused us with their ability to drive and score. The duo combined for 48 points on 19 of 29 attempts from the field. That was an absolutely embarrassing effort by our defense and cannot be tolerated. It is even more troubling that we just let Manny Harris go nuts against us. Many of his shots were contested though, and he may have simply had a phenomenal night.

When Buford and Turner weren't finishing B.J. Mullens was there to clean things up. He had 17 points on 8 of 9 shooting off the bench and we essentially turn the game into a layup and dunk drill for them. Turner's line is even more impressive when you consider he had 12 assists, mostly to Mullens and Buford. We have to lock down on Turner. He put on an absolute show the first time. Our defense should be offended and they need to make it their mission to stop him.

Statistically it is amazing that we got that game to overtime. Ohio State shot 60% from the field, outrebounded us by 16, and allowed just two offensive rebounds. JaJuan had a career high 30 points to keep us alive in that one, but like everyone else he was a non-factor on the glass. It is very plain what we need to do. We need to rebound better and we need to hassle them into a poor shooting night. A 60% night from the field against our defense is a gross statistical aberration, or at least it was until Thursday night. If it happens again, this time in Mackey Arena, it may be time to panic a little headed into the tournament.

We will have two key factors on Saturday that we did not have in Columbus. First, Robbie Hummel will be back. His mere presence on the floor seems to make us better. Second, Bobby Buckets will be playing some minutes. He has done very well since being asked to play against Penn State. He did not play the first time around as we opted to go with a seven man rotation. By the overtime we had nothing left (though Ohio State essentially played just seven men as well). Calasan had better not wimp out again because Thursday night proved just how much we need his presence with Johnson. If we lose those two again we have absolutely no size and we can expect Mullens and Dallas Lauderdale to put on a show of dunks.

The same things we failed to do on Thursday apply in this game. We have to step out and contain heir guards, preventing them from driving to the basket. We also cannot let JaJuan get in foul trouble or we will get torn apart on the interior. We absolutely have to have a better rebounding effort this time around. Marcus Green is critical in this area, especially since he has been playing better of late. He was a virtual no-show in Columbus.

An Ohio State-centric preview can be found at Eleven Warriors, as they are a bit apprehensive about the game. The bottom line is that Ohio State likely isn't as desperate as Michigan is for an NCAA bid. A win at Purdue would lock one up for them, but a loss is far from disastrous as they have to like their chances with Northwestern and at Iowa to finish the season. They also know they are going to get a chance to prove themselves in the Big Ten Tournament against a fellow bubble team in round one. At the moment, however, they may want to avoid the #6 slot. Yes, that gives some bubble team a free shot at Indiana, but it also means a longer road in Indianapolis and a matchup with Michigan State, Purdue, or Illinois. Considering the Spartans, Boilers, and Illini could very easily end up tri-champions the six seed is not a comfy spot.

It is a bit of a reverse scenario in that we now need this game more than Ohio State does to meet our personal goals. Because of that and the fact we are playing at home I think we'll pull this one off. That means everyone needs to cheer like hell for Illinois on Sunday. I would even turn the blog blue and orange if it would help. Purdue 71, Ohio State 64 (*Special Note: Ohio State is the only team in the Big Ten that has a winning record overall against Purdue. They are now 80-79 all-time against Purdue)

On one final note, I want to offer my sincere thanks to everyone who has helped out the Paint Crew in their challenge against the Izzone to raise money for Coaches vs. Cancer. I don't know how much yesterday's FanPost helped, but more than $1,000 were raised in 24 hours. If anyone saw that and contributed, I thank you immensely.