SB Nation User Blog: BoilerTMill

On the warpath: Purdue hosts Central Michigan

BoilerTMill — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 02:20:46 -0000

I know this is my inner cockiness coming out, but I am fully confident today will end with a victory. I am so confident I will even be out of town. You see, Mrs. T-Mill loves NHL hockey, specifically the Florida Panthers. Since Indianapolis does not have a hockey team (nor would four out of five people know what a puck is) we don't get much chance to follow the NHL. Her Panthers are playing down in Nashville tonight and we were able to get tickets at a good rate. As the Boilers play we're headed to the Music City and our best chance to see the Panthers this season. As a bonus, we're see Standford Keglar and Mike Otto take on Chike Okeafor and the Arizona Cardinals tomorrow. I'll be listening on the radio as long as I can driving down, but the comments are open.

Up Next: Central Michigan

BoilerTMill — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:50:05 -0000

The key to stopping Central Michigan Saturday will be containing perhaps the best player in MAC history, Dan LeFevour...

Sorry about that. I guess over the past few years I am used to seeing Central Michigan on the schedule and thinking about Dan LeFevour. In a way, it may be a good thing we missed out on a bowl game. Otherwise we would possibly see him again in Detroit. This time the men's basketball team will be facing the Chippewas. They don't have The Clippers' Chris Kaman to help them now, so we'll exact some revenge after they eliminated our women's soccer team from the NCAA tournament.

Jordan Bitzer is Central Michigan's #2 scorer at 14 points per game.

Record: 2-3

2008-09 Record: 12-19 (lost to Ball State in MAC Tourney)

Blog Representation: The Central Word (More of a message board, but still solid)

Series with Purdue: Purdue leads 5-1

I actually have a bad memory about Thanksgiving and the one loss we have had to Central in the series. It was early in my junior year and we played Central Michigan on the night before Thanksgiving break began. I attended the game, then left at halftime to get home to Kokomo because it looked like we had the game in hand. During the drive back the Chips made a furious comeback. Purdue led by one in the closing seconds and had the ball with the shot clock winding down. Central played good defense, forced a bad shot, and got a long rebound. The rebound started a 3-on-1 break the other way that led to an easy layup and a stunning 67-66 win for the Chippewas. I managed to catch this final play on TV just as I walked in the front door of my parents' house. The Chips have not visited Mackey Arena since, though we did play them at Conseco Fieldhouse in 2003. That game was a dominant 80-39 Boilermaker victory.

That game during the 2000-01 season was the harbinger of Gene Keady's downfall. Though we made the Elite 8 the season before, we would fall to the NIT that season. Keady would have just one more tournament.

This year's contest will likely fall more along the lines of that meeting in 2003. Purdue is currently ranked 6^th in the nation, while Central Michigan has beaten Ferris State and Illinois-Chicago. The three losses have come to Princeton, Fairleigh Dickenson, and Wright State.

Central Michigan is a relatively deep team. They have a nine man rotation with two players averaging in double figures. 6'1" senior guard Robbie Harmon is the team's leading scorer at 16.4 points per game. He is a legitimate deep threat who has twice had a game this season where he made six 3-pointers. He accomplished this feat against Princeton and Illinois-Chicago, so we will need to make sure he doesn't get loose on the perimeter.

Fellow guard Jordan Bitzer is also a senior and is second in scoring at 14 points per game. He is currently shooting better than 50% from beyond the arc, hitting 13 of 22 attempts through five games. 6'8" forward Chris Kellermann is also a senior and he averages 9.6 points per game. He can also step outside and hit the three, but his shooting percentage from the field is under 35%.

Junior College transfer Jalin Thomas has been a promising addition through five games. He had a season high 16 in the win over Illinois-Chicago and is averaging nine points per game. Thomas also leads the team in rebounds at 7.4 per contest. 6'9" junior forward Marko Spica is the only other player averaging over seven points per game at 7.2. He is playing after missing all of last season due to injury.

The statistics fall off quite a bit outside of these top five. William McClure, Finis Craddock, Brandon Ford, and Tyler Brown provide depth, but they don't do much scoring.

Though Central Michigan is an experienced team, turnovers can be a bit of an issue. They average more than 14 per game while only dishing out 10 assists. They are a decent rebounding team, but it is more by committee than anything. We won't be overwhelmed with their size. They prefer to play out on the perimeter with only Jalin Thomas doing a lot of work inside.

The final factor to consider is that they are struggling this year without having played anyone even close to the talent level we have. Fairleigh Dickenson beat them for their only win in six games. Wright State is probably their best opponent. The Raiders could challenge Butler in the Horizon League.

Honestly, this is a game we should have little trouble in. Central Michigan is not one of the better teams in the MAC even though they are experienced. It is a bit of a trap game falling in between Tennessee and Wake Forest, but I don't think we'll be looking ahead. Matt Painter need to say one word: Wofford, if we start to look ahead. We must see this as another chance to get our freshmen like Patrick Bade and Kelsey Barlow some experience against live competition. Purdue 77, Central Michigan 57

Wrapping up the 2009 Season

BoilerTMill — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:46:53 -0000

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I hope everyone out there has a safe and happy holiday. The posting will likely be scaled back slightly over the next few weeks before Christmas. The recent temp job I accepted is going to need me for some extra hours so that will cut into some of my writing time. I do have press access for the Wake Forest game next week, however, so that should be fun. If anyone finds any worthwhile news during the day feel free to post it via fanshot and I'll get it to the front page as soon as I can. Also, if you feel like doing a post of your own you can do it via Fanpost on the right. I haven't pushed these features too much in the past, but they are great ways to expand the community here. Now on with the football wrap up.

I am not quite sure what to think about this. When seeing some preseason predictions of 2-10, 1-11, 3-9 with maybe a pair of Big Ten wins, the 2009 Purdue football season looks pretty good. When you actually sat down and watched all 12 games, as I did (minus Northwestern) it is hard not to think that 10-2 was possible. That leaves me with mixed feelings. We were much better than advertised, but not as good as we could have been. Ultimately, 5-7 is probably about right based on the amount of inexperience we had on offense. Even then, those players overachieved.

That is what makes this season wrap up so hard. How do I put it in proper perspective? I guess we can look at each game individually.

Toledo W 52-31

This was the only game that one of the guys over at the Rivalry, Esq. Gave us coming into the season. It was with good reason too, as the Boilers were never seriously threatened and Ralph Bolden had a field day. The only major concern was poor tackling and poor coverage over the middle against Toledo's short drop passing attack. The tackling would be hit or miss all year long. Joey Elliott threw three interceptions, but two were tipped balls as we had the foreshadowing of turnovers. All told it was a good opener. We were in control throughout and never let Toledo get within two scores.

At Oregon L 36-38

And you thought the Ducks visit to Ross-Ade was letting one get away. Essentially, we handed Oregon 19 points in their home stadium. I called this as an upset Purdue win while everyone else predicted blowout and I was damn near right. We had a Duck team that would go on to steamroll USC beaten in their own house. An early interception deep in our own territory led to a field goal. Oregon later returned an interception and a bad snap for a score. We also had an extra point blocked, forcing us into a failed two point conversion attempt in the final minute. Still, this team didn't die when giving them those 19 points. We earned the respect of Oregon fans everyone, as they knew they were lucky to escape this one with a win. I know the guys over at Addicted to Quack have been big fans of Purdue all season because of this game. Unfortunately, "We had it," would become a theme for the season.

Northern Illinois L 21-28

Just an ugly game. If we played them 12 more times I would absolutely pick us 12 times. We had zero business losing this game and we know it, especially when Toledo would later beat Northern Illinois. Purdue got outclassed and outplayed in every phase, yet NIU still needed a late fake punt to hold us off. I am fully confident that we would have scored to tie if they had actually punted there. We should have never been in that position in the first place. Two fumbled punts and a penalty for roughing the kicker only allowed seven points, but they allowed NIU to dominate the time of possession. The offense never got on track until late in the third quarter. I said before the season that if we lost this game we had no business going to a bowl and I was right. It is the difference between a bowl and nothing right now. If we played this game today we win by three touchdowns, easy.

Notre Dame L 21-24

Another missed opportunity. After Jaycen Taylor gave us a late 21-17 lead we let Notre Dame drive down the field, converting a 3^rd and long and a 4^th and goal. The timeout called by Danny Hope before a late 3^rd and goal is unforgiveable. Even if they don't spike it they are running plays in the hurry-up. That means they are less likely to convert. I'll give Jimmy Montana credit though. His winning TD pass to Kyle Rudolph was a good one.

Northwestern L 21-27

This is the second worst game next to the Northern Illinois debacle. If we simply take a knee deep in our own territory late in the first half we save 13 points and three turnovers. Even with the mistakes we had a chance t win late but a pair of incompletions inside the 10 cost us the game. I am glad I was in Miami for this one. I thought ESPN's gametracker was stuck on repeat with all the fumbles. At least Northwestern had quite a season after this one.

At Minnesota L 20-35

This game was almost as bad as the Oregon game. Minnesota's offense was horrible all year, agaisnt us they barely tried to pass. One big pass completed to Eric Decker set up a game changing touchdown. From there the floodgates opened with more turnovers. This was capped by a backbreaking blocked field goal returned for a touchdown. It was almost identical to the figgie Chris Summers had blocked in 2007, only Minnesota actually held on to the ball for a score. This is yet another game I wih we could have back. If we could replay every loss I would predict wins in this order, from most likely to least likely:

Northern Illinois
Minnesota
Northwestern
Notre Dame
Michigan State
Oregon
Wisconsin

And of those, the only one I am sure we would lose is Wisconsin. I might pick Oregon, given how hot they can be. In the other five I would pick us right now.

Ohio State W 26-18

Quite simply, this is the biggest win the program has had in nine years since beating the Buckeyes in 2000. This was a better Ohio State team, but that win essentially sent us to the Rose Bowl, so it is bigger. Considering that three of our four Big Ten losses easily could have been wins, This could have sent us to the Rose Bowl as well, giving us a rematch with Oregon. With the way Ohio State has finished the season I am still shocked by this win. Without it, they would still be on a record Big Ten road winning streak. They would also be hoping for a miracle in the last two weeks for an outside shot at the national title. It was one of the most memorable games in Ross-Ade Stadium because it was completely unexpected. It also proved another preseason prediction of mine true: that we would end the losing streak against ranked teams. Ohio State was the only team that was ranked at the time we played them. Compare that to last year, where Oregon, Notre Dame, Penn State, Ohio State, Minnesota, Michigan State, and Iowa were all ranked at game time. If we win a conference championship in the next three years it will be because of this game.

Again, one of the happiest moments ever at Ross-Ade

Illinois W 24-14

This was kind of a boring game in retrospect. Everyone was still buzzing about the OSU upset. Illinois was awful before looking like a real football team the following two weeks. I would call this game the most dull of the season. We built a big lead and sat on it. That's what good teams do. It was nice not to have to hang on until the final seconds in a Big Ten win too.

Wisconsin L 0-37

Wisconsin Jumped Around all over us...

Did we show up in Madison? This was the worst game only surpassed by the NIU debacle. Yes, we were physically dominated in both games. At least you can expect it with Wisconsin. The Badgers played essentially a perfect game and we did not. There were absolutely no positives from this game, which made the next one that much more surprising.

Michigan W 38-36

Boiled Sports called the Ohio State game a sharpie loss. They were wrong. I called this a sharpie loss. I was wrong. The game will mostly be remembered for the simmering Danny Hope-Rich Rodriguez fued at the end, but I will remember it as HOLY CRAP WE JUST WON IN ANN ARBOR!!!! I don't care that it was over the first Michigan team to finish last in the Big Ten in over 45 years. Knowing our history since 1966 I thought we had no chance. It was stunning because we kept making big play after big play. We overcame yet another 14 point deficit to the Wolverines, and now we have a two game winning streak in a series where we have just 14 wins total. An alert reader is sending me a DVD copy of this game. They are awesome for that.

Michigan State L 37-40

This is the game where our bowl hopes officially died. It is probably about four games later than most people expected them to die. The play they died on was Michigan State's long TD pass after we had gone up 11. If the defense can force even a long scoring drive there the game is pretty secure. Instead, we gave up a long TD, had a figgie blocked, gave up another TD, got a figgie to tie, then promptly gave it back with a long kickoff return. This doesn't even account for the fact that we gave them seven points on the game's first play. It's a tough loss, but we had plenty of chances to make sure this one didn't matter in terms of getting to a bowl.

Indiana W 38-21

An important win because we shared the same record with IU coming in for the second straight year, but dominated the game. We showed that despite similar records, there is still a gap between Indiana and Purdue. It is now up to us to make sure it gets larger and not smaller.

There are tons of positives coming out of this year. We finished at .500 in the league after two straight seasons below. We were 4-2 in the last six games after being 1-5 in the previous six. We won a road game for the first time since 2007, and now have a two game road winning streak. We beat a ranked team for the first time since 2003. the next step is combining the two and beating a ranked team on the road. That is something we haven't done since winning at Wisconsin in 2003, and something we didn't do much under Tiller.

Offensively, we lose our quarterback, but we gain an experienced one in Robert Marve. If you go strictly by recruiting rankings, we can line up four star talent next year at guard (Ken Plue), running back (Al-Terek McBurse), receiver (O.J. Ross), Tight End (Jeff Lindsay, though he was a 4-star linebacker), and quarterback (Marve). Defensively we have to replace the entire secondary, but Josh Johnson, Chris Quinn, and Charlton Williams all have some playing experience. I think there is a certain guard on the basketball team that might be interested in a one year gridiron curtain call. At the very least, Kramer could provide much needed depth. It is safe to say he would be a fan favorite as well.

Just to show I am completely delusional, I think a 6-0 start next year is entirely possible. It is possible, maybe even likely, that Charlie Weis will be gone and Jimmy Montana and Golden Tate will both go pro. That evens the playing field in the season opener quite a bit. We have no excuse whatsoever for losing to Ball State, Western Illinois, and Toledo in the non-conference season. In conference play I believe we can beat Minnesota, Northwestern (our first two Big Ten games), Michigan (ignore this if they field a defense next year), and Indiana. Three of those games are at home, so they need to be wins (a sidebar, it absolutely sucks we beat the league champ, but still went 3-4 at Ross-Ade. WTF?). That leaves Ohio State (tough at home), Wisconsin (They tend to dominate us physically), Michigan State (toss-up road game), and Illinois (a wild card with their sheer talent) as tricky games. Notice three of those four are on the road. Michigan State should be better, while no one know what to expect from Illinois anymore. The Illini could just as easily win the entire Big Ten as they could finish dead last.

So what should we expect? In a down Big Ten everyone is looking to improve. I think we showed the most improvement over anyone as the season went along. If we keep it going into next year, I expect at least an 8 win season. We will return to a bowl unless we crap the bed in one of those three easy non-conference games. With a few breaks we might even challenge for the Big Ten title.

Yes, I have lost my mind.

Pre-Thanksgiving Boilermakings

BoilerTMill — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:17:08 -0000

I want to wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving tomorrow. I'll be headed home to Kokomo to visit family and watch my beloved Kats open the basketball season in their traditional first game against Western. As much as I love all things Purdue, nothing compares to the few times a year I get to go back to Kokomo's Memorial Gym. Before we get to the holiday, here is a quick Boilermakings.

Smith and Kerrigan named First Team All-Big Ten, get surgery as a reward - Credit to regular reader Carmen_fanzone for posting these two items as fanshots over to the right. Kerrigan's injury can be a little tricky. I had a stress fracture in the same spot once and it can take a while to heal. He seems to have had a clean break though, so surgery might help. Smith is simply a badass for playing 10 games with his injury and still making the all-Big Ten team.

More honors for Kerrigan - Ryan was selected today as a Second Team Academic All-American by ESPN.

Wrestling begins season with major upset - The Boilers upset 9^th ranked Missouri on the road this past weekend.

Caden Shields gives us a reason to pay attention to Cross Country - As mentioned a week ago, Shields was the first Purdue male athlete to participate in the Cross Country championship since 1987. He placed 132^nd overall with a personal best time.

Volleyball nearly makes history - Penn State has now won 93 consecutive matches, but Purdue hung tough last week before losing three sets to one. Purdue took its first set against the Nittany Lions since 2005.

Women's basketball struggles early - Depth is going to be a huge issue with so many people hurt. The ladies beat Western Illinois and Seattle to start the season, but lost games in Mackey Arena to Dayton and Georgetown in the Basketball Travelers Classic. Projected starters Chantel Poston and Alex Guyton are out at the moment, as is freshman Sam Ostarello.

A Final salute to Jaycen Taylor - You will be missed.

Welcome to the Fold: Jeremy Eddington

BoilerTMill — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:42:30 -0000

The things that I miss with more responsibility. Purdue added its 20^th football commitment for 2010 today with the addition of Texas athlete Jeremy Eddington. This commitment is actually a bit of a surprise, as he backed out of a standing offer with from Rice to come to Purdue. This decision was made after his official visit during the Michigan State game a week and a half ago.

Eddington is listed as a 3-star athlete with Rivals and has 4.41 speed. Scout has him as a 2-star player. It is not known what position he'll be playing at Purdue. In high school at Paris Chisum in Texas he played mostly quarterback this year, but he could be slotted as a receiver or running back with his speed. To me, this presents some interesting possibilities. With Robert Marve, Rob Henry, Caleb TerBush, and Sean Robinson we have plenty of depth at quarterback. That depth will be young behind Marve as well.

Eddington would be very interesting to see at running back. He would be a big back, kind of like Justin Siller during his very short tenure at running back. I don't think he would see the field much next year with Bolden and McBurse locking down the top two spots, but how many people expected Bolden to have a near 1,000 yard season this year?

At receiver, he would also be part of a crowd. All the Florida guys that redshirted this year will be back, as will all the big incoming receiving recruits. That tells me a guy who hasn't played the position much would have a hard time breaking in. It makes me wonder if he might be more suited to the defensive side of the ball, possibly as a safety. He has the size for it. We have some serious depth issues there, so why not?

Eddington seems pretty open to the possibility of playing anywhere. Here is what he had to say in the article posted by Gold and Black Illustrated today:

"I'll probably just find out when I get there. I'm fast and strong and I'm going to get faster and stronger," he said. "I think I'm a smart player and I just love playing football." -- Jeremy Eddington

Ultimately, we need more guys like that. Look at some of the current stars of our team. Keith Smith played quarterback and safety before finding a home at receiver. Jeff Lindsay was originally a linebacker, then fullback. Joe Holland moved from safety to linebacker (and now maybe back to safety?). Chris Kramer moved from guard to safety (I hope).

It is hard to speculate though. Even though Eddington played quarterback he still ran for 1,400 yards and 18 touchdowns. He only threw for two touchdowns, so again, I highly doubt he is coming here as a quarterback. The Paris News has him listed for over 1,600 yards and 22 scores. His team did not make the state playoffs, so those numbers are through 10 games.

I leave you with some highlights of the young man. He clearly has some pure athleticism. That will always be welcome in West Lafayette.

Certifiable

BoilerTMill — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:48:18 -0000

More photos » by Brennan Linsley - AP

4 days ago: Purdue players celebrate after narrowly defeating Tennessee to win the Paradise Jam final game in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Monday, Nov. 23, 2009. The final score was Purdue 73 - Tennessee 72. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Browse more photos »

My wife thinks I am insane. She is probably justified. Last night she was in the middle of one of those long woman conversations with her best friend. She went in the other room (mostly for quiet) while I languished watching the game. When Kelsey Barlow pulled in the final rebound to secure the win I sprinted through the apartment with a series of fist pumps and general jackassery, eventually ending up in the other room.

On second thought, maybe she is just used to it. She didn't bat an eye.

This was a cathartic win as a Purdue fan, almost as cathartic as the football team upsetting Ohio State a few weeks ago. Can anyone name the last time We grabbed an elite win like this away from Mackey Arena? Does Wisconsin from two years ago count? Even though the Badgers were Big Ten champs at 16-2, they weren't considered a major Final Four threat like Tennessee. Maybe the answer is Duke in the 2003 Great Alaska Shootout? Florida out in Maui in 2000? I don't know.

This is a huge win on so many levels. The young kids played a ton of crucial moments and showed they are learning how to win from their elders. We overcame injuries to two players in our main rotation, foul trouble for our two legit big men, and a cold shooting night from one our stars. Tennessee was more athletic, but we showed them that you can scrap and claw your way to victory even when shorthanded. Make no mistake: this game was a war. Bodies were flying everywhere. There was some genuine dislike between the players and coaches. There was even a light shoving match at one point. We made the Volunteers play our style of game and they didn't like it. No team had a bigger lead than six points, and even when we had a late chance to bump our lead to seven we missed two easy layups (finish, Patrick Bade!).

But it was enough. We finished with one more point than Tennessee, and that is all that matters.

Positives from the Tennessee game:

E'Twaun Moore - I guess I should say tournament MVP E'Twaun Moore. What a series for the young man! I think he is showing signs of making the leap. He had a killer instinct last night. You could see it in his eyes. It was the, "Give me an opening and I WILL beat you." I was elated to see him take on that role of being the guy who will give us a basket when we absolutely need it. I think we're going to get used to him hitting those backbreaking shots. They are the kind that come late in games where we have a small lead, our opponent is playing good defense and winding the shot clock down, only E'Twaun buries a a shot as the shot clock hits zero. He had the look of a cold-blooded assassin last night. I love it, especially the way that Boiled Sports broke down the Chism Moment. Essentially, he looked Chism in the eye and said, "You are now my bitch."

Patrick Bade - Yes, he was overmatched most of the night, but you could see the young man grow up a bit under fire. We needed every second he was on the floor because of JJ's foul trouble. His one basket was huge too, as was each rebound. If he can just learn to finish around the basket.

Kelsey Barlow - Talk about a player growing up! Those two rebounds in the last minute were gigantic. He even shook off his missed free throws to pull in the last one. I think the light may have went on for Kelsey. The sooner he comes on means the less we will miss LewJack. I think we needed him more last night anyway because he has more size than LewJack. That was critical against Tennessee's big guards.

Chris Kramer - Not so much for his defense, which was stellar as usual, but for his offense. Yes, I said offense. It was only six points, but both baskets from the field came because Tennessee did not respect him as a shooter. It is all about making the opposition worry about someone else, freeing up JJ, Robbie, and E'twaun. If we can make them worry about Kramer, Ryne Smith, Keaton Grant, et al, they can't double team our big guns. It becomes almost easy at that point.

Robbie Hummel - Any night where Robbie can give us 20 and 8 during an off night is perfectly fine with me.

Negatives from the Tennessee game:

JaJuan Johnson - The officials weren't letting anyone play for stretches, but JaJuan has got to be more careful. Those last four minutes were tough without him in there defensively. It is Tennessee's fault they didn't attack the middle on the final play either. We had no answer for their dribble penetration late. None. They should have gone big with Williams and Chism and just pounded it inside.

Keaton Grant - Keaton was rather silent for most of the game. The only notable play I remember from him was a late drive that got him to the foul line for two big free throws. I don't know, but I expected more from him this year. It is still early though.

Up next:

This win is like a 401k. Now that we have it we need to file it away and let it grow until we can cash it in come March. The better season Tennessee has from this point on the better this win will look. This may have been the toughest non-conference game because Wake Forest and West Virginia have to come to Mackey Arena. I'll take my chances against any team in the country in front of the Paint Crew.

This was a good tournament though. We got to see the young guys grow up. We got to see that Ryne Smith and Mark Wohlford can come in and provide depth and even a scoring punch occassionally. Shoot, Wohlford had another huge three last night. He is the better defender than Smith, but Smith has showed that he won't be strictly a bench player this year. I think this tournament was best for Bade. He got some quality minutes against an elite opponent and hopefully he'll be able to grow from it. Now it is time for a few days off before what should be a layup game against Central Michigan Saturday afternoon.

Paradise Jam Championship: #10 Tennessee vs. #6 Purdue

BoilerTMill — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:42:48 -0000

Enough with the preamble, let's get to the game! Purdue faces its toughest test of the year tonight when it takes on the Volunteers. Comments are open!

Blitzing through the Paradise Jam: A review/preview thing

BoilerTMill — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:21:00 -0000

More photos » by Brennan Linsley - AP

5 days ago: Purdue's E'twuan Moore takes a shot against Saint Joseph's during a Paradise Jam basketball tournament game in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009. Purdue won 85-60. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Browse more photos »

Let's face it, it was a busy weekend. With the basketball team playing three games in four days and our annual defense of the Bucket now complete it has been hard to find time to elaborate on things. Fortunately, all has gone well. The Boilers averted disaster in a tougher-than-expected contest against South Dakota State, then dominated the second half against a solid St. Joseph's team. Admittedly, we might have dodged a bullet by missing Boston College in round two, but we can only play who the schedule says. Before looking at tonight's game against #11 Tennessee, here is a look back at the previous two games.

South Dakota State W 74-63

This effort was a bit sluggish to say the least. Most Summit League teams aren't deep enough to challenge top 10 teams, but I will give the Jackrabbits credit. They had a solid gameplan and never truly went away. It would have been nice to follow this game, but even ESPN denied live stats. We were left to Larry Clisby's dulcet tones over the radio for our only description of this game.

Ultimately, this was a Milton Berle game. We were challenged a little, but took out enough to win in the end. Our depth and physicality won out in the end as SDSU ran out of gas late. E'Twaun put the team on his back to get through this with 22 points. I mentioned in the returning players preview how E'Twaun had that ability, so it was nice to see it. He can take over a game with his ability and, if you believe in trends, it is his turn for a breakout year after Robbie as a freshman and JJ last year. Speaking of Robbie and JJ, they had 14 and 13, respectively, without shooting well.

Free throws were an issue in this one, as was 3-point shooting. We're going to have to shoot better than 57% from the line and 14% from long range. We can get away with that against the South Dakota State's of the world, but not against teams like Tennessee and Wake Forest.

St. Joseph's W 85-60

We're not going to get 16 points from Ryne Smith and 10 from Mark Wohlford in every game. Wohlford had four points in his career before last night. What I like about it, though, is that we showed we have more weapons than E'Twaun, JJ, and Robbie. With Smith and Wohlford notching career highs we now have eight players who have scored in double figures this season. That is what keeps teams guessing on defense because they have no idea who is going to score. Teams now don't get a break from long range when Smith comes in to spell E'Twaun or Keaton Grant. They now have to commit a man to Mark Wohlford when he plays because he can hurt them. That only frees up the floor for others.

Chris Kramer sounded like his normal annoying self in this one. I was also very pleased with the way E'Twaun's defense created transition baskets. Once things got rolling for us we couldn't be stopped. We played like we were capable of playing against a good opponent and blew them out. JJ had 18 and 10 in the middle with several thunderdunks. That is the sign of a team that is playing well. They shook off another cold start to simply dominate an opponent. It made the second half very fun to listen to.

As a team we caused 23 turnovers and committed just nine. Free throw shooting was much better at 85% with Ryne Smith splashing all seven of his attempts. I am very pleased with this game because we didn't need monster games from our starters. That allowed them to rest for tonight's game against Tennessee.

Tennessee preview

Record: 4-0

2008-09 Record: 21-13 (lost to Oklahoma State in NCAA First Round 77-75)

Blog Representation: Rocky Top Talk

Series with Purdue: Tied 1-1 (first meeting since 1981)

Our defense will be tested. DePaul held Tennessee to its lowest scoring output of the season in its 57-53 semifinal loss. Other than that, The Volunteers have scored 83, 124, and 105 in their first three games this season. That is impressive, but DePaul is really their first major opponent. East Carolina is losing to SDSU in the 7^th place game as I write this. Austin Peay and UNC-Asheville will not be confused with the 1996 Chicago Bulls any time soon, either. As a result, it is hard to judge just how good the Volunteers are. This is especially true with DePaul, as the Blue Demons were awful last year and picked to finished 14^th in the Big East.

The high scoring games naturally lead to some pretty good statistics. Bruce pearl's squad ahs four players averaging in double figures. The team is also averaging 22.5 assists as a team per game. They are getting everyone involved and playing total team offense. 6'7" sophomore guard Scotty Hopson is leading the team with 17.5 points in 24 minutes a night. DePaul held him in check, however, with just four points on 2 of 10 shooting. Tyler Smith and Cameron Tatum are each averaging 12.5 per game. Smith is a talented 6'7" senior forward that also averages 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Tatum is a 6'6" sophomore that can play both guard and forward. This is a big team in the backcourt, but I think we have the size and quickness to match them.

Wayne Chism is the final double figures scorer. The 6'9" senior forward's scoring is down a bit from last year at 10.5ppg, but it is still early. He is also the team's top rebounder at 6.8 per game. Tennessee does not employ a true center like we do with JaJuan Johnson, but they are plenty good in the paint anyway.

Tennessee is also a very deep team, but again, playing three straight blowouts have a lot to do with that. Ten players are averaging 10 minutes per game and have played in all four games so far. This includes Bobby Maze and Melvin Goins who each average 7.8 points per game. Maze was held scoreless by the Blue Demons though.

Based mostly on the DePaul game, Chism and Smith are the big guns. Smith had 14 points against DePaul while Chism had 13. They are not players that play much on the perimeter. As a team, Tennessee is not a strong 3-point shooting team like our last two opponents. Hopson and Tatum are the biggest three point threats, with Hopson averaging over three 3-pointers per game. Skylar McBee can be a dangerous 3-point threat off the bench, as he is 5 of 15 on the season. Tennessee is shooting just under 50% from long range, but that was severely limited against DePaul.

Tennessee wants to use its size to dominate games. The Vols are grabbing almost 40 rebounds per game, so we must limit them from getting second chance points, especially with their big guards crashing the glass. What we might be able to do is force turnovers. Tennessee also tends to run more than Purdue, which will be a big factor. J.P. Prince and Maze are solid distributors that are excellent at creating points in transition.

Not that this really has much bearing on a game being played thousands of miles from each campus, but I really want to win t is game because of the level of jackassery caused by Tennessee fans on Purdue's GBI forum. All you need to do is take a look and see what I am talking about. Fortunately, their real fans have been much more respectful. Rocky Top Talk is one of the finest blogs out there as well, so we'll be in good hands tonight on the SBNation side of things.

Keys to the Game for Purdue

Make them play our style
Force turnovers with E'Twaun and Kramer
Deny on the perimeter and don't allow easy transition baskets
hassle their guards and slow each possession
Rebound like our lives depend on it.
Continue hot shooting from outside (second half edition last night)

Prediction: Purdue 69, Tennessee 65

Welcome to the Fold: Tracking Edition week 14

BoilerTMill — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:14:31 -0000

Just because our season is over does not mean these feature ends. Many of our guys are still alive in their respective state playoffs, but a few more went down this week. In particular, the Florida playoffs began this week for our Lakeland, Mainland, and Cocoa guys.

Sean Robinson - QB - Rochester, IL (Rochester) - Robinson's dream of leading Rochester to a class 4A state championship in Illinois is over. Rochester dropped a heartbreaker 41-40 against Metamora in the state semifinal. Robinson pulled the Rockets within 41-40 on a touchdown pass with 3.8 seconds left, but was stopped a yard short of the goal line when going for two and the win. Robinson finished the day with 103 yards rushing, 141 yards passing, and two touchdowns each way. Here is Sean talking about the end of the game.

Joe Gilliam - LB - Southport, IN (Southport) - SEASON COMPLETE.

Charles Torwudzo - WR - Brownsburg, IN (Brownsburg) - SEASON COMPLETE.

Jeremy Cornelius - WR - Harrisburg, PA (Bishop McDevitt) - Bishop McDevitt cruised in its second round tournament game, beating Governor Mifflin 49-7. Cornelius did not have any stats in the easy win. Bishop McDevitt will face Penn Manor in the next round.

De'Ron Flood - TE - O'Fallon, IL (O'Fallon) - SEASON COMPLETE.

Josh Davis - DT - Plain City, OH (Jonathan Alder) - SEASON COMPLETE.

Mike Lee - LB - Pittsburgh, PA (Woodland Hills) - Woodland Hills held on late to win its playoff game this week over Bethel Park 38-35 in overtime. Lee had a touchdown catch as a tight end in the win.

Ryan Isaac - DE - Michigan City, IN (Michigan City) - SEASON COMPLETE.

E.J. Johnson - DB - Cocoa, FL (Cocoa) - Johnson and the Tigers began their title defense with an easy 35-6 win over Orlando Jones this week. They now get a rematch with Astronaut in round two, whom they already soundly defeated. Johnson had an interception in this one. As always, this comes with video highlights.

Will Lucas - LB - Lakeland, FL (Lakeland) - Lakeland easily won its first round playoff game 41-8 over Winter Springs. Lakeland is expected to only be challenged by #1 (in the nation) St. Thomas Aquinas. Lakeland football continues to be slow in posting their stats. They are about 2 weeks behind on totals.

Jesse Schmitt - LS - Louisville, KY (Trinity) - Trinity kept its strong run going with a 31-6 win over Louisville Male. They continue to be the hardest team to find info on, but they are at least in the Class 6A state semifinals.

Jhony Faustin - DB - Naples, FL (Lely) - SEASON COMPLETE.

Isaiah Williams - WR - Miami, FL (Monsignor Pace) - SEASON COMPLETE.

Cody Webster - P - Harrisburg, PA (Central Dauphin East) - SEASON COMPLETE.

Reggie Pegram - RB - Dallas, TX (James Madison) - SEASON COMPLETE.

O.J. Ross - WR - Daytona, FL (Mainland) - Mainland also opened the Florida playoffs with a 29-14 win over Sandalwood. Ross had two catches for 12 yards.

Chevin Davis - WR - Daytona, FL (Mainland) - Chevin Davis played some running back in this one and had a 26 yard touchdown run to ice the game. He also caught five passes for 61 yards.

Ricardo Allen - DB - Daytona, FL (Mainland) - There is no mention of Allen in this one, but here is another game story for the Mainland trio. They now get a rematch with DeLand, whom Mainland beat 21-14 for their only loss on the season.

Paradise Jam Round 2 Open Thread: St. Joseph's

BoilerTMill — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:18:59 -0000

Let's hope everything goes better with this one now. We might even have a live gametracker for stats and such. St. Joseph's should be an easier game than Boston College, but they did beat the Eagles, so who knows. We were supposed to have an easy time with South Dakota State and look what happened. Special thanks to DelawareBoiler for the fanpost on St. Joe's last night.