Boiler loss could prove costly

Purdue lost its home opener to Illinois Tuesday night. For fans who love defense this game surely did not dissapoint; fans who love offense have most likely already sent their game tickets to the Big Ten office demanding a refund. It pitted two disciples of Gene Keady against each other in Boiler front man Matt Painter and Illini head coach Bruce Weber. Keady was visibly pleased with the hard nosed defense he saw from both squads. Rare was the open shot, the life span of loose balls was very short and the pressure valve was cranked up as both teams tried to literally take each other apart. In the end the game came down to a few key plays. A missed free throw late in the game that would have won it for Purdue in regulation, a couple missed assignments defensively late for the Boilers and one bad call on a play where Purdue had obviously spiked the ball off Illinois. The Purdue loss could be one they team looks back on at the end of the year as the one that cost them their shot at the title. Now they must root for the other front running teams in the conference to lose at least once at home as well.

Baby Boilers on Their Way

Aside from a couple poor outings, including their first flirtation with the national stage against Duke and their overlooking a scrappy Indiana State team last weekend, Purdue has been rock solid this season. In fact they are rolling opponents by almost 20 a game (a number which is all the more impressive when it includes a 16 point loss to Duke).
To this point the Boilers have racked up 35 more steals than the opposition. They have 79 less turnovers and are smothering opponents into .34% shooting from the field. Throw in a margin of plus 66 in assists along with an average of 20 free throws per game and the Boilers have found a winning recipe for basketball.
JaJuan Johnson’s development as a force inside should help Purdue endure the rough and tumble Big Ten season. E’Twaun Moore is a guard with length who can score as well as defend and, if it isn’t already, Robbie Hummel’s picture should be found in the dictionary under “Basketball Player”. Along with defending Defensive Player of the Year Chris Kramer, the Boilers also have a nice combination of smaller guards who are excellent defenders in their own right.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out where the inspiration for the mascots of both schools came from when one sees Purdue Pete’s square jaw and the hook nose and pointy ears of Duke’s Blue Devil. With this in mind, Painter is filling Keady’s shoes well so far. It isn’t always easy to follow an icon at a major university; Just ask Mike Davis and John Treloar…and then just Mike Davis…and then Kelvin Sampson…and of course then Dan Dakich for like half a game…and now Tom Crean.
But to call these Boilers the Baby Boilers now is like telling President Bush to duck. It’s too late; these guys aren’t babies anymore. In fact they have went from being the babies of the Big Ten to the bullies. Instead of just trying to win games, the Boilers are looking to steal your lunch money AND beat you up. It’s this bully-like mentality, and Painter’s style, that should carry the Boilers a long way this season.

Hoosier Fans Brace for Season to Come

Hoosier fans are not the only people bracing for their season; undoubtedly so is head coach Tom Crean. For proof-see his team.There are five players who were actually recruited to play basketball and all of those are freshman. There are seven walk ons, one of which has already been drafted to play major league baseball (see his picture in Webster’s under “glutton for punishment”). There is one player who has division one experience and one who hails from the Gambia. Vegas will likely run the over under for Hoosier wins against the number of announcers who actually pronounce Tijan Jobe’s name correctly during the season.
Now, predictions aside, we’re here to speak on the resurrection that is underway in Bloomington. In eight short months Tom Crean has managed to restore some semblance of pride and unity within Hoosier Nation. This after all they stood for was absolutely torched by Kelvin Sampson. On an ultra-quizzical side note, with everything Sampson has been accused of, he is back in basketball as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks. If you would like to drop him a note thanking him for all the work he did in burying one of the most storied programs in NCAA history, you can reach him at fanfocused@bucks.com, or since it is Kelvin Sampson we’re talking about, you might be better served calling him at 877-428-BUCK.
In a word Crean has been electric. The man has literally been everywhere. From giving a public lecture on leadership to doing numerous radio interviews, he’s logged thousands of miles on the recruiting trail, made an appearance on ESPN’s talk show Rome is Burning and even somehow found time to squeeze in a 500 practice session at the track. To be clear, Tom Crean is inexhaustible.
After their first win over Northwestern State (see cupcake in the dictionary) Crean continued building support for his program by spending time afterwards flat handing fans and thanking the students for turning out.
By hiring Crean the Indiana athletic department has come light years in escaping the dreaded land of zero tolerance. Forget the outcome of this season, from everything we’ve seen to this point Tom Crean appears to be a great hire.

NBA debut of former Big 10 stars unimpressive at best

Unfortunately as the '09 NBA season opened the Big 10 was not represented well. Former conference frosh of the year Eric Gordon played just 14 minutes for the Clippers (that in and of itself speaks volumes) in a blowout loss to the Lakers. Gordon managed only 2 points on the night and while his role is yet to be determined, it is clear the "shoot first ask questions later" mentality he had last year at IU won't carry over anytime soon to the NBA. Meanwhile Gordon's former teammate D.J. White was forced to sit out Oklahoma City's franchise debut entirely because of injury. In fact it seems his rookie season will be in jeopardy as he is projected to be out an additional 4-6 months after surgery on his jaw. Former Buckeye and 7'0 center Kosta Koufos wasn't on the floor either for the Utah Jazz as they opened the season. Kosta's status isn't clear but he does fit the mold of a Jerry Sloan-type player. Koufos is big, skilled, fundamentally solid and has a name most legitimate journalists won't be able to spell without the aid of a press guide. In what was still another set back for the conference's national reputation Blazer's quasi-rookie Greg Oden's chin hair was longer than his time spent on the floor. Oden played just 13 minutes in his debut after leaving with what looks to be a foot injury that will sideline him for 2-3 weeks.

Preseason Top 25 Released

The ESPN/USA Today preseason Top 25 poll has been released. Despite the "gum on the bottom of their shoe" treatment the network generally reserves for the Big Ten, there are three squads representing the conference in the top 25 and 2 in the top 10. For proof see: Michigan State (7), Purdue (10) and Wisconsin (22). Don't fear Buckeye fans-Ohio State received 54 votes for the poll. On the eve of the season, the Rodeo would like to take this opportunity to pause for a moment of silence to commemorate the death of the Indiana Hoosiers basketball program.

1. UNC
2. UCONN
3. Louisville
4. UCLA
5. Duke
6. Pitt
7. Michigan State
8. Texas
9. Notre Dame
10. Purdue
11. Gonzaga
12. Memphis
13. Tennessee
14. Oklahoma
15. Arizona State
16. Miami (FL)
17. Marquette
18. Georgetown
19. Florida
20. Davidson
21. USC
21. Wisconsin
23. Kansas
24. Wake Forest
25. Villanova

Source: ESPN.com