Measured response - appreciate it. I hate that we came out flat and let them dictate everything from the opening tip. I was impressed we switched up at half and basically erased their lead by switching our lineup. Some things to take good or bad.
As for Bloomington, that was a collapse on the road against Rutgers. Fans were excited to have Xavier back but dude seems like cancer right now with his play and antics. With that said, we need to have high energy on Saturday against Penn State and do whatever is necessary in Bloomington to match and exceed their intensity because it will be there. Everyone has to play better.
Saw it somewhere that Purdue needs to play a style when we are up 20, act like we are up 3. When we are up 10, act like we are down 3. And when we are down 2, act like we are down 10. (Not exact quote so excuse me, I’m too lazy to go find it). Need that killer mentality on the road. I want to hear a mouse fart on the broadcast in Assembly Hall because we have shut them down. The only booing should be from IU fans directed at Woodson and their team because we left their team bloody and beaten.
Thanks for coming to my BEEFTalk
I've said in the past that the mental has been regarded as 4:1. I don't know the correct ratio, but I know it is HIGHLY important. I know those that have coached or been close to coaches are fully aware that getting a group of humans with different things going on in their lives to have maximum effort AND focus every game is a fleeting condition. The same goes on in the opponent, but sometimes one side is sharp and another sloppy AND for different reasons sometimes. Early, both were sloppy. No doubt coaches want to play the game as they are behind, as far as effort...maybe not as desperate though and that is a balancing act. There was a point early in the season and in all the "bigger games" that most could have gone either way and so it is not like Purdue was just running over these teams. Purdue made the plays that made the difference.
Late in the game Purdue was scoring, but they couldn't stop Nebraska from scoring. Up until 4 minutes or so Purdue still had a shot and so the final spread like many games is blown up larger than the reality had a few things been different. I'm not going to blame the officials because Purdue was Purdue's worst enemy. However, to ignore any effect from the officials is short sighted as well. Problem is, like the government, the officials are immune to poor decisions for different reasons because officials are human with a lot to see and little times to see it.
That said, there were horrendous calls that had they been different a sloppy Purdue team might have still edged out the team. Just off the top of my head the F1 on Mason. It was a joke, but the flop worked. Instead of Braden having the ball their player went to the line where he missed both Fts, but Nebraska got the ball and I think scored and Purdue didn't since Mason got a F1. Some might recall "Whelchel (sp?) shooting a three ball where Cam was assessed a foul of the shooter that was not even close to touching him. Instead of Purdue ball, Whelchel goes to the line and hits all 3 Fts another potential 5-6 point spread. Then we have Braden knocking the ball off a Nebraska players leg under their basket that was awarded to Nebraska that then took the ball out and hit a 3 ball...another 5-6 point spread. What about the time Nebraska took the ball out of bounds under the basket where Mason's man scored 2 and was awarded a Ft which he made. Although that was Cam's fault for letting a pass go under the basket, Mason was pushed forward into the back screen that got the player open where Cam's errors resulted in 3 points.
In fairness, no doubt some calls went against Nebraska, but had a few things been different when Purdue was nipping at the boots of Nebraska, Purdue might have survived the scare of a team that was hot. As said previously a few things different in Purdue's big wins and Purdue could have lost those games as well.
What happened last night has nothing to do with preparation for March. Purdue has the players they do and with all the strengths they have, there are Achille Heels like ALL teams. Purdue is NOT going to play some styles, because Purdue doesn't have the same type of players. Should Purdue recruit those players instead...perhaps, but Purdue has done better than those schools by playing their way. Is there a way to beat Purdue...yeah, but does the other team have what it takes because they still have to contend with Purdue?
The biggest takeaway from the game is that Purdue is just like all the teams in the NCAA is capable of sloppy play and not stopping a hot team. I imagine all the fans were totally focused and put forth great effort when they were in school or going to a job...never being content that could lead to a slip.
The biggest concern is not this Saturday, but the next Peacock game in Bloomington. There you will find the most fired up fans and players that believe they can beat Purdue along with the Purdue players feeling a lot of pressure and a confidence hit on road games and so we again see the mental aspect of the game manifesting in the physical sights we see.