A few random thoughts

[boilerzz]

Just thinking out loud after finally catching up with all the posts since yesterday morning:

• There is a reason I never post in game. I'm emotional like everyone else when watching Purdue sports. But it is really sad how some people seem to let small sample size snippets of games impact their psyche.
• I was frustrated during the first half as well. But I wasn't entirely surprised ND carved up our D. They are really good offensively but shot a bit better than normal. I was surprised we shot so poorly. Because they shot so well and we shot so poorly, I felt like the game could have easily been about 48-46 ND and because of that, I knew the game wasn't over. As Dakich likes to say, water finds it's level and it did in the 2nd half.
• Yesterday was not a good matchup for Haas. But a big reason for this is how the game was officiated. One of the greatest benefits of playing Haas is his ability to draw fouls. The officials let ND play very physically in the first half and that negated that advantage. Even with that, the 2 minutes he played in the 2nd half were big because he drew 3 fouls, including an important one on Colson. He'll be pivotal in games in the future and he'll have games where this occurs. It is what it is.
• Vince was obviously great yesterday and a big reason why we came back. But the shift to having Carsen defend Farrell had a greater impact defensively IMO. PJ struggled in the first half to contain Farrell and Carsen was much better in the 2nd half
• Anyone who looks at the scoring column to evaluate Dakota Mathias' contribution doesn't understand basketball. His defense on Vasturia was masterful and he does so many things to affect games. His last 5 games, he's averaged 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists (against 0.6 TO's) and even 1.2 steals.
• Likewise, people who call PJ Thompson a game manager haven't been watching this year. He's playing aggressively and not hesitating to shoot. And his entry to Biggie for the three point play was a thing of beauty. He's got 6 or more assists in 3 of the past 4 games.

Yesterday was a great win. It was important for NCAA seeding and to get the Crossroads Classic monkey off of Purdue (and Painter's) back. Kudos to the men for stepping up and to the coaches for putting them in a position to do so. There is much basketball to be played before March Madness begins. Hopefully they continue to improve and put themselves in a good position come tourney time.

Boiler up! Hammer Down!

 

[Boileratthebeach]

Really good points. Its amazing to me how many people come out of the wood work to criticize. As I've said before, I think this a different Purdue team. They expect to win every time. In this instance, I believe ND turned in a classic "Purdue." This team can compete with anybody in the nation IMO.

 

[klmLB]

+1

Awesome post!!

I'll add my 2 cents for what they are worth.

I will admit, I'm happy I didn't post during the game as well because I felt what many others did.

Overall, one thing I really like about the team is how they stuck together and really competed in the 2nd half. They were going to give it their all to the end. That's a winning mentality because a lot of teams would have folded up their tent. We didn't. We will probably have other frustrating games, but if these guys can collectively have this mentality, it will serve them well.

I would add that Vince's activity all-around yesterday was so great to see. He was a pest defensively and he was a beast on the offensive glass. Nice put backs, but even cause a few balls that seemed like ND defensive rebounds to bounce off their leg to bring the ball back to Purdue. That run to start the 2nd half was huge and Vince was contributing everywhere in that spurt. We hit a lot of shots, but the couple that we missed, he put back. I think we scored on like 7 straight possessions.

Totally agree with you on Haas too. He will be valuable in many games. However, in games where he can't defend the opposition, it's really nice to know we can put this lineup out there. Haas is definitely not a rim protector and when teams pick and roll him, it leads to a lot of easy buckets at the rim or wide open jumpers.

This team isn't as good as last year in terms of defensive, but we seem to have so many different lineups and ways to play, it's hard for the opposition to game plan for us because so many of our players are threats out there. I think it also enables better offensive execution because we aren't just trying to feed Hammons down low regardless of how the defense is playing us which was far too predictable.

I think a big part of the team's success will be how players stick together and not get frustrated or down on themselves if it isn't there night and they sit. Because they are still critical to the team success and we'll likely need something from them in the next game. I love Vince's play as of late and hope Haas bounces back to keep being a solid contributor.

I also though Cline was good yesterday. Solid D, picked his spots to shoot and grabbed a couple key rebounds.

 

[jadeezra]

I nearly made a couple comments at halftime out of frustration. But thought better as this team is legit

 

[tjreese]

Just thinking out loud after finally catching up with all the posts since yesterday morning:

• There is a reason I never post in game. I'm emotional like everyone else when watching Purdue sports. But it is really sad how some people seem to let small sample size snippets of games impact their psyche.
• I was frustrated during the first half as well. But I wasn't entirely surprised ND carved up our D. They are really good offensively but shot a bit better than normal. I was surprised we shot so poorly. Because they shot so well and we shot so poorly, I felt like the game could have easily been about 48-46 ND and because of that, I knew the game wasn't over. As Dakich likes to say, water finds it's level and it did in the 2nd half.
• Yesterday was not a good matchup for Haas. But a big reason for this is how the game was officiated. One of the greatest benefits of playing Haas is his ability to draw fouls. The officials let ND play very physically in the first half and that negated that advantage. Even with that, the 2 minutes he played in the 2nd half were big because he drew 3 fouls, including an important one on Colson. He'll be pivotal in games in the future and he'll have games where this occurs. It is what it is.
• Vince was obviously great yesterday and a big reason why we came back. But the shift to having Carsen defend Farrell had a greater impact defensively IMO. PJ struggled in the first half to contain Farrell and Carsen was much better in the 2nd half
• Anyone who looks at the scoring column to evaluate Dakota Mathias' contribution doesn't understand basketball. His defense on Vasturia was masterful and he does so many things to affect games. His last 5 games, he's averaged 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists (against 0.6 TO's) and even 1.2 steals.
• Likewise, people who call PJ Thompson a game manager haven't been watching this year. He's playing aggressively and not hesitating to shoot. And his entry to Biggie for the three point play was a thing of beauty. He's got 6 or more assists in 3 of the past 4 games.

Yesterday was a great win. It was important for NCAA seeding and to get the Crossroads Classic monkey off of Purdue (and Pain'ster's) back. Kudos to the men for stepping up and to the coaches for putting them in a position to do so. There is much basketball to be played before March Madness begins. Hopefully they continue to improve and put themselves in a good position come tourney time.

Boiler up! Hammer Down!

Well, you may have waited for a while to post, but you did a damn fine job with it! I think PJ actually has a lower shooting pocket this year. Well said!

 

[Cevol03]

We have three players that can really be special - Biggie, Vince, and Carsen. They are athletic enough to create their own shot against athletic defenders like ND and Louisville. They need to be on the floor most of the game,and we need all three playing well to beat elite teams. Everyone else - Dakota, Cline, Haas, and PJ - are supporting players. That's not meant to be an insult - they are all damn fine players and every great teams needs great supporting players. But we will win and lose based on our big three.

 

[SIBoiler2]

As far as Haas being limited yesterday isn't it nice we have options that allow him to sit when necessary? Not many seasons ago we would have had to soldier on and take our beating.