but this team not showing up against an inferior team again (Illinois) and/or 2nd half letdowns after having a lead continues to be a concern. Without Edwards they lose by double digits. Hammons' loss of focus and "casual" play at times drives me crazy but it is what it is, been that way 4 years now. At this point just hoping they can get a bye out of BIG tournament first round.
A Win is a Win ...
- Thread starter Lionheart1
- Start date
And playing poorly is playing poorly...
To many turnovers and poor d against the ball screen as well as allowing dribble penetration are going to limit this team. I can't watch the next big games if we don't get the act figured out. It would be nice for several players to find their shot too.
Decoy so other teams take us lightly.
In all seriousness. The turnover issue has to be fixed.
I did like how in the first half AJ went out high and Vince replaced him in the lane and we had cutters on the baseline.
Wish I would have seen more of that.
Win is a win and we had guys out and it was the dreaded barn.
Next game.
In all seriousness. The turnover issue has to be fixed.
I did like how in the first half AJ went out high and Vince replaced him in the lane and we had cutters on the baseline.
Wish I would have seen more of that.
Win is a win and we had guys out and it was the dreaded barn.
Next game.
I thought Cline was pretty bad tonite. Don't understand why he is not hitting open 3's. Not dogging him as he is a freshman. But his defense was bad. Got beat late in first half.Minnesota was attacking him when in there. They had this team at certain points on the ropes. What the hell was Hammons doing carrying his shoe down the court. He looked disengaged. You look at his talent and you see why he was not rated a sure fire 1st rounder. They were laughing about the shoe. But I think it was Painter more laughing WTF are you doing out there? F your shoe...
Dakota can't guard anyone...Had Minnesota not shot like 50% from the free throw line we would of lost....Why stick with man to man when the pick and roll is confusing everyone?...We have a great shot blocker...Why not try some zone out rather than Dakota and Ryan either fouling or getting blown by
Agreed-- take the win and get the hell out of there...
The Barn is the Dealey Plaza of Purdue hoops... I got royally depressed when they showed Hummel in the stands -- In 30 years of following Purdue basketball, I had never seen such a superbly focused team as the Baby Boilers were on that night-- everything all Purdue basketball fans had ever wanted was coming together at the perfect time...
Then it was all blown to smithereens in an instant.
I am not really a fan of the "without x player, they'd lose" kinda statements because you can say that about many games and many teams. Leading scorers exist as a stat for a reason.
That being said, a win is a win as you state - especially on the road. I'd prefer to go back to last year's media storyline of which AJ will show up because he needs some pressure put on him to perform. I don't know what he's doing out there.
I also think it's kinda bs to say "it is what it is" with his casual play. He's a senior. NBA prospects aside, it's your last year. You don't get another chance at this. He's old enough (older than most seniors). I'm sure it drives Painter insane.
It's an absolute disservice for him to be playing casually to his own teammates.
Yeah, that was one for the books.....I didn't realize all that happened with the shoe.....thought he just lost it like might happen......then I see Pur-Shoe University on the highlights this morning......he lost the shoe on one end....went and picked it up......carried it all the way down the court, and corralled a rebound WITH the shoe in his hand.....had to be hysterical for most folks.
If post game is #1 option, this was exactly the type of game where we desperately needed that #2 option to come through and Vince did BIG TIME. Some foot shuffling issues aside, his game was on point and saved our bacon. Davis quietly effective as well.
We have enough objective evidence to know that our post game, due to whatever reasons (player focus, match-ups, defensive scheme) is less effective in some games than in others. When it is not clicking, things can get ugly fast. Side note: I see a lot of criticism for AJ, and many are valid (holding the ball low, turning into double teams, drifting too far from the basket on D) but what the hell was Isaac doing last night? Painter didn't even have the confidence to play him in the second half even though I'm sure AJ could have used some rest.
Anyway, opportunistic play-making from Vince and 3 point shooting from... well usually an array of shooters, but again, last night Vince are the 2nd and 3rd legs that will keep this offense balanced and effective enough to win on any given night.
We have enough objective evidence to know that our post game, due to whatever reasons (player focus, match-ups, defensive scheme) is less effective in some games than in others. When it is not clicking, things can get ugly fast. Side note: I see a lot of criticism for AJ, and many are valid (holding the ball low, turning into double teams, drifting too far from the basket on D) but what the hell was Isaac doing last night? Painter didn't even have the confidence to play him in the second half even though I'm sure AJ could have used some rest.
Anyway, opportunistic play-making from Vince and 3 point shooting from... well usually an array of shooters, but again, last night Vince are the 2nd and 3rd legs that will keep this offense balanced and effective enough to win on any given night.
I don't know why people are bitching about AJ. 50% shooting. 100% free throws. 16/8 with 3 blocks. 5 to's but one wasn't really. Stupid blind refs... Double and triple teamed. Then he gets the ball out to Cline and Mathias who did nothing but shit the bed all night. Haas too in the first half. You need your role players to play average and they were a bottomless pit of suck.
22 games into this season, we're probably at the point where we can safely say this team is what it is. Both its assets and limitations seem clear. Purdue has a huge front line that can score in the paint and dominate the glass against just about anybody. But, it also sometimes struggles to get the ball into the post, and opponents are getting better at exploiting that. Hopefully another guy besides Vince will get hot from the outside and take some of the defensive pressure off the interior. If that happens, we could yet see a late run similar to what Michigan did in 2013. It seems foolish, though, to count on that happening.
I'm not all that disappointed. I keep reminding myself that the team is only 2 years removed from a dead-last B1G finish and only one year removed from a team that had to scramble just to get into the NCAA tournament. There's been progress. I probably got a little ahead of myself during the 12-0 start thinking this team might take a huge leap while AJ/Swanigan/Haas/Ray Day/Edwards are all still together.
We're sitting at 18-4 (6-3) now. Looking over our remaining schedule, I think it's realistic to expect Purdue to go 6-3 over the back nine and to finish the regular season at 24-7 (12-6). It won't be easy by any means, but I think it's doable. And I think it will be a respectable.
For now, I'm just going to say let's worry about March when March gets here.
I'm not all that disappointed. I keep reminding myself that the team is only 2 years removed from a dead-last B1G finish and only one year removed from a team that had to scramble just to get into the NCAA tournament. There's been progress. I probably got a little ahead of myself during the 12-0 start thinking this team might take a huge leap while AJ/Swanigan/Haas/Ray Day/Edwards are all still together.
We're sitting at 18-4 (6-3) now. Looking over our remaining schedule, I think it's realistic to expect Purdue to go 6-3 over the back nine and to finish the regular season at 24-7 (12-6). It won't be easy by any means, but I think it's doable. And I think it will be a respectable.
For now, I'm just going to say let's worry about March when March gets here.
I am a bit surprised with the negative tone of some of these posts. Yes, I would have liked to win by 20 over Minnesota, but we got the road win and that is what matters in this case in my opinion. Vince is looking really good lately and if a few others can step up their game similarly over the next two months, I think we can go deep into the tournament. We have to work hard and its not going to automatically happen, but I see the potential.
Good post. You are right that there is progress being made and as long as we keep moving forward, then good things will happen.
Like you said we scrambled to get in the dance last year, but this year it's almost a given now.
It's not so much the stats against one of the worst teams in the Big Ten (although 50% shooting is not great for a guy who basically lives around the rim). It's about the effort. AJ was not "in the game" if you watched him play. He missed a dunk, he threw up some horrible shots, he had 5 turnovers (not necessarily forced) and was just very lethargic. Carrying his shoe down the court and holding onto it was funny - but if he didn't get the rebound and Minnesota scored cause he was being a bonehead carrying his shoe around, probably wouldn't be so funny…
Also, I posted earlier in the week. Basically every one of our losses, AJ has been fairly MIA. And every one of our good wins, he's been "on". Not a coincidence. We need him to be more consistent, plain and simple. Saying "well that's just AJ" is not an answer.
Biggie didn't play, and AJ had some more mental mistakes that lead to those TO's. He still shockingly holds the ball low enough for the little guys to get those hands on it. WHY? I can live with the TO's from Edwards as he does so much and touches the ball so often. The kid was the biggest part of the win and I think he's only going to get better. I still think we should have won with more ease, but as some have said...a win is a win. Beats the hell out of a loss. So, how can you bitch? Still a BIG road win. We have some important games ahead at home where we cannot give up losses.
Minnesota has pushed many teams to the edge without getting wins. They are young, and (this pains me to say) reasonably well coached. They are one of those teams that could make a big leap next year as those young players get enough experience. They have come close to beating IU, MSU, UM, and Ill (who we struggled with). Let's not dismiss them as awful just yet. They have had some bad luck in games, but are still fighting in each, regardless of their record.
We came into this Minnesota game really short handed. With Ray's and Vince's knees hurting, Stevens and Biggie out, we had injuries impacting 3 of 5 starters, and the first non-5 guy off the bench. That alone made us vulnerable to upset.
I might add that I learned a new play. If you get a player on either side of the opponent's center, interlock your arms with his and pull, the refs can't see the action and won't call a foul. The center can't raise the ball up since you are interlocked over the top of his arms. Especially if your players seem to be touching the ball while pulling his arms away from the ball. Then you have a guard come across the font and collect the loose ball. Amazing! No wonder AJ was frustrated.
By the way, kudos for Rafael. Behind Vince's great performance, Rafael put on his own little show. He was 5/8 from 2 pt range, had 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Nice play!
We came into this Minnesota game really short handed. With Ray's and Vince's knees hurting, Stevens and Biggie out, we had injuries impacting 3 of 5 starters, and the first non-5 guy off the bench. That alone made us vulnerable to upset.
I might add that I learned a new play. If you get a player on either side of the opponent's center, interlock your arms with his and pull, the refs can't see the action and won't call a foul. The center can't raise the ball up since you are interlocked over the top of his arms. Especially if your players seem to be touching the ball while pulling his arms away from the ball. Then you have a guard come across the font and collect the loose ball. Amazing! No wonder AJ was frustrated.
By the way, kudos for Rafael. Behind Vince's great performance, Rafael put on his own little show. He was 5/8 from 2 pt range, had 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Nice play!
It's not so much who we were playing - like with AJ's game, he had 5 turnovers. He shouldn't be having 5 turnovers against anyone, a horrible team or a ranked team.
With some of Purdue's advantages, I just feel like they aren't using them to their advantage as much as they can. In order to compete against some of the top teams remaining on our schedule, we HAVE to take advantage of these. We have a LOT of positives - we just don't take advantage of them OR we have things like turnovers that completely cancel them out.
3 of those 5 turnovers should have been fouls. The Minny guys were pulling AJ's arms away from his grip on the ball by interlocking arms. Absolute fouls. That is why AJ was so frustrated.
One of AJ's TO's was comically incorrect (when Konate ripped the ball out and it went out of bounds) and one was suspect (the moving screen late) and even if the latter was legit, it was more on Hill than AJ as it is the ballhandler's responsibility to wait until the screener is set.
