B1G 2017

[Boiler Buck]

Clearly there are several good upper division teams ....but no one team that is outstanding like the 2015 Wisky or the 2014 Michigan teams that just is dominated. Plus the lower level teams are very improved. Therefore on any given night upper division teams like Purdue can get beat if they don't bring it for 40 minutes. I think we see this all year.

Will be a fun and sometimes frustrating year to watch....BUT because of the above....no doubt in the end it will come down to coaching. Top coaching will rise to the top come March 4th....

 

[BoiledSteel]

Clearly there are several good upper division teams ....but no one team that is outstanding like the 2015 Wisky or the 2014 Michigan teams that just is dominated. Plus the lower level teams are very improved. Therefore on any given night upper division teams like Purdue can get beat if they don't bring it for 40 minutes. I think we see this all year.

Will be a fun and sometimes frustrating year to watch....BUT because of the above....no doubt in the end it will come down to coaching. Top coaching will rise to the top come March 4th....

Couldn't agree more. The B1G is very volatile this year and I think we will see that all season long.

 

[Purdue Grad in Texas]

Certainly more volatile than most years.....the Boilers are going to have to figure out a way to execute better down the stretch on the road.....they get their chance coming up soon.

Someone posted this in another thread recently.....especially given the two early defeats.....Purdue's conference title chances you would think hinge on the upcoming stretch of five games after the home-stand with Illinois and Penn State....

1/24 - @ Michigan State
1/29 - @ Nebraska
2/1 - Northwestern
2/4 - @ Maryland
2/9 - @ Indiana

Last night was frustrating in that the game was there to be won, and it was Iowa that made more plays down the stretch. The Hawkeyes played well at home, but it's not like the Boilers were taken completely out of the contest.....it's not the end of the world or time for cliff jumping, but the Boilers have little margin for error......and they will need to really have some team leadership on the floor to be successful during the next few weeks. The opportunity and the potential is there....the experience is there.......can they do it in a hostile environment?

We'll see.....

 

[TopSecretBoiler]

when i looked over the schedule at the beginning of the year, I though this would be our first B1G loss. Unfortunately, it was not the first. This is a game you can afford to lose if you hold serve at home. We just have no margin for error now. I don't think we can win the conference now.

 

[DG10]

when i looked over the schedule at the beginning of the year, I though this would be our first B1G loss. Unfortunately, it was not the first. This is a game you can afford to lose if you hold serve at home. We just have no margin for error now. I don't think we can win the conference now.

Not going to win the conference when a team loses multiple games that it is not supposed to lose, and Purdue done it twice already in just the first five games. Have to protect home court, especially in games that it is supposed to win (and Purdue did not), and have to win a couple on the road that it is "not supposed to", which may happen, but, it lost one last night that it simply should not have and barely avoided doing the same just a week ago.

Bigger question (if not concern)...is Purdue any better today than it was 6 weeks ago? Has it fixed the problems that were problems for them 6 weeks ago? Has it found ways to overcome its deficiencies (and it has assorted ones)?

It was thought/believed that this Purdue team (and the last one for that matter) had enough talent and experience to be capable of winning the league, if not far more...but, just as it failed to do so a year ago and then laid an egg in the NCAA tournament, this team is on the same path.

Purdue does not have a single guy that would be deemed an above average defender, which is a HUGE problem for a program (and coach) that likes to hang its proverbial hat on a defense reputation, and an even bigger problem in that the coach has not (or consciously does not) find a way to address the matter. In addition, it once again lacks leadership on the floor...a problem for every Purdue team since Hummel graduated. Finally, it again is absent a guy that it can go to down when it HAS to have a basket.

 

[RegionWarrior101]

Certainly more volatile than most years.....the Boilers are going to have to figure out a way to execute better down the stretch on the road.....they get their chance coming up soon.

Someone posted this in another thread recently.....especially given the two early defeats.....Purdue's conference title chances you would think hinge on the upcoming stretch of five games after the home-stand with Illinois and Penn State....

1/24 - @ Michigan State
1/29 - @ Nebraska
2/1 - Northwestern
2/4 - @ Maryland
2/9 - @ Indiana

Last night was frustrating in that the game was there to be won, and it was Iowa that made more plays down the stretch. The Hawkeyes played well at home, but it's not like the Boilers were taken completely out of the contest.....it's not the end of the world or time for cliff jumping, but the Boilers have little margin for error......and they will need to really have some team leadership on the floor to be successful during the next few weeks. The opportunity and the potential is there....the experience is there.......can they do it in a hostile environment?

We'll see.....

2-3 best, 1-4 possible in that stretch.

 

[BBG]

when i looked over the schedule at the beginning of the year, I though this would be our first B1G loss. Unfortunately, it was not the first. This is a game you can afford to lose if you hold serve at home. We just have no margin for error now. I don't think we can win the conference now.

And frankly I'm okay with that. Win the B1G tourney, get a good seed and go deep in March. that is just me though.

 

[lbodel]

Not going to win the conference when a team loses multiple games that it is not supposed to lose, and Purdue done it twice already in just the first five games. Have to protect home court, especially in games that it is supposed to win (and Purdue did not), and have to win a couple on the road that it is "not supposed to", which may happen, but, it lost one last night that it simply should not have and barely avoided doing the same just a week ago.

Bigger question (if not concern)...is Purdue any better today than it was 6 weeks ago? Has it fixed the problems that were problems for them 6 weeks ago? Has it found ways to overcome its deficiencies (and it has assorted ones)?

It was thought/believed that this Purdue team (and the last one for that matter) had enough talent and experience to be capable of winning the league, if not far more...but, just as it failed to do so a year ago and then laid an egg in the NCAA tournament, this team is on the same path.

Purdue does not have a single guy that would be deemed an above average defender, which is a HUGE problem for a program (and coach) that likes to hang its proverbial hat on a defense reputation, and an even bigger problem in that the coach has not (or consciously does not) find a way to address the matter. In addition, it once again lacks leadership on the floor...a problem for every Purdue team since Hummel graduated. Finally, it again is absent a guy that it can go to down when it HAS to have a basket.

I mean, is there one team in the conference that hasn't lost a game it shouldn't have?

You can argue Wisconsin since they lost to us on the road - but that was a game where they were a higher ranked team and quite frankly, it's not like they barely lost. And Wisconsin Big Ten schedule so far has been relatively mild, particularly with IU's struggles.

I find it amusing that people look at Purdue Basketball in a bubble and do not factor other circumstances.

IU was preseason top 10 - not ranked now. Michigan State was preseason top 10 - not ranked now. Maryland was preseason ranked - not ranked now. Purdue is still ranked roughly where they were preseason ranked (Wisconsin was preseason top 10 and are just behind that now, so I'll consider it a wash).

In preseason picks, none of CBS' four experts picked Purdue to win the Big Ten. Only one of them had Purdue in the top three - and that was at #3.

So this notion that "we're again not going to win the Big Ten" - well, nobody thought we were going to going into the season. So why in mid-January are people complaining about it? Let alone, who on earth makes up their mind about how we'll finish in the Big Ten and the season overall in mid-January?

Just as an FYI:

-In 2012, Purdue was 13-5 and 3-2 as of mid-January

-In 2011, Purdue was 15-3 and 3-1 as of mid-January (lost 2 in a row January 13/16)

-In 2010, Purdue was 14-3 and 2-3 as of mid-January (lost 3 in a row 1/9, 1/12, 1/16)

So setting in panic about our status, whether we've improved, etc. - I mean, nobody's thrilled about the two losses we have, but they're hardly "bad" losses. Acting like we should be prime right now, we have no hope for the Big Ten, no hope for NCAAs though? Let's take a step back.

 

[DG10]

I mean, is there one team in the conference that hasn't lost a game it shouldn't have?

You can argue Wisconsin since they lost to us on the road - but that was a game where they were a higher ranked team and quite frankly, it's not like they barely lost. And Wisconsin Big Ten schedule so far has been relatively mild, particularly with IU's struggles.

I find it amusing that people look at Purdue Basketball in a bubble and do not factor other circumstances.

IU was preseason top 10 - not ranked now. Michigan State was preseason top 10 - not ranked now. Maryland was preseason ranked - not ranked now. Purdue is still ranked roughly where they were preseason ranked (Wisconsin was preseason top 10 and are just behind that now, so I'll consider it a wash).

In preseason picks, none of CBS' four experts picked Purdue to win the Big Ten. Only one of them had Purdue in the top three - and that was at #3.

So this notion that "we're again not going to win the Big Ten" - well, nobody thought we were going to going into the season. So why in mid-January are people complaining about it? Let alone, who on earth makes up their mind about how we'll finish in the Big Ten and the season overall in mid-January?

Just as an FYI:

-In 2012, Purdue was 13-5 and 3-2 as of mid-January

-In 2011, Purdue was 15-3 and 3-1 as of mid-January (lost 2 in a row January 13/16)

-In 2010, Purdue was 14-3 and 2-3 as of mid-January (lost 3 in a row 1/9, 1/12, 1/16)

So setting in panic about our status, whether we've improved, etc. - I mean, nobody's thrilled about the two losses we have, but they're hardly "bad" losses. Acting like we should be prime right now, we have no hope for the Big Ten, no hope for NCAAs though? Let's take a step back.

Yeah, except Purdue won't be ranked next week about where they started in light of losing another game that it should not have...and while your point as to "everyone" seemingly have lost one at this point that it should not have, that probably does not apply to Wisconsin, plus, Purdue has now lost two that it should not have, and lost both for pretty much the same reason(s) and in similar fashion (and it easily could have been three such games, as they barely avoided disaster just a week ago in Columbus to a team that is winless thus far in conference play).

Could not disagree more with respect to the losses not being "bad" losses, never mind "hardly" being "bad" losses...losing at home to a team that it was better than is a "bad" loss, and losing on the road to a team that it is much better than (after having a comfortable lead that should have been even more comfortable at the half) and much more experienced than is indeed a "bad" loss.

Whether or not they have remaining conference championship hopes is yet to be seen, but if they do, it will happen with two more losses than it should have...and, given the two losses (and near third), it is not hard to imagine that there will be more to come...if incapable of beating a less than stellar Iowa team on the road and struggling mightily to beat a far less than stellar OSU team on the road, hard not to imagine it being a potential daunting task to go to East Lansing, Landover, or certainly Bloomington and getting a different/better outcome.

Purdue has struggled and struggles against teams with length, athleticism and an elite player...that is not going to change unfortunately, and more unfortunately, it still has games against teams like that in conference play, and certainly will see it again in the tournament (and see it now earlier than it might have otherwise if it had not lost games that it should not have).

 

[lbodel]

Yeah, except Purdue won't be ranked next week about where they started in light of losing another game that it should not have...and while your point as to "everyone" seemingly have lost one at this point that it should not have, that probably does not apply to Wisconsin, plus, Purdue has now lost two that it should not have, and lost both for pretty much the same reason(s) and in similar fashion (and it easily could have been three such games, as they barely avoided disaster just a week ago in Columbus to a team that is winless thus far in conference play).

Could not disagree more with respect to the losses not being "bad" losses, never mind "hardly" being "bad" losses...losing at home to a team that it was better than is a "bad" loss, and losing on the road to a team that it is much better than (after having a comfortable lead that should have been even more comfortable at the half) and much more experienced than is indeed a "bad" loss.

Whether or not they have remaining conference championship hopes is yet to be seen, but if they do, it will happen with two more losses than it should have...and, given the two losses (and near third), it is not hard to imagine that there will be more to come...if incapable of beating a less than stellar Iowa team on the road and struggling mightily to beat a far less than stellar OSU team on the road, hard not to imagine it being a potential daunting task to go to East Lansing, Landover, or certainly Bloomington and getting a different/better outcome.

Purdue has struggled and struggles against teams with length, athleticism and an elite player...that is not going to change unfortunately, and more unfortunately, it still has games against teams like that in conference play, and certainly will see it again in the tournament (and see it now earlier than it might have otherwise if it had not lost games that it should not have).

Might as well not even play the rest of the season. So disappointing.

 

[DG10]

Might as well not even play the rest of the season. So disappointing.

Disappointing is spot on when it comes to Purdue basketball under Matt Painter...in fact, "So Disappointing" should replace "Play Hard" as the motto/mantra.

 

[SKYDOG]

Disappointing is spot on when it comes to Purdue basketball under Matt Painter...in fact, "So Disappointing" should replace "Play Hard" as the motto/mantra.

You are spot on. The culture of Purdue athletics is just play hard, do things the right way, but don't expect to win and you won't be disappointed.

 

[Erock_94]

Just not sure how much a conference title really means, anymore. I would much rather see a tournament championship. These road games in the big ten are no joke from several standpoints including officiating jackassery. Should not lose another home game, though, that shit has to stop.

 

[lbodel]

Just not sure how much a conference title really means, anymore. I would much rather see a tournament championship. These road games in the big ten are no joke from several standpoints including officiating jackassery. Should not lose another home game, though, that shit has to stop.

But you're being so dramatic. That shit has to stop?

Purdue is 18-3 at Mackey Arena against Big Ten foes since the start of the 2014-15 season with losses to Maryland (2014-15), Iowa (2015-16) and Minnesota (2016-17). Purdue’s 18-3 mark ranks as the third-best mark in the Big Ten, one game behind Maryland’s 19-2 mark.

And also - the Big Ten titles doesn't mean much and you only care about a national championship? One team out of 347 wins that every year. Yeah, that would be great - but if you're going to be pissed if we don't win a national championship every year, you're gonna be a pretty miserable guy.

 

[Boiler Buck]

Think the guy above was talking about a B1G tournament championship being better than a regular season championship.....because of the unbalanced schedules and home court officiating....

 

[lbodel]

Think the guy above was talking about a B1G tournament championship being better than a regular season championship.....because of the unbalanced schedules and home court officiating....

Ok, fair enough. But as we know, the tournament hasn't quite caught on with the Big Ten as much as it has more "traditional" tournaments in meaning.

But for instance, take last year - we made the championship game last year, but then fell flat in the NCAA Tourney. Would you rather have a deep run in the NCAA Tourney and not the BTT? Ideally, you obviously have both, but it's also not incredibly realistic.

There are just so many types of measurability - and no one agrees on them, unless you're one of the VERY few teams that are able to stay consistent (which basically there may be 1 per conference).

 

[Erock_94]

Yeah I was talking about the conference tournament. My point was holding home court is crucial no more Minnesota type losses.