I don't know how Purdue's season is going to turn out from here.
Hell, I don't know how the Boilermakers will fare Saturday at Michigan State, though I'll go out on a limb right now and say a good night's sleep alone will assure Purdue represents itself far better in East Lansing this year than it did last year.
But for one night, at least, you just got a glimpse of what this Boilermaker team can be. That was a hell of a win Purdue just got.
Now, make no mistake: One win does not a season make, and though Illinois is ranked just outside the top 10 now there's no way to know right now where they'll be ranked in a month. That is a very good team, but also a flawed one. Illinois is not a good defensive team, for one thing.
And in the Big Ten this year, one good win could disappear faster than a footprint in the sand under the weight of the rest of this Cuisinart of a league.
But judging by e-mail box and our Twitter account, people have had serious questions - to put it nicely - about whether Purdue was even capable of winning games like this at any point this year. A 6-6 start in which the Boilermakers have been about as steady as a drunk in situations like those faced Wednesday obviously triggered such questions.
I'm as sick of writing, "This team will be good at some point," as you are of reading it, but at least Purdue now has a pelt to pin up on the wall as some measure of evidence.
That said, Purdue was again guilty of some of the things that have gotten beat, back-to-back turnovers leading to back-to-back Brandon Paul threes as Illinois cut a 10-point hole to three in approximately 8.3 seconds. Approximately.
Funny how Brandon Paul shot Illinois out of a game against Purdue in Champaign last year by taking what I still believe to be the worst shot I've ever seen in my life in crunch time. Tonight he damn near shot Illinois into a stolen victory. Those dudes can flat-out make shots.
But if there's a team in the Big Ten that Purdue's gotten in the head of, it's obviously Illinois. That's eight wins in a row now. Purdue played Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson tough the entire game and the two seniors disappeared for most of the second half, as has sort of been Illinois' way sometimes over the years. I don't think Purdue is the country's biggest trash-talk team, but they have been a little bit chatty the past few years against the Illini. That was the case last year against Meyers Leonard and it seemed tonight like Terone Johnson had some words for Brandon Paul here and there, and backed them by just taking the ball from Paul that one time and getting Jacob Lawson a dunk off it.
But, yeah, Purdue didn't play perfectly, not even close, but it won in spite of some things, which is encouraging.
A.J. Hammons has been a pivotal figure for Purdue on offense. Tonight, he played only 22 minutes and took only three shots.
That said, on a night when he was a non-factor at one end of the floor, his presence alone impacted the game. Seems like he hardly has to try to finish with seven boards and three blocks, and it was an easily overlooked play at 11:33 when Terone Johnson missed, but Hammons kept alive the rebound right back to Terone Johnson for a putback.
Hammons wasn't all that involved at one end, but he was highly influential at the other.
Ronnie Johnson added a couple more bad hurried jump shots that might have Matt Painter making him write on the blackboard, "I will not take ill-advised jumpers. I will not take ill-advised jumpers" a hundred times on a chalkboard, but one turnover in 29 minutes is progress, particularly given the Illini's pressing in the game's final minutes.
But this game was simply won by Terone Johnson and D.J. Byrd. It's cliche and boring to say someone "willed" a team to a win, but if that wasn't it, I don't know what it.
Those guys were brilliant. Terone Johnson was special in this game, especially in big moments.
Byrd made shots when they mattered most and made plays when they mattered more.
His diving offensive rebound was iconic, a textbook example of the sort of Purdue basketball "moments" we haven't seen too many of this season. Chris Kramer was at the game Wednesday night. That play must have made him go, "Damn …"
Wednesday night's second half had to feel good for Byrd. This is his senior season and it's not gone as he hoped, obviously. He seems like the type who shoulders a lot of responsibility personally when his team isn't playing well.
So in that sense, Wednesday must have been a big night.
It was for Purdue as a whole, but again, it could be fleeting.
Next up is Michigan State. Then Ohio State.
Life in the Big Ten.
But Purdue's riding a three-game winning streak and things are looking a lot better now than they were a couple weeks ago.
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2013. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited. E-mail GoldandBlack.com/Boilers, Inc.
This post was edited on 1/3 2:03 AM by Brian_GoldandBlack.com
This post was edited on 1/3 2:03 AM by Brian_GoldandBlack.com
Hell, I don't know how the Boilermakers will fare Saturday at Michigan State, though I'll go out on a limb right now and say a good night's sleep alone will assure Purdue represents itself far better in East Lansing this year than it did last year.
But for one night, at least, you just got a glimpse of what this Boilermaker team can be. That was a hell of a win Purdue just got.
Now, make no mistake: One win does not a season make, and though Illinois is ranked just outside the top 10 now there's no way to know right now where they'll be ranked in a month. That is a very good team, but also a flawed one. Illinois is not a good defensive team, for one thing.
And in the Big Ten this year, one good win could disappear faster than a footprint in the sand under the weight of the rest of this Cuisinart of a league.
But judging by e-mail box and our Twitter account, people have had serious questions - to put it nicely - about whether Purdue was even capable of winning games like this at any point this year. A 6-6 start in which the Boilermakers have been about as steady as a drunk in situations like those faced Wednesday obviously triggered such questions.
I'm as sick of writing, "This team will be good at some point," as you are of reading it, but at least Purdue now has a pelt to pin up on the wall as some measure of evidence.
That said, Purdue was again guilty of some of the things that have gotten beat, back-to-back turnovers leading to back-to-back Brandon Paul threes as Illinois cut a 10-point hole to three in approximately 8.3 seconds. Approximately.
Funny how Brandon Paul shot Illinois out of a game against Purdue in Champaign last year by taking what I still believe to be the worst shot I've ever seen in my life in crunch time. Tonight he damn near shot Illinois into a stolen victory. Those dudes can flat-out make shots.
But if there's a team in the Big Ten that Purdue's gotten in the head of, it's obviously Illinois. That's eight wins in a row now. Purdue played Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson tough the entire game and the two seniors disappeared for most of the second half, as has sort of been Illinois' way sometimes over the years. I don't think Purdue is the country's biggest trash-talk team, but they have been a little bit chatty the past few years against the Illini. That was the case last year against Meyers Leonard and it seemed tonight like Terone Johnson had some words for Brandon Paul here and there, and backed them by just taking the ball from Paul that one time and getting Jacob Lawson a dunk off it.
But, yeah, Purdue didn't play perfectly, not even close, but it won in spite of some things, which is encouraging.
A.J. Hammons has been a pivotal figure for Purdue on offense. Tonight, he played only 22 minutes and took only three shots.
That said, on a night when he was a non-factor at one end of the floor, his presence alone impacted the game. Seems like he hardly has to try to finish with seven boards and three blocks, and it was an easily overlooked play at 11:33 when Terone Johnson missed, but Hammons kept alive the rebound right back to Terone Johnson for a putback.
Hammons wasn't all that involved at one end, but he was highly influential at the other.
Ronnie Johnson added a couple more bad hurried jump shots that might have Matt Painter making him write on the blackboard, "I will not take ill-advised jumpers. I will not take ill-advised jumpers" a hundred times on a chalkboard, but one turnover in 29 minutes is progress, particularly given the Illini's pressing in the game's final minutes.
But this game was simply won by Terone Johnson and D.J. Byrd. It's cliche and boring to say someone "willed" a team to a win, but if that wasn't it, I don't know what it.
Those guys were brilliant. Terone Johnson was special in this game, especially in big moments.
Byrd made shots when they mattered most and made plays when they mattered more.
His diving offensive rebound was iconic, a textbook example of the sort of Purdue basketball "moments" we haven't seen too many of this season. Chris Kramer was at the game Wednesday night. That play must have made him go, "Damn …"
Wednesday night's second half had to feel good for Byrd. This is his senior season and it's not gone as he hoped, obviously. He seems like the type who shoulders a lot of responsibility personally when his team isn't playing well.
So in that sense, Wednesday must have been a big night.
It was for Purdue as a whole, but again, it could be fleeting.
Next up is Michigan State. Then Ohio State.
Life in the Big Ten.
But Purdue's riding a three-game winning streak and things are looking a lot better now than they were a couple weeks ago.
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2013. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited. E-mail GoldandBlack.com/Boilers, Inc.
This post was edited on 1/3 2:03 AM by Brian_GoldandBlack.com
This post was edited on 1/3 2:03 AM by Brian_GoldandBlack.com
