BUFFALO WILD WINGS (Hobart, Ind.) ? My day was a complete cluster, from the Disney on Ice stuff on I-65 this morning, highlighted by the 18-wheeler in my right ear, right through to the standing pathetically outside B-Dubs with an open laptop in my hands in the snow, desperately hoping they'd let me in early in time for tip-off of the game I'd have to watch on TV rather than being there in person.
(They did, for which I am eternally grateful.)
Clearly I am soft, as I have come to re-evaluate my entire being as a motorist.
But as crappy as my day was, I had an exponentially better one than Purdue.
Wednesday night, after Indiana dispatched Purdue with the precision and cold-bloodedness of a Terminator (did I already use that?), I called it "rock bottom for Purdue since it got good again under Matt Painter."
Well, with that in mind, all Saturday afternoon did was bang the Boilermakers' head again against those rocks, as Northwestern scored a win in a game that was over before the first media timeout.
I wasn't there, but you know, when you watch on TV, you often see more than you do in person.
What I saw on the big screen was a team that again handled adversity poorly. Just as Villanova led to Oregon State, Indiana led to Northwestern. Those games were how many months apart?
That's taking nothing away from Northwestern, which beat Purdue in every bit a surgical manner as IU did, only without the capacity to almost score a hundred.
But Purdue didn't show up.
A.J. Hammons was late for the bus; the game's opening minutes provided little evidence anyone else got on it.
Believe it or not, this loss is even more troubling than the 37-point debacle that was Wednesday night, a loss that's undoubtedly led to some soul-searching around Mackey Arena.
This one will too.
Does Purdue have leadership on the court? These are games where you'd think it would show up. Who is there to hold this team together while it tip-toes the edge of the Grand Canyon and threatens to step over.
D.J. Byrd seemed to try there for a bit, hitting that three and hitting Donnie Hale for an and-one to spark that seven-point possession. But that fire was quickly extinguished just as quickly as it was lit.
Anthony Johnson, a major player in the suspect guard play that's bogging Purdue down right now, grabbed a couple offensive rebounds. At least he seemed to be trying.
Otherwise, who?
Let's hope for Purdue's sake that illness can be blamed for Terone Johnson's play of late. He was absent from practice the other day for that reason. If not, then he's really regressed lately and the Boilermakers need solid play from him to be solid themselves.
They need more than that: They need leadership.
This is an awful body-language team, and the junior is part of that, not a good thing considering all the younger players around. Because of his background and charisma, I've always said that of Purdue's upperclassmen, Johnson is the most likely to be followed by the team's younger players.
Again, Purdue has players, players enough to be winning, just like it was a short time ago, when it won 4-of-5 before this Chernobyl-ish past week.
It has become evident that this team simply isn't wired like past Purdue teams, and maybe that's where Matt Painter has gone wrong in recruiting.
Maybe some of the guys on this team do not fit the Purdue template, including a freshman class with a collective personality that's particularly casual. I am not saying those guys do not want to win; I am wondering if they need to win.
Yes, maybe the Purdue fit has been compromised in recruiting some.
We all get so hung up on talent, when really it is only a portion of the equation.
Between Painter and this team that's driving him bonkers, it will be interesting to see moving forward who adjusts to who.
Hammons being late for the bus is a non-issue. It just is. Stuff happens.
But the fact Purdue's best player sat on the bench to open the game, a few days after hanging 30 points on Cody Zeller, that reeked of a clear shot across the bow of "habits," as the coach talked about earlier.
I'm telling you and I've been telling you for years, this freshman class is different. Not necessarily bad different. Just different.
I shouldn't be picking on the freshmen. They're just part of this.
The past two games, there's been a certain intangible dysfunction in Purdue's team, one that beats you over the head like a mallet when you watch.
The Boilermakers look fragmented again, having come apart like a crunchy taco lately, looking like November Purdue, only without the habit of almost winning games. I don't think these are selfish guys, and least not most of them, but some of them play that way for some reason.
If I had to guess, Painter will bring the wrath of hell on these guys when they next take the practice floor.
Who'll have his back?
Whether it's upperclassmen or coaches, has Painter surrounded himself with enough fire-breathers? I don't know.
But somebody's got to do something right now, because the past two games have been just as big a mess as I-65 was this morning.
But if you've been reading this site for any significant period of time, you've read so many times it'll make you want to puke: Things are never as good as they seem, never as bad as they seem.
For Purdue, the latter had better be true.
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.
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(They did, for which I am eternally grateful.)
Clearly I am soft, as I have come to re-evaluate my entire being as a motorist.
But as crappy as my day was, I had an exponentially better one than Purdue.
Wednesday night, after Indiana dispatched Purdue with the precision and cold-bloodedness of a Terminator (did I already use that?), I called it "rock bottom for Purdue since it got good again under Matt Painter."
Well, with that in mind, all Saturday afternoon did was bang the Boilermakers' head again against those rocks, as Northwestern scored a win in a game that was over before the first media timeout.
I wasn't there, but you know, when you watch on TV, you often see more than you do in person.
What I saw on the big screen was a team that again handled adversity poorly. Just as Villanova led to Oregon State, Indiana led to Northwestern. Those games were how many months apart?
That's taking nothing away from Northwestern, which beat Purdue in every bit a surgical manner as IU did, only without the capacity to almost score a hundred.
But Purdue didn't show up.
A.J. Hammons was late for the bus; the game's opening minutes provided little evidence anyone else got on it.
Believe it or not, this loss is even more troubling than the 37-point debacle that was Wednesday night, a loss that's undoubtedly led to some soul-searching around Mackey Arena.
This one will too.
Does Purdue have leadership on the court? These are games where you'd think it would show up. Who is there to hold this team together while it tip-toes the edge of the Grand Canyon and threatens to step over.
D.J. Byrd seemed to try there for a bit, hitting that three and hitting Donnie Hale for an and-one to spark that seven-point possession. But that fire was quickly extinguished just as quickly as it was lit.
Anthony Johnson, a major player in the suspect guard play that's bogging Purdue down right now, grabbed a couple offensive rebounds. At least he seemed to be trying.
Otherwise, who?
Let's hope for Purdue's sake that illness can be blamed for Terone Johnson's play of late. He was absent from practice the other day for that reason. If not, then he's really regressed lately and the Boilermakers need solid play from him to be solid themselves.
They need more than that: They need leadership.
This is an awful body-language team, and the junior is part of that, not a good thing considering all the younger players around. Because of his background and charisma, I've always said that of Purdue's upperclassmen, Johnson is the most likely to be followed by the team's younger players.
Again, Purdue has players, players enough to be winning, just like it was a short time ago, when it won 4-of-5 before this Chernobyl-ish past week.
It has become evident that this team simply isn't wired like past Purdue teams, and maybe that's where Matt Painter has gone wrong in recruiting.
Maybe some of the guys on this team do not fit the Purdue template, including a freshman class with a collective personality that's particularly casual. I am not saying those guys do not want to win; I am wondering if they need to win.
Yes, maybe the Purdue fit has been compromised in recruiting some.
We all get so hung up on talent, when really it is only a portion of the equation.
Between Painter and this team that's driving him bonkers, it will be interesting to see moving forward who adjusts to who.
Hammons being late for the bus is a non-issue. It just is. Stuff happens.
But the fact Purdue's best player sat on the bench to open the game, a few days after hanging 30 points on Cody Zeller, that reeked of a clear shot across the bow of "habits," as the coach talked about earlier.
I'm telling you and I've been telling you for years, this freshman class is different. Not necessarily bad different. Just different.
I shouldn't be picking on the freshmen. They're just part of this.
The past two games, there's been a certain intangible dysfunction in Purdue's team, one that beats you over the head like a mallet when you watch.
The Boilermakers look fragmented again, having come apart like a crunchy taco lately, looking like November Purdue, only without the habit of almost winning games. I don't think these are selfish guys, and least not most of them, but some of them play that way for some reason.
If I had to guess, Painter will bring the wrath of hell on these guys when they next take the practice floor.
Who'll have his back?
Whether it's upperclassmen or coaches, has Painter surrounded himself with enough fire-breathers? I don't know.
But somebody's got to do something right now, because the past two games have been just as big a mess as I-65 was this morning.
But if you've been reading this site for any significant period of time, you've read so many times it'll make you want to puke: Things are never as good as they seem, never as bad as they seem.
For Purdue, the latter had better be true.
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.
Check out GoldandBlack.com on
