Funny what the natural progression of time does.
Sunday's Purdue win over Penn State was as predictable - if Tim Frazier-less Penn State doesn't beat Nebraska it might not beat anybody the rest of the year - as it was objectionable to the eye much of the afternoon.
But the important thing Sunday was the reminder given of how Purdue is getting better. Yes, the first half was a tire fire, but more specifically, how its freshmen are getting better and thus how Purdue is getting better.
Purdue started all three of its active true freshmen today and won a Big Ten basketball game by 18 points. Yes, it was hamstrung-by-injury Penn State, but it was a Big Ten basketball game nonetheless. Those freshmen just totaled 35 points and 17 rebounds.
Now, itemize the freshmen
We've said from Day 1 that the one player on this team who'd most directly affect Purdue for the better with his improvement is Ronnie Johnson and you're seeing that now.
The point guard is getting his wits about him in terms of his decision-making and shot selection; being more productively aggressive; and becoming a real defensive menace, never more so than Sunday, when he helped make Penn State leading scorer D.J. Newbill about as relevant in the outcome as you or I. He was a total non-factor.
Johnson scored a game-high 13 points and made half his shots, a relatively efficient game by a player who came in shooting 35 percent. He only took one jumper. Not a coincidence.
Now, if he can just make half his free throws. He's now 4-of-14 in Big Ten games.
That aside, Johnson's rounding into form, slowly but surely. It was just a matter of time.
A.J. Hammons
yeah, him.
Saw somebody who shall remain nameless tweet earlier that Purdue's freshmen are all four-year guys.
They most certainly are not.
By this time a year from now, Hammons might be a dominant player.
As is, he's already a very good one. And he's getting better. It's taken Purdue a little while to adjust to playing with a big man like him, and that's still a work in progress as many of Purdue's turnovers have come on post entries.
But you might be looking at an All-Big Ten season in the making here.
Question: Who's the second-best center in the Big Ten? Derrick Nix? Hammons?
(I'm viewing Mbakwe as a forward.)
I don't know the answer to that question but I know who'll be the best center in the Big Ten next season.
Sunday, Hammons turned seven shots into 12 points and gift-wrapped two layups for teammates with outstanding passes out of post-ups. He totaled a career-high 10 boards and blocked five shots. One of them, he closed out on a guard shooting a J off the dribble and pawed it out of the air seemingly without exactly having to exert himself physically to do it.
Many players have factored into success or lack thereof Purdue has experienced this season, but none have been more influential on games than Hammons.
Rapheal Davis got a start Sunday and was productive. He made things happen offensively right off the bat, though Purdue struggled to rebound with a small lineup on the floor.
He's in line for more opportunities when matchups allow, but he's a better player today than he has been, better now even than he was when he went off against Notre Dame.
Kid seems to be giving good effort and improving defensively and just has a way of seemingly always being in a position to get a bucket. When Hammons was posting, Davis was the guy sniffing around the rim waiting for a layup.
D.J. Byrd was good today, making 3-of-4 threes on just eight shots, but Purdue won big today largely because of the play of its freshmen.
They're getting better, as is Purdue, just in time to make a little run here.
Sunday's game against Penn State was one Purdue had to have. The game at Nebraska this week, though the 'Huskers are competing with Michigan State right now, is one the Boilermakers should get as well. West Virginia at home is obviously very winnable.
So here's a chance for Purdue to get its head above water in the Big Ten and, it'll hope, stay there.
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.
Sunday's Purdue win over Penn State was as predictable - if Tim Frazier-less Penn State doesn't beat Nebraska it might not beat anybody the rest of the year - as it was objectionable to the eye much of the afternoon.
But the important thing Sunday was the reminder given of how Purdue is getting better. Yes, the first half was a tire fire, but more specifically, how its freshmen are getting better and thus how Purdue is getting better.
Purdue started all three of its active true freshmen today and won a Big Ten basketball game by 18 points. Yes, it was hamstrung-by-injury Penn State, but it was a Big Ten basketball game nonetheless. Those freshmen just totaled 35 points and 17 rebounds.
Now, itemize the freshmen
The point guard is getting his wits about him in terms of his decision-making and shot selection; being more productively aggressive; and becoming a real defensive menace, never more so than Sunday, when he helped make Penn State leading scorer D.J. Newbill about as relevant in the outcome as you or I. He was a total non-factor.
Johnson scored a game-high 13 points and made half his shots, a relatively efficient game by a player who came in shooting 35 percent. He only took one jumper. Not a coincidence.
Now, if he can just make half his free throws. He's now 4-of-14 in Big Ten games.
That aside, Johnson's rounding into form, slowly but surely. It was just a matter of time.
Saw somebody who shall remain nameless tweet earlier that Purdue's freshmen are all four-year guys.
They most certainly are not.
By this time a year from now, Hammons might be a dominant player.
As is, he's already a very good one. And he's getting better. It's taken Purdue a little while to adjust to playing with a big man like him, and that's still a work in progress as many of Purdue's turnovers have come on post entries.
But you might be looking at an All-Big Ten season in the making here.
Question: Who's the second-best center in the Big Ten? Derrick Nix? Hammons?
(I'm viewing Mbakwe as a forward.)
I don't know the answer to that question but I know who'll be the best center in the Big Ten next season.
Sunday, Hammons turned seven shots into 12 points and gift-wrapped two layups for teammates with outstanding passes out of post-ups. He totaled a career-high 10 boards and blocked five shots. One of them, he closed out on a guard shooting a J off the dribble and pawed it out of the air seemingly without exactly having to exert himself physically to do it.
Many players have factored into success or lack thereof Purdue has experienced this season, but none have been more influential on games than Hammons.
He's in line for more opportunities when matchups allow, but he's a better player today than he has been, better now even than he was when he went off against Notre Dame.
Kid seems to be giving good effort and improving defensively and just has a way of seemingly always being in a position to get a bucket. When Hammons was posting, Davis was the guy sniffing around the rim waiting for a layup.
D.J. Byrd was good today, making 3-of-4 threes on just eight shots, but Purdue won big today largely because of the play of its freshmen.
They're getting better, as is Purdue, just in time to make a little run here.
Sunday's game against Penn State was one Purdue had to have. The game at Nebraska this week, though the 'Huskers are competing with Michigan State right now, is one the Boilermakers should get as well. West Virginia at home is obviously very winnable.
So here's a chance for Purdue to get its head above water in the Big Ten and, it'll hope, stay there.
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.
