COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Just so we're clear here: Purdue has now won at Maryland, Michigan State and Ohio State and its been the only team in the Big Ten to beat Wisconsin, and it did so handily.
And Purdue's (probably) not going to win the Big Ten.
Man, that's got to be a tough little pill to swallow, blowhards like me not making it any easier by continuing to bring up the games Purdue should've won but didn't.
Saturday, I thought, was the first game of the season where if Purdue lost, you'd kind of shrug a shoulder and say, 'Yeah, that's about right.' Because Maryland is good. The jury might have still been out on how good because of a weird schedule, but good.
Good teams win close games, and Maryland is one of the college basketball's standard-bearers for doing just that.
Purdue, not so much.
That what I figured would be the difference in this one.
Shows you what I know.
Purdue beat Maryland at its own game, losing this game a bunch of times, but hanging on like a barnacle to the Terps' underbelly just long enough to steal it at the end.
You have to give Purdue immense credit for just finding a way, for answering every time Maryland went up four in the final five minutes, for shaking off brutal shooting to start the game, too many turnovers, too many bad shots, a few cheap fouls and two magnificent mental errors by the same player.
Purdue did everything it could to lose this game and did everything it could to win this game. You don't see that every day, especially at a place like Maryland.
You have to give Carsen Edwards a ton of credit here. That was grown-man basketball by a kid right there. But you also have to give P.J. Thompson, Dakota Mathias and Ryan Cline their due too. Guards win you games like this — that's Maryland's M.O. Purdue's guards came up big today, even if the numbers don't look extraordinary.
And Caleb Swanigan, there are just no superlatives left . He made so many big plays in the final 10 minutes, none bigger than that three-pointer. The country's best rebounder is also a clutch long-range jump-shooter. Man …
You know what the best part of this win might be? That Purdue did everything it could to lose this game.
Purdue should have walked out of the Xfinity Center thrilled to have won, but in no way so thrilled they don't see straight.
Last time Purdue won a game like this, Nebraska happened. Indiana, that issue should take care of itself, but you never know.
And Purdue's (probably) not going to win the Big Ten.
Man, that's got to be a tough little pill to swallow, blowhards like me not making it any easier by continuing to bring up the games Purdue should've won but didn't.
Saturday, I thought, was the first game of the season where if Purdue lost, you'd kind of shrug a shoulder and say, 'Yeah, that's about right.' Because Maryland is good. The jury might have still been out on how good because of a weird schedule, but good.
Good teams win close games, and Maryland is one of the college basketball's standard-bearers for doing just that.
Purdue, not so much.
That what I figured would be the difference in this one.
Shows you what I know.
Purdue beat Maryland at its own game, losing this game a bunch of times, but hanging on like a barnacle to the Terps' underbelly just long enough to steal it at the end.
You have to give Purdue immense credit for just finding a way, for answering every time Maryland went up four in the final five minutes, for shaking off brutal shooting to start the game, too many turnovers, too many bad shots, a few cheap fouls and two magnificent mental errors by the same player.
Purdue did everything it could to lose this game and did everything it could to win this game. You don't see that every day, especially at a place like Maryland.
You have to give Carsen Edwards a ton of credit here. That was grown-man basketball by a kid right there. But you also have to give P.J. Thompson, Dakota Mathias and Ryan Cline their due too. Guards win you games like this — that's Maryland's M.O. Purdue's guards came up big today, even if the numbers don't look extraordinary.
And Caleb Swanigan, there are just no superlatives left . He made so many big plays in the final 10 minutes, none bigger than that three-pointer. The country's best rebounder is also a clutch long-range jump-shooter. Man …
You know what the best part of this win might be? That Purdue did everything it could to lose this game.
Purdue should have walked out of the Xfinity Center thrilled to have won, but in no way so thrilled they don't see straight.
Last time Purdue won a game like this, Nebraska happened. Indiana, that issue should take care of itself, but you never know.
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