At this point in the season, the lesson-learning phase, particularly for an experienced team, should be over.
Yet, Purdue needs to leave Penn State having learned one.
If Penn State makes one more three, makes one more play, whatever it is, the Boilermakers' Big Ten title hopes might go by the wayside. Might.
The young and athletic and energetic Nittany Lions were the better team Tuesday night, demonstrably better by most every measure.
Yet for the second time in a matter of just a few seasons, Purdue stole one from Penn State on its home floor. It wasn't Kendall Stephens and it wasn't a minor miracle this time, but this one was just as crushing for the Lions, most likely, because they were better than their 14th-ranked and 22-5 opponent.
Did you expect Penn State to score 46 points in the paint? Neither did Purdue.
Did you expect Penn State to block 10 of Purdue's shots? Neither did Purdue.
Did you expect Player-of-the-Year favorite Caleb Swanigan to get outplayed by somebody named Mike Watkins? Neither did anyone.
It was the worst-case scenario. Whether this was another chapter in the narrative of Purdue not handling life as the favorite well, I don't know, but Penn State was better.
And Purdue folded. In areas that go beyond just making shots, Purdue's guard play fell off. It's been a constant all season.
At the end, nobody wanted to shoot. Not sure anybody wanted the ball even. This was the total antithesis of what we've seen all season — a team that seemed to have graduated beyond those sorts of issues last season.
Those issues looked fixed, more punchline than anything at this point. Matt Painter has talked about doing a better job giving his team confidence. He didn't get that message across until OT, it doesn't sound like, because at the end of regulation, that team was a clenched, uh, fist, a team that looked like it knew it had everything to lose in a Big Ten race. Think of what it will have to lose here in a couple weeks and how an issue with such things might matter then.
Now, college basketball seasons are like snowflakes — every game can look entirely different. It would be silly to expect tonight's game to be Purdue's new normal from here on out. After all, Purdue went into this game defending pretty damn well and just got flayed by a freshman; it came into this game shooting below its normal standards and just saved its hindquarters with timely threes, again shooting its way out of a hole.
We'll see where Purdue goes from here, but Purdue was lucky tonight, damn lucky.
Yet, Purdue needs to leave Penn State having learned one.
If Penn State makes one more three, makes one more play, whatever it is, the Boilermakers' Big Ten title hopes might go by the wayside. Might.
The young and athletic and energetic Nittany Lions were the better team Tuesday night, demonstrably better by most every measure.
Yet for the second time in a matter of just a few seasons, Purdue stole one from Penn State on its home floor. It wasn't Kendall Stephens and it wasn't a minor miracle this time, but this one was just as crushing for the Lions, most likely, because they were better than their 14th-ranked and 22-5 opponent.
Did you expect Penn State to score 46 points in the paint? Neither did Purdue.
Did you expect Penn State to block 10 of Purdue's shots? Neither did Purdue.
Did you expect Player-of-the-Year favorite Caleb Swanigan to get outplayed by somebody named Mike Watkins? Neither did anyone.
It was the worst-case scenario. Whether this was another chapter in the narrative of Purdue not handling life as the favorite well, I don't know, but Penn State was better.
And Purdue folded. In areas that go beyond just making shots, Purdue's guard play fell off. It's been a constant all season.
At the end, nobody wanted to shoot. Not sure anybody wanted the ball even. This was the total antithesis of what we've seen all season — a team that seemed to have graduated beyond those sorts of issues last season.
Those issues looked fixed, more punchline than anything at this point. Matt Painter has talked about doing a better job giving his team confidence. He didn't get that message across until OT, it doesn't sound like, because at the end of regulation, that team was a clenched, uh, fist, a team that looked like it knew it had everything to lose in a Big Ten race. Think of what it will have to lose here in a couple weeks and how an issue with such things might matter then.
Now, college basketball seasons are like snowflakes — every game can look entirely different. It would be silly to expect tonight's game to be Purdue's new normal from here on out. After all, Purdue went into this game defending pretty damn well and just got flayed by a freshman; it came into this game shooting below its normal standards and just saved its hindquarters with timely threes, again shooting its way out of a hole.
We'll see where Purdue goes from here, but Purdue was lucky tonight, damn lucky.
