Pick your cliche.
Killer instinct?
Look of a winner?
Eye of the tiger?
Whatever it was, Purdue had it from the outset in rolling Eastern Illinois 83-55.
Look, I don't know if Eastern Illinois is good or not. I just watched them play and still don't know. But what I do know is that Purdue did bad things to them tonight.
Watching the Boilermakers dominate on defense to open the game sparked memories of the good old days of not all that long ago when Purdue on defense would punch teams in the stomach and leave them staggering around the court, handing basketballs over like elderly folks handing out coupons at Target on a Sunday afternoon.
Figuratively, of course. Purdue never got violent, or at least overtly violent, but it did play with a mean streak on defense that would often discombobulate lesser opponents.
You saw flashes of that Wednesday night when Matt Painter basically dared his starters to play with energy and they did, scoring the first 12 points and ending this game before the second media timeout.
Now, Purdue wasn't playing Ohio State or Michigan State tonight, but it was encouraging in the formative stages of this season to see that sort of edge.
Ronnie Johnson is really playing well. I know these four teams are what they are, but the sophomore's becoming a star.
("Star" is overstatement. Just couldn't pass up an opportunity for a sentence to rhyme like that.)
This was like an exhibition game when all was said and done, when you look at the final numbers: Evenly distributed minutes, scoring, etc.
In tandem, A.J. Hammons and Jay Simpson made for a very productive combination at the 5. Hammons' numbers don't look big-time, but he was good in this game, coming off a game in which he was a non-factor. And you have to love Simpson right now. He is playing hard, at least in bursts, and that's the most important thing he can do.
The first half was a brick fest for Purdue from three-point range and the Boilermakers launched a couple that probably could have been done without.
But it was significant, IMO, for Kendall Stephens to make a couple in the second half. He'd been slumping modestly for a game-and-a-half and confidence is going to be crucial for him. Staving off an extended dry spell was a good thing.
Sterling Carter, on the other hand, can't buy one. His shots tonight all missed, many of them badly. He is doing enough other things, though, to maintain value - hell, he probably won the Rider game for Purdue - but he'll obviously want to get on track. Painter is cool with him shooting as many good shots as he can get, as long as he's defending and stuff.
Already mentioned Stephens, but the freshmen were all good in what, again, looked in hindsight like an exhibition game, not in caliber of competition but in how it played out.
Bryson Scott's aggressiveness is his defining characteristic, for better and worse. He'll make a play one possession, then another, and another, and then he'll go one on three and turn it over.
That is who Bryson Scott is, folks, especially you, "Pass the ball!" guy sitting in Mackey's upper arena tonight. Scott is drawn to the rim like a tractor beam. Adjusting to a point guard's role will be a bit of a challenge for him, but he'll have time to grow into.
"Baseline" Basil Smotherman, again in a ragged game, scored 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting. He's active, and you want your best athletes to be active. Otherwise, what's the point of being athletic? Purdue's had some great athletes who just didn't do anything. Not Smotherman, so that's good.
And as a prude who looks at dunks as just two points, I must say that when Smotherman gets a step on that baseline now, people perk up, that's for sure.
Have to mention Stephens, too. Physical toughness is never going to be his calling card, but he's trying. He had five rebounds tonight and some of them were very much contested boards he had to fight for. Good for him.
The freshmen have been good, but it's been four games, so let's not put anybody in Springfield quite yet. We can re-visit that conversation at the end of January, maybe. These kids can play, but freshmen are going to be freshmen, in one way or another.
So there, there's a bunch of random stuff about tonight's basketball game.
This written blog is now a complement to our new 'Instant Wrap' thing. I hope everyone is watching that, also, because the content will be different. Basically in either platform I just say or write whatever comes to mind at the time, and I can be very much a spaz so what seems important at 11 p.m. might be completely lost on me at 1 a.m. FYI.
Have a good night.
Tonight's Instant Wrap
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.
Killer instinct?
Look of a winner?
Eye of the tiger?
Whatever it was, Purdue had it from the outset in rolling Eastern Illinois 83-55.
Look, I don't know if Eastern Illinois is good or not. I just watched them play and still don't know. But what I do know is that Purdue did bad things to them tonight.
Watching the Boilermakers dominate on defense to open the game sparked memories of the good old days of not all that long ago when Purdue on defense would punch teams in the stomach and leave them staggering around the court, handing basketballs over like elderly folks handing out coupons at Target on a Sunday afternoon.
Figuratively, of course. Purdue never got violent, or at least overtly violent, but it did play with a mean streak on defense that would often discombobulate lesser opponents.
You saw flashes of that Wednesday night when Matt Painter basically dared his starters to play with energy and they did, scoring the first 12 points and ending this game before the second media timeout.
Now, Purdue wasn't playing Ohio State or Michigan State tonight, but it was encouraging in the formative stages of this season to see that sort of edge.
Ronnie Johnson is really playing well. I know these four teams are what they are, but the sophomore's becoming a star.
("Star" is overstatement. Just couldn't pass up an opportunity for a sentence to rhyme like that.)
This was like an exhibition game when all was said and done, when you look at the final numbers: Evenly distributed minutes, scoring, etc.
In tandem, A.J. Hammons and Jay Simpson made for a very productive combination at the 5. Hammons' numbers don't look big-time, but he was good in this game, coming off a game in which he was a non-factor. And you have to love Simpson right now. He is playing hard, at least in bursts, and that's the most important thing he can do.
The first half was a brick fest for Purdue from three-point range and the Boilermakers launched a couple that probably could have been done without.
But it was significant, IMO, for Kendall Stephens to make a couple in the second half. He'd been slumping modestly for a game-and-a-half and confidence is going to be crucial for him. Staving off an extended dry spell was a good thing.
Sterling Carter, on the other hand, can't buy one. His shots tonight all missed, many of them badly. He is doing enough other things, though, to maintain value - hell, he probably won the Rider game for Purdue - but he'll obviously want to get on track. Painter is cool with him shooting as many good shots as he can get, as long as he's defending and stuff.
Already mentioned Stephens, but the freshmen were all good in what, again, looked in hindsight like an exhibition game, not in caliber of competition but in how it played out.
Bryson Scott's aggressiveness is his defining characteristic, for better and worse. He'll make a play one possession, then another, and another, and then he'll go one on three and turn it over.
That is who Bryson Scott is, folks, especially you, "Pass the ball!" guy sitting in Mackey's upper arena tonight. Scott is drawn to the rim like a tractor beam. Adjusting to a point guard's role will be a bit of a challenge for him, but he'll have time to grow into.
"Baseline" Basil Smotherman, again in a ragged game, scored 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting. He's active, and you want your best athletes to be active. Otherwise, what's the point of being athletic? Purdue's had some great athletes who just didn't do anything. Not Smotherman, so that's good.
And as a prude who looks at dunks as just two points, I must say that when Smotherman gets a step on that baseline now, people perk up, that's for sure.
Have to mention Stephens, too. Physical toughness is never going to be his calling card, but he's trying. He had five rebounds tonight and some of them were very much contested boards he had to fight for. Good for him.
The freshmen have been good, but it's been four games, so let's not put anybody in Springfield quite yet. We can re-visit that conversation at the end of January, maybe. These kids can play, but freshmen are going to be freshmen, in one way or another.
So there, there's a bunch of random stuff about tonight's basketball game.
This written blog is now a complement to our new 'Instant Wrap' thing. I hope everyone is watching that, also, because the content will be different. Basically in either platform I just say or write whatever comes to mind at the time, and I can be very much a spaz so what seems important at 11 p.m. might be completely lost on me at 1 a.m. FYI.
Have a good night.
Tonight's Instant Wrap
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.
