IOWA CITY - Boy, wouldn't Dr. Naismith have been proud tonight.
As Purdue and Iowa Forrest Gumped their way through 40 minutes of "basketball" Wednesday night in Iowa City, taking turns one-upping the other's ineptitude, the Boilermakers wound up being dealt another ugly loss.
There's not much shame in losing to Iowa at Iowa this season. Wisconsin did and Indiana and Michigan State very nearly did as well. The Hawkeyes are not a bad team and they've been a different team in their iron-clad little Internet wireless-hating bunker, Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
It's how Purdue lost again that must make you want to stick your head in the oven.
There is an asterisk here should you choose to apply it: Terone Johnson getting hurt impacted this game, no question. Matt Painter doesn't want to let his team have any excuses so he wouldn't acknowledge it after the game, but it is what it is. As Purdue's leading scorer and the only guy who can create anything for himself off the dribble, that played a role in Purdue's offensive paralysis in the first half, again shining a light on just how limited its personnel is at that end of the floor.
On offense, at this stage, Purdue has all parts, all pieces that can only be really effective when they're pieces of a greater whole. When that greater whole is a trainwreck because people can't or won't pass and can't catch even when they do, that's not good.
But that's an old, tired topic.
Purdue scored 16 points in the first half Wednesday night, sitting by idle and letting Iowa get away with not scoring a field goal for 13 minutes to end the half. Iowa's best/only offense was literally the Boilermakers fouling, which they did too much.
A.J. Hammons got in foul trouble, D.J. Byrd was frosty from the perimeter in the first half and Purdue's point guard play was all over the place again.
The point factored heavily into this game.
When it was learned before the game that Iowa's Mike Gesell would be out, it looked like a boon for Purdue. He hung 18 on the Boilermakers in West Lafayette and nearly stole that game.
Didn't work that way.
Roy Devyn Marble instead moved to the point, sliding him off the defender who shut him down at Purdue, Terone Johnson, and onto Ronnie Johnson, who gave up about seven inches to the Hawkeyes' leading scorer, without the physicality his older brother possesses. It was almost a mismatch of Lewis Jackson-on-Evan Turner proportion.
Marble really twisted the knife on that advantage to start the second half, when Iowa needed scoring after Purdue actually figured out how to put the put a basketball through a cylinder.
Speaking of point guard play, it brought to mind this thought: After all that's been made of Purdue's erratic play and lack of options to provide punitive measures, maybe Terone Johnson could have made things better by logging more minutes at the point. He's done it before and he's experienced. Not that he hasn't at times been part of the problem with some of the hero ball he's tried to play at times, but he might have also been the chance to be part of the solution.
Understanding there's a give and take with everything, maybe that could have made things different, even if just a little.
Ronnie Johnson did some good things with some important second-half points, but he turned the ball over six times, a number that may as well have been a dozen when you add in the five or six bad jump shots he took, including one he was lucky to get fouled on.
His future is bright, but his present is all over the place.
Same for A.J. Hammons, who can't help Purdue from the bench.
His future is bright, but his present is all over the place.
The story of Purdue's season.
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.
As Purdue and Iowa Forrest Gumped their way through 40 minutes of "basketball" Wednesday night in Iowa City, taking turns one-upping the other's ineptitude, the Boilermakers wound up being dealt another ugly loss.
There's not much shame in losing to Iowa at Iowa this season. Wisconsin did and Indiana and Michigan State very nearly did as well. The Hawkeyes are not a bad team and they've been a different team in their iron-clad little Internet wireless-hating bunker, Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
It's how Purdue lost again that must make you want to stick your head in the oven.
There is an asterisk here should you choose to apply it: Terone Johnson getting hurt impacted this game, no question. Matt Painter doesn't want to let his team have any excuses so he wouldn't acknowledge it after the game, but it is what it is. As Purdue's leading scorer and the only guy who can create anything for himself off the dribble, that played a role in Purdue's offensive paralysis in the first half, again shining a light on just how limited its personnel is at that end of the floor.
On offense, at this stage, Purdue has all parts, all pieces that can only be really effective when they're pieces of a greater whole. When that greater whole is a trainwreck because people can't or won't pass and can't catch even when they do, that's not good.
But that's an old, tired topic.
Purdue scored 16 points in the first half Wednesday night, sitting by idle and letting Iowa get away with not scoring a field goal for 13 minutes to end the half. Iowa's best/only offense was literally the Boilermakers fouling, which they did too much.
A.J. Hammons got in foul trouble, D.J. Byrd was frosty from the perimeter in the first half and Purdue's point guard play was all over the place again.
The point factored heavily into this game.
When it was learned before the game that Iowa's Mike Gesell would be out, it looked like a boon for Purdue. He hung 18 on the Boilermakers in West Lafayette and nearly stole that game.
Didn't work that way.
Roy Devyn Marble instead moved to the point, sliding him off the defender who shut him down at Purdue, Terone Johnson, and onto Ronnie Johnson, who gave up about seven inches to the Hawkeyes' leading scorer, without the physicality his older brother possesses. It was almost a mismatch of Lewis Jackson-on-Evan Turner proportion.
Marble really twisted the knife on that advantage to start the second half, when Iowa needed scoring after Purdue actually figured out how to put the put a basketball through a cylinder.
Speaking of point guard play, it brought to mind this thought: After all that's been made of Purdue's erratic play and lack of options to provide punitive measures, maybe Terone Johnson could have made things better by logging more minutes at the point. He's done it before and he's experienced. Not that he hasn't at times been part of the problem with some of the hero ball he's tried to play at times, but he might have also been the chance to be part of the solution.
Understanding there's a give and take with everything, maybe that could have made things different, even if just a little.
Ronnie Johnson did some good things with some important second-half points, but he turned the ball over six times, a number that may as well have been a dozen when you add in the five or six bad jump shots he took, including one he was lucky to get fouled on.
His future is bright, but his present is all over the place.
Same for A.J. Hammons, who can't help Purdue from the bench.
His future is bright, but his present is all over the place.
The story of Purdue's season.
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.
