Purdue had been winning despite playing very suspect basketball, yet overcoming it.
It was going to catch up to it before long.
Tuesday night in Evanston, as the Boilermakers embarrassed themselves in their double-overtime loss to the most unathletic, unskilled team in the Big Ten - one whose only chance to beat good teams is to play as bad a form of basketball as possible - it did.
And Purdue deserved it, quite honestly. It just coughed up a win like a cat bringing up a hairball. It was the Boilermakers who opened that door for the Wildcats.
When Kendall Stephens made a three-pointer with 12:54 left, Purdue was up seven against a team that usually can't score. The roles flipped, though, and it was the Boilermakers who couldn't score, the visiting team contracting like a spooked turtle, regressing to Washington State form in a very, very, very different climate.
Purdue goes 13 minutes without a field goal with a win sitting in its hands, misses game-sealing free throws, then fails to get the ball where it probably should go in decisive situations. I wouldn't object to Terone Johnson getting that shot at the end of regulation as much as most people, considering how A.J. Hammons handled crowds throughout the game. And if you're playing for a foul in that situation instead of a shot, you're putting a lot of faith in the zebras who missed the 7-footer being held up top as Johnson came off his screen. But you'd think Hammons would get a chance there.
Yes, Purdue has a huge advantage in the post with A.J. Hammons against mostly anyone let alone Northwestern's third-teamers, but that advantage shifts elsewhere when the opponent has three players guarding him.
But if the ball has to go into the post every single time down - does it really? - maybe it should come out every now and then.
Passing the ball out of the post might have been helpful, certainly more helpful than five traveling calls and the lucky break that came Purdue's way when Hammons just trucked Alex Olah and had the one whistle that went his way go his way.
Matt Painter always wants his to "move the ball" but the post always seems to be a destination, no matter the attention Hammons is drawing. Jay Simpson looked to pass out of the post and generated some great looks for Kendall Stephens in the first half. Those same opportunities have to be there when Hammons has 60 percent of Northwestern's lineup on him.
The post let the Boilermakers down tonight, whether it was Hammons' turnovers or the half dozen points Simpson left on the floor with the point-blank layups he missed. Maybe his hands are sweating again. Seriously.
But among the many reasons Purdue suffered what might be a crippling loss, here's another …
Coming into this season, I thought the Boilermakers would be a pretty effective transition team on offense, with a couple quick point guards, wings who can run and a few other guards who can score.
Nope. Purdue has been very average in transition, both in creating opportunities and cashing in on them.
(As it's turned out, some of its best transition offense has been hustling to tip in its own misses, which is kind of back-handed compliment.)
Had Purdue just finished run-outs or not made bad decisions in such situations in the first half, it might never have been in position to go into overtime, to see Hammons clearly fouled just before the buzzer at the end of the first OT, then denied a chance for his second game-winning foul shot in as many games.
No matter the issue, Purdue lost to a bad team Tuesday night and looked bad doing it.
I don't know how many people expected this one to be easy, but when Purdue was up seven - a lead that may as well have been twice as many at that juncture against this opponent - the reality is it probably should have been from that point on. Just don't blow it.
Purdue blew it.
But one thing Purdue has shown us this season: Nothing is easy.
And now the "easy" stretch of Purdue's Big Ten schedule is past it, when 4-0 during that run of games could have been such a launching pad heading into what's to come.
Now, Purdue hosts Wisconsin coming off a draining, taxing, profoundly frustrating loss that shouldn't have happened.
So we'll see what happens now.
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2014. 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.
This post was edited on 1/22 12:16 AM by Brian_GoldandBlack.com
It was going to catch up to it before long.
Tuesday night in Evanston, as the Boilermakers embarrassed themselves in their double-overtime loss to the most unathletic, unskilled team in the Big Ten - one whose only chance to beat good teams is to play as bad a form of basketball as possible - it did.
And Purdue deserved it, quite honestly. It just coughed up a win like a cat bringing up a hairball. It was the Boilermakers who opened that door for the Wildcats.
When Kendall Stephens made a three-pointer with 12:54 left, Purdue was up seven against a team that usually can't score. The roles flipped, though, and it was the Boilermakers who couldn't score, the visiting team contracting like a spooked turtle, regressing to Washington State form in a very, very, very different climate.
Purdue goes 13 minutes without a field goal with a win sitting in its hands, misses game-sealing free throws, then fails to get the ball where it probably should go in decisive situations. I wouldn't object to Terone Johnson getting that shot at the end of regulation as much as most people, considering how A.J. Hammons handled crowds throughout the game. And if you're playing for a foul in that situation instead of a shot, you're putting a lot of faith in the zebras who missed the 7-footer being held up top as Johnson came off his screen. But you'd think Hammons would get a chance there.
Yes, Purdue has a huge advantage in the post with A.J. Hammons against mostly anyone let alone Northwestern's third-teamers, but that advantage shifts elsewhere when the opponent has three players guarding him.
But if the ball has to go into the post every single time down - does it really? - maybe it should come out every now and then.
Passing the ball out of the post might have been helpful, certainly more helpful than five traveling calls and the lucky break that came Purdue's way when Hammons just trucked Alex Olah and had the one whistle that went his way go his way.
Matt Painter always wants his to "move the ball" but the post always seems to be a destination, no matter the attention Hammons is drawing. Jay Simpson looked to pass out of the post and generated some great looks for Kendall Stephens in the first half. Those same opportunities have to be there when Hammons has 60 percent of Northwestern's lineup on him.
The post let the Boilermakers down tonight, whether it was Hammons' turnovers or the half dozen points Simpson left on the floor with the point-blank layups he missed. Maybe his hands are sweating again. Seriously.
But among the many reasons Purdue suffered what might be a crippling loss, here's another …
Coming into this season, I thought the Boilermakers would be a pretty effective transition team on offense, with a couple quick point guards, wings who can run and a few other guards who can score.
Nope. Purdue has been very average in transition, both in creating opportunities and cashing in on them.
(As it's turned out, some of its best transition offense has been hustling to tip in its own misses, which is kind of back-handed compliment.)
Had Purdue just finished run-outs or not made bad decisions in such situations in the first half, it might never have been in position to go into overtime, to see Hammons clearly fouled just before the buzzer at the end of the first OT, then denied a chance for his second game-winning foul shot in as many games.
No matter the issue, Purdue lost to a bad team Tuesday night and looked bad doing it.
I don't know how many people expected this one to be easy, but when Purdue was up seven - a lead that may as well have been twice as many at that juncture against this opponent - the reality is it probably should have been from that point on. Just don't blow it.
Purdue blew it.
But one thing Purdue has shown us this season: Nothing is easy.
And now the "easy" stretch of Purdue's Big Ten schedule is past it, when 4-0 during that run of games could have been such a launching pad heading into what's to come.
Now, Purdue hosts Wisconsin coming off a draining, taxing, profoundly frustrating loss that shouldn't have happened.
So we'll see what happens now.
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2014. 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.
This post was edited on 1/22 12:16 AM by Brian_GoldandBlack.com
