MADISON, Wis. - Not really sure what's left to say here.
But it's March 5 and Purdue's still jacking up bad shots, looking early on at Wisconsin Wednesday night a little bit like a team that didn't give all that great a damn anymore.
Matt Painter's messages have fallen on deaf ears - or been tuned out - as Wednesday further illustrated. Again, that's everyone's fault. But I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt what players were told to do prior to this game and I can tell you they did pretty much the opposite.
The Boilermaker coach is fighting this team again, forcing it to play, to show some life, part of the reason he's calling timeouts down seven with 12 seconds left.
I guess you have to credit Purdue for being better in the second half, a trend the past two games to go along with the trend of it being down significantly prior.
It rebounded the ball and got its legs under it on offense. But the final score was cosmetic, product of two late threes that were the product of Painter lighting his timeouts aflame.
Wisconsin missed a lot of free throws, though, and that played no small role in Purdue narrowing its deficit to just seven, which at the time was "close."
The game was never all that close in reality, at never the outcome never in doubt, because Purdue shot itself right out of the game from the outset, as if willfully doing the opposite of what it was supposed to, of what's worked before in this particular venue.
Terone Johnson slashed into the lane to start the game for an easy runner. When Wisconsin's gotten beat this season, it's struggled to keep people out of the lane.
Good sign for Purdue? Seemed like it, though it was just one isolated play.
The Boilermakers' next however-many-shots-it-was were jumpers. They all missed. Purdue didn't make a three until six minutes remained.
Some of those shots were not good ones. Maybe Wisconsin forced those bad shots, maybe Purdue chucked, I can't say for absolute certain, but there was some definite chucking, in both halves.
There's no shame in losing at Wisconsin. Hell, most teams that play well in the Kohl Center leave with nothing to show for it and that likely would have been the case for Purdue had it not cut its own throat early.
But that it did is the ongoing frustration this group has brought about.
Inexperience is just part of it, as Purdue was victimized by some real freshman moments tonight, but it is March 5 and such things should be fewer and farther between than they were a month ago, or a month before that, or a month before that. Those guys are sophomores now, more or less, and the sophomores juniors. At least in terms of game experience.
Purdue shot itself out of the game early, and Wisconsin shot it out of the game from there on out.
Unable to match up with Wisconsin's shooting big men, Purdue just watched - almost literally - Frank Kaminsky rain shoot-around threes and Nigel Hayes pour in from some jumpers over A.J. Hammons, Purdue's defensive strength turned into its greatest weakness on this night.
Have to wonder how the more mobile Errick Peck might have stacked up at the 5 in terms of being able to check those guys away from the rim in a small lineup, but Purdue stayed with Hammons throughout.
There's a give-and-take obviously, with Hammons being a big part of Purdue's offensive plan - though its investment on getting the ball inside to him continues to pay limited dividends relative to its price (turnovers), and that's not just a Hammons issue - and looming so large on the glass.
But understand, too, that this is a terrific Wisconsin team now and one that if it keeps Sam Dekker next year should be next year's preseason favorite in the Big Ten by a landslide and probably top-five nationally. This team now is Final Four-caliber if you ask me.
Kaminsky has really become an impact player. Purdue should have recruited him. Easy to say now, though.
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 3/6 3:22 AM by Brian_GoldandBlack.com
But it's March 5 and Purdue's still jacking up bad shots, looking early on at Wisconsin Wednesday night a little bit like a team that didn't give all that great a damn anymore.
Matt Painter's messages have fallen on deaf ears - or been tuned out - as Wednesday further illustrated. Again, that's everyone's fault. But I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt what players were told to do prior to this game and I can tell you they did pretty much the opposite.
The Boilermaker coach is fighting this team again, forcing it to play, to show some life, part of the reason he's calling timeouts down seven with 12 seconds left.
I guess you have to credit Purdue for being better in the second half, a trend the past two games to go along with the trend of it being down significantly prior.
It rebounded the ball and got its legs under it on offense. But the final score was cosmetic, product of two late threes that were the product of Painter lighting his timeouts aflame.
Wisconsin missed a lot of free throws, though, and that played no small role in Purdue narrowing its deficit to just seven, which at the time was "close."
The game was never all that close in reality, at never the outcome never in doubt, because Purdue shot itself right out of the game from the outset, as if willfully doing the opposite of what it was supposed to, of what's worked before in this particular venue.
Terone Johnson slashed into the lane to start the game for an easy runner. When Wisconsin's gotten beat this season, it's struggled to keep people out of the lane.
Good sign for Purdue? Seemed like it, though it was just one isolated play.
The Boilermakers' next however-many-shots-it-was were jumpers. They all missed. Purdue didn't make a three until six minutes remained.
Some of those shots were not good ones. Maybe Wisconsin forced those bad shots, maybe Purdue chucked, I can't say for absolute certain, but there was some definite chucking, in both halves.
There's no shame in losing at Wisconsin. Hell, most teams that play well in the Kohl Center leave with nothing to show for it and that likely would have been the case for Purdue had it not cut its own throat early.
But that it did is the ongoing frustration this group has brought about.
Inexperience is just part of it, as Purdue was victimized by some real freshman moments tonight, but it is March 5 and such things should be fewer and farther between than they were a month ago, or a month before that, or a month before that. Those guys are sophomores now, more or less, and the sophomores juniors. At least in terms of game experience.
Purdue shot itself out of the game early, and Wisconsin shot it out of the game from there on out.
Unable to match up with Wisconsin's shooting big men, Purdue just watched - almost literally - Frank Kaminsky rain shoot-around threes and Nigel Hayes pour in from some jumpers over A.J. Hammons, Purdue's defensive strength turned into its greatest weakness on this night.
Have to wonder how the more mobile Errick Peck might have stacked up at the 5 in terms of being able to check those guys away from the rim in a small lineup, but Purdue stayed with Hammons throughout.
There's a give-and-take obviously, with Hammons being a big part of Purdue's offensive plan - though its investment on getting the ball inside to him continues to pay limited dividends relative to its price (turnovers), and that's not just a Hammons issue - and looming so large on the glass.
But understand, too, that this is a terrific Wisconsin team now and one that if it keeps Sam Dekker next year should be next year's preseason favorite in the Big Ten by a landslide and probably top-five nationally. This team now is Final Four-caliber if you ask me.
Kaminsky has really become an impact player. Purdue should have recruited him. Easy to say now, though.
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 3/6 3:22 AM by Brian_GoldandBlack.com
