A few final musings from Purdue's 70-55 loss at No. 4 Iowa Tuesday night, because I know how you like musings.
• Unfathomable to me, quite honestly, that Purdue only scored 55 points against these guys. Everything Purdue had been offensively lately, it wasn't at Iowa, and everything Iowa has been defensively for years now, it wasn't. Credit the Hawkeyes for upping their game on D — maybe smarting from that Gonzaga game — but Purdue has much to ruminate over, as well, because it turned into a pumpkin offensively tonight when it had been very much trending upward. Its decision-making lapsed terribly, inexplicably.
• As the juniors go, so will Purdue go. You'll hear that from me a lot this season, and it's played out as such this season. They struggled at Miami and Purdue lost. They played great three games in a row and Purdue won all of 'em. They were all lackluster tonight and Purdue lost. They carry tremendous gravity on this team, and they need to be better than tonight. They have been and will be again.
• At the end of the day, this was a really disappointing showing for Purdue, because it belied everything they seemed to be becoming, but it's not like you just lost to Nebraska or Minnesota here. You lost to the No. 4 team in America on the road. It's not the end of the world.
I'll say this, too: Iowa gets a lot more respect from me as that No. 4 team in America after tonight, because they actually guarded and they really came at Purdue physically. They hustled to the ball and played hard and all that, and Purdue didn't always match it.
• Connor McCaffery's putback was the biggest play of this game probably, that and the potential four-point swing on the uncharacteristic Sasha Stefanovic turnover. This was a seven-point game with less than four minutes to go. If Purdue had scored off that Stefanovic-led break — no guarantee there — and Iowa hadn't off the turnover, and then Purdue gets that rebound off McCaffery's miss, you might be flirting with a one-possession game inside the final media timeout.
Purdue did have its chances here.
• Purdue had done such a good job being basic lately, and that was a big part of the offense's success. When Trevion Williams does things outside his strengths, or makes things more difficult than they need to be, he's doing neither himself nor his team any favors. Not sure why that reality from the past three games didn't carry over to Iowa, and not sure why Stefanovic did what he did there, but hope he didn't concuss himself slapping his head afterward.
• I've always thought the Stefanovic-road-shooting stuff was a bit overblown, because he didn't close last season poorly. He made big shots at IU, Northwestern and Iowa. But obviously for much of this game it looked like a thing. But that late one he made was big. Purdue didn't shoot great as a team tonight, either.
• Jaden Ivey needs some success. He is a can't-miss player, IMO, but he really could have used all those non-conference games he missed. Tough break there for all involved. It sucks when young guys get hurt and it stunts their growth.
• One of the many things Purdue couldn't afford tonight was for Luka Garza to make like four threes. D'oh!
What a player.
Have a good morning everybody and thanks for reading.
• Unfathomable to me, quite honestly, that Purdue only scored 55 points against these guys. Everything Purdue had been offensively lately, it wasn't at Iowa, and everything Iowa has been defensively for years now, it wasn't. Credit the Hawkeyes for upping their game on D — maybe smarting from that Gonzaga game — but Purdue has much to ruminate over, as well, because it turned into a pumpkin offensively tonight when it had been very much trending upward. Its decision-making lapsed terribly, inexplicably.
• As the juniors go, so will Purdue go. You'll hear that from me a lot this season, and it's played out as such this season. They struggled at Miami and Purdue lost. They played great three games in a row and Purdue won all of 'em. They were all lackluster tonight and Purdue lost. They carry tremendous gravity on this team, and they need to be better than tonight. They have been and will be again.
• At the end of the day, this was a really disappointing showing for Purdue, because it belied everything they seemed to be becoming, but it's not like you just lost to Nebraska or Minnesota here. You lost to the No. 4 team in America on the road. It's not the end of the world.
I'll say this, too: Iowa gets a lot more respect from me as that No. 4 team in America after tonight, because they actually guarded and they really came at Purdue physically. They hustled to the ball and played hard and all that, and Purdue didn't always match it.
• Connor McCaffery's putback was the biggest play of this game probably, that and the potential four-point swing on the uncharacteristic Sasha Stefanovic turnover. This was a seven-point game with less than four minutes to go. If Purdue had scored off that Stefanovic-led break — no guarantee there — and Iowa hadn't off the turnover, and then Purdue gets that rebound off McCaffery's miss, you might be flirting with a one-possession game inside the final media timeout.
Purdue did have its chances here.
• Purdue had done such a good job being basic lately, and that was a big part of the offense's success. When Trevion Williams does things outside his strengths, or makes things more difficult than they need to be, he's doing neither himself nor his team any favors. Not sure why that reality from the past three games didn't carry over to Iowa, and not sure why Stefanovic did what he did there, but hope he didn't concuss himself slapping his head afterward.
• I've always thought the Stefanovic-road-shooting stuff was a bit overblown, because he didn't close last season poorly. He made big shots at IU, Northwestern and Iowa. But obviously for much of this game it looked like a thing. But that late one he made was big. Purdue didn't shoot great as a team tonight, either.
• Jaden Ivey needs some success. He is a can't-miss player, IMO, but he really could have used all those non-conference games he missed. Tough break there for all involved. It sucks when young guys get hurt and it stunts their growth.
• One of the many things Purdue couldn't afford tonight was for Luka Garza to make like four threes. D'oh!
What a player.
Have a good morning everybody and thanks for reading.
