ADVERTISEMENT

How do you think.....

@boilerzz Can you both not be correct?

This is true-

"A large contingent of Purdue fans are soft and mentally weak, clearly beaten down by 40+ years on no Final Fours.
Its really sad because very little of what has happened before has any bearing on this year but people still let it affect their psyche."

You comments are also true in that they do go to games and are more knowledgeable than some fan bases overall and share a lot of similarities with other fan bases. The sellout last night we know wasn't to see Purdue as much as Caitlin Clark.
Yep. It's like he completely missed the point...again.
 
Did they play it with a 5’-10” guy out front against a team hitting 60% from 3?
They have 6’3, 6’4, 6’5 and 6’6 from the four guards they rotate. We should try seeing if smith has tried hitting a growth spurt…he does have a long wingspan already.
 
Yep. It's like he completely missed the point...again.
Sometimes I wonder if people read so much that it gets mixed up some. I'm unsure at times what forum I'm on when typing until I actually look to see. Anyway, I understand both points of view and do not find them contradictory at all...
 
Rayl is actually 5'11, but I was not suggesting using him in the zone.
I was referring to Braden, who’s 5’-10” max, in shoes. My daughter had a class with him this fall and insists he’s 5’-9”.

Any zone involving him would be a bad one.
 
I was referring to Braden, who’s 5’-10” max, in shoes. My daughter had a class with him this fall and insists he’s 5’-9”.

Any zone involving him would be a bad one.
face to face with him...I'm guessing 5'11" 1/2. Just a bit under 6 feet...not much. When his dad introduced him to me I thought he would be shorter and thought...yeah...around 6' That was after a sectional game and think he had sandals on, but can't recall for certain.
 
@boilerzz Can you both not be correct?

This is true-

"A large contingent of Purdue fans are soft and mentally weak, clearly beaten down by 40+ years on no Final Fours.
Its really sad because very little of what has happened before has any bearing on this year but people still let it affect their psyche."

You comments are also true in that they do go to games and are more knowledgeable than some fan bases overall and share a lot of similarities with other fan bases. The sellout last night we know wasn't to see Purdue as much as Caitlin Clark.
Soft and mentally weak? As opposed to what other fan base? Ridiculous. And saying all the fans showed up just to see Caitlin Clark? How many showed up to see a potential upset as well? Of course Clark was a draw, but the women's team has done it before without Clark. Did all of the Nebraska fans show up to see Edey or the chance to see #1 get knocked off? Calling a fanbase soft and mentally weak is a tremendous insult and it is also stupid and wrong. That is something an IU idiot would claim. Sheesh.
 
  • Love
Reactions: Schmedly_Whiplash
I was referring to Braden, who’s 5’-10” max, in shoes. My daughter had a class with him this fall and insists he’s 5’-9”.

Any zone involving him would be a bad one.
The roster says 6'0.

A quick short guy can be more effective in a zone than a tall slow guy - depending on the opponent.

But whatever. This is all theoretical. Matt will never try it.
 
face to face with him...I'm guessing 5'11" 1/2. Just a bit under 6 feet...not much. When his dad introduced him to me I thought he would be shorter and thought...yeah...around 6' That was after a sectional game and think he had sandals on, but can't recall for certain.
Wow, he could play in sandals?
 
Not playing zone is probably the single biggest complaint that Purdue fans have with Matt. I'm real reluctant to get into it knowing all the typing I've done on the subject the last few years. I'm definitely a believer of it in high school where skills and athleticism are more lacking. That said we've witnessed games where it appears a zone may have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat...and we've seen it go the other way as well, where it snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Two minutes can determine a win or loss either way and so changing things can be as destructive inside a game as not changing things. I think it is helpful to understand there are no solutions, just trade offs. What are the trade offs in man...in zone... or an attempt to take advantage of man concepts AND zone with a match-up?

Every coach...every system (at least all I'm quickly thinking of) tries to mold both zone concepts and man concepts for most play. Today, we are seeing more teams showing zone to use clock as teams get organized (because you do need that against a zone) and then go man out of it when the other team is starting to attack. They only switch due to believing man is the better defense. FWIW, I think that playing Zone will always be a debate in the forums and different sides will list what they believe are the positives of each.
 
Soft and mentally weak? As opposed to what other fan base? Ridiculous. And saying all the fans showed up just to see Caitlin Clark? How many showed up to see a potential upset as well? Of course Clark was a draw, but the women's team has done it before without Clark. Did all of the Nebraska fans show up to see Edey or the chance to see #1 get knocked off? Calling a fanbase soft and mentally weak is a tremendous insult and it is also stupid and wrong. That is something an IU idiot would claim. Sheesh.
Where did I reference any other fanbase? I didn't. I was speaking on our fanbase. Sorry I didn't spell it out at a level you can comprehend.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: z_one
Soft and mentally weak? As opposed to what other fan base? Ridiculous. And saying all the fans showed up just to see Caitlin Clark? How many showed up to see a potential upset as well? Of course Clark was a draw, but the women's team has done it before without Clark. Did all of the Nebraska fans show up to see Edey or the chance to see #1 get knocked off? Calling a fanbase soft and mentally weak is a tremendous insult and it is also stupid and wrong. That is something an IU idiot would claim. Sheesh.
Well, we do know that Purdue does NOT sell out womens basketball games and yet for this one they did. What was different? We know the answer to that. I'm unaware that anyone said "all" that you continue to use, was ever used. If it was, then I'm wrong. I took it as a general statement. When people moan and moan about losing a game and about to slit their wrists....I don't think that is mentally tough, but then again I think all the players are more mentally tough that most fans...one of the more important things a player should get out of sports.
 
Especially as long as @z_one is posting.

Good analysis of the issue.
I only wrote what I did for you. Anyone that deals daily with some that you deal with need kindness to write about something that I've written a lot about in the past. Someday I may make a list of pros and cons of each and ask for others to add to what I may have not listed. Then if everybody agrees with the lists, they can just say Purdue needs to do #17 in the A list because the B list doesn't accomplish this and then others can say yeah, but... ;)

BTW, Bob used to post years ago on the basketball forum when he was not as ill...
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Riveting-
Not playing zone is probably the single biggest complaint that Purdue fans have with Matt. I'm real reluctant to get into it knowing all the typing I've done on the subject the last few years. I'm definitely a believer of it in high school where skills and athleticism are more lacking. That said we've witnessed games where it appears a zone may have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat...and we've seen it go the other way as well, where it snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Two minutes can determine a win or loss either way and so changing things can be as destructive inside a game as not changing things. I think it is helpful to understand there are no solutions, just trade offs. What are the trade offs in man...in zone... or an attempt to take advantage of man concepts AND zone with a match-up?

Every coach...every system (at least all I'm quickly thinking of) tries to mold both zone concepts and man concepts for most play. Today, we are seeing more teams showing zone to use clock as teams get organized (because you do need that against a zone) and then go man out of it when the other team is starting to attack. They only switch due to believing man is the better defense. FWIW, I think that playing Zone will always be a debate in the forums and different sides will list what they believe are the positives of each.
The fans who most often call MP stubborn aren't paying attention and are obviously being stubborn.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: tjreese
Purdue plays very little straight up man-to-man defense. With all of the helps and hedges its more of a tight matchup zone. That's at least how I see it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: boilerzz
Purdue plays very little straight up man-to-man defense. With all of the helps and hedges its more of a tight matchup zone. That's at least how I see it.
It is close as man Ds that switch are. However, in the match up the players go to their area and match up with the players in their areas and that "man" just takes his man and sometimes switch where it is close...trying to keep the right defenders on the right people due to a coaches desire for who guards who. You would rarely see a little guard on a big under the basket in a match up, but with switching and then isolating the players to not be able to switch back you could get a smaller player on a much bigger player in man that switches and you will see that from time to time when Purdue plays. You hope there is that split second where the players with the wrong people can switch back without creating an easy scoring opportunity. Xiaver Simpson was really good at this!
 
Last edited:
ya know...I never looked at it that way before. ;)
If you have been calling for MP to play YOUR favorite zone for 20+ years, knowing Painter's defensive schemes and history with zone, then you being stubborn.

Maybe those people don't understand Painter's schemes and history. That qualifies as ignorance. But they are still being stubborn.
 
If you have been calling for MP to play YOUR favorite zone for 20+ years, knowing Painter's defensive schemes and history with zone, then you being stubborn.

Maybe those people don't understand Painter's schemes and history. That qualifies as ignorance. But they are still being stubborn.
First, there is no such thing as Matt being stubborn no matter what some may believe. He just doesn't agree with those that wish he would do what they believe should be done. The debate should be whether Matt is right or wrong...but stubborn is not part of the equation. It is as clear as can be to those that want Matt to make major changes in what he does rather than tweaking inside what he does that in their mind Matt is stubborn, because he "has to know" they are right and still refuses to do it.

There is no magic elixir. ALL defenses under certain conditions (you can't control the offense in how they attack your D) have weaker areas...some more than others. Change your D and the Offense against you will change as well. Will it get better...will it get worse? To a smaller degree that takes place when a coach decides to go over the top or under a screen and whether to help off a player. No matter what you do there is a counter. The whole game, coaches on O and D adjust (in what players do generally)...the whole game...lack of execution of any makes it appear as a bad choice...but was in wrong in thought or just bad execution...or bad execution due to bad thought that created the situation in question?
 
If anyone is watching Iowa vs Nebraska tonight, you just saw another example of a team going zone because MTM wasn't working. Iowa went zone and completely changed the game. Glad to see it in the B1G, doesn't happen often in our conference.
 
If anyone is watching Iowa vs Nebraska tonight, you just saw another example of a team going zone because MTM wasn't working. Iowa went zone and completely changed the game. Glad to see it in the B1G, doesn't happen often in our conference.
It actually happened in IU versus Mn tonight too. However, IU hit one 3 and Mn abandoned the zone even though they cut IU's lead from 15 down to 5 (I think). I'd zone IU, but wouldn't have done it against Nebraska.
 
Well, we do know that Purdue does NOT sell out womens basketball games and yet for this one they did. What was different? We know the answer to that. I'm unaware that anyone said "all" that you continue to use, was ever used. If it was, then I'm wrong. I took it as a general statement. When people moan and moan about losing a game and about to slit their wrists....I don't think that is mentally tough, but then again I think all the players are more mentally tough that most fans...one of the more important things a player should get out of sports.
They have sold out women's games before without Clark. It is not done on a regular basis that is true and I acknowledged that it was an additional draw which you ignored. You claiming that people are ready to 'slit their wrists' after a loss is over the top ridiculous. Purdue fans no more than most other fanbases. All you have to do is read some of the posts from the IU board and you soon find out how much more sensible Purdue fans are. Purdue fans are much more mentally tough than many other fan bases. We don't push as a fanbase to fire our coaches at a drop of a hat. Look at how many coaches IU has gone through. Purdue named it's floor after Keady, a great coach that never made it to the final four. How many other fanbases love their former coach like Purdue does? Purdue fans were sad to see Brohm leave and he was 2 games over .500. If we were Texas A and M Brohm wouldn't have lasted 3 years. If we were IU or Kentucky, Painter would have been fired years ago. Let's not trash the fanbase just because a few people are over the top. It's a great fanbase and more patient and sensible and loyal than the majority out there.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Dryfly88
They have sold out women's games before without Clark. It is not done on a regular basis that is true and I acknowledged that it was an additional draw which you ignored. You claiming that people are ready to 'slit their wrists' after a loss is over the top ridiculous. Purdue fans no more than most other fanbases. All you have to do is read some of the posts from the IU board and you soon find out how much more sensible Purdue fans are. Purdue fans are much more mentally tough than many other fan bases. We don't push as a fanbase to fire our coaches at a drop of a hat. Look at how many coaches IU has gone through. Purdue named it's floor after Keady, a great coach that never made it to the final four. How many other fanbases love their former coach like Purdue does? Purdue fans were sad to see Brohm leave and he was 2 games over .500. If we were Texas A and M Brohm wouldn't have lasted 3 years. If we were IU or Kentucky, Painter would have been fired years ago. Let's not trash the fanbase just because a few people are over the top. It's a great fanbase and more patient and sensible and loyal than the majority out there.
You brought up something I've never thought of: How many courts are named after a coach that never even made a FF? I tried a quick search and didn't find what I was looking for. But I'm guessing there aren't many.
 
  • Like
Reactions: z_one
Where did I reference any other fanbase? I didn't. I was speaking on our fanbase. Sorry I didn't spell it out at a level you can comprehend.
You didn't, you just trashed ours. Sorry I didn't point that out clearly enough for you to understand.
 
Last edited:
They have sold out women's games before without Clark. It is not done on a regular basis that is true and I acknowledged that it was an additional draw which you ignored. You claiming that people are ready to 'slit their wrists' after a loss is over the top ridiculous. Purdue fans no more than most other fanbases. All you have to do is read some of the posts from the IU board and you soon find out how much more sensible Purdue fans are. Purdue fans are much more mentally tough than many other fan bases. We don't push as a fanbase to fire our coaches at a drop of a hat. Look at how many coaches IU has gone through. Purdue named it's floor after Keady, a great coach that never made it to the final four. How many other fanbases love their former coach like Purdue does? Purdue fans were sad to see Brohm leave and he was 2 games over .500. If we were Texas A and M Brohm wouldn't have lasted 3 years. If we were IU or Kentucky, Painter would have been fired years ago. Let's not trash the fanbase just because a few people are over the top. It's a great fanbase and more patient and sensible and loyal than the majority out there.
You go through the IU board vs our board after our loss to Nebraska and you wouldn’t be able to tell which team is the overall projected 1 seed for the tourney and which is ranked 100th and may not see the tourney—and it’s not because both fanbases think highly of their team. The doom and gloomers come out IMMEDIATELY after we lose saying how everything is the same as last year…but they don’t say anything when we win and beat good teams. I believe that’s what TJ was referring to. But he can correct me if I’m wrong.

It just gets old with the doom and gloom… I get why though. It’s tough being a Purdue fan because we are tantalized with good teams in the regular season and then the past 3 years have been the laughing stock of the tourney, even tho the regular season has been very good all 3 years. I acknowledge we need certain type of players and it’d be great to see our coach adapt and change to a bit to see if maaaaybe something else will work than what he’s been trying the last 10 years. His recruiting has changed and next year will be different than what we have had in the past. But that’s next year and we gotta work with what we got. Good news, is that we have Zach and are also shooting 40% from 3 on the year (top 15-20 in the country, which gives us a damn good chance to win with the style we play). Hope CMP can play Heide a lot more and have him ready for March and even somehow get Myles 6-8 min a game so he can possibly contribute if called upon in March.

Unfortunately, this team won’t be judged at all on how well they play prior to the tournament, but how they perform in the tourney. Lot of pressure on those kids and they’ve been handling it pretty damn well so far. Hope they can deal with the loss and respond well the next 2 weeks…gonna be a tough stretch.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tjreese and z_one
The zone helped slow Xavier’s halfcourt offense down a bit, as the Musketeers attempted just 26 shots in the latter half after hurling up 32 in the first.

Still, Xavier hit 15 of those shots. That’s 57.7 percent. Not quite 70 percent, but close enough.

“It might not have felt this way ... (but) even though the pressure went up and it was a different defense,” Xavier coach Sean Miller pointed out, “we were still able to score 43 points.”
 
  • Like
Reactions: DwaynePurvis00
You brought up something I've never thought of: How many courts are named after a coach that never even made a FF? I tried a quick search and didn't find what I was looking for. But I'm guessing there aren't many.
And I'd guess here ARE. Since not that many teams have made final 4's.
And most floors have a name on them.
 
They have sold out women's games before without Clark. It is not done on a regular basis that is true and I acknowledged that it was an additional draw which you ignored. You claiming that people are ready to 'slit their wrists' after a loss is over the top ridiculous. Purdue fans no more than most other fanbases. All you have to do is read some of the posts from the IU board and you soon find out how much more sensible Purdue fans are. Purdue fans are much more mentally tough than many other fan bases. We don't push as a fanbase to fire our coaches at a drop of a hat. Look at how many coaches IU has gone through. Purdue named it's floor after Keady, a great coach that never made it to the final four. How many other fanbases love their former coach like Purdue does? Purdue fans were sad to see Brohm leave and he was 2 games over .500. If we were Texas A and M Brohm wouldn't have lasted 3 years. If we were IU or Kentucky, Painter would have been fired years ago. Let's not trash the fanbase just because a few people are over the top. It's a great fanbase and more patient and sensible and loyal than the majority out there.
IU fans eat their own. I've posted that a few times, but someplace being worse doesn't mean Purdue fans are not weak as well. The reality is that fans in general are weak. Purdue fans usually have a tie to Purdue, but as the fans grow due to success, more fans without ties will resemble IU's fan base. I like Purdue's fan base in general, but you still have fans going crazy over a game. I spend a lot of time in this forum talking basketball. I make a lot of posts concerning the game. If I didn't think the people in the forum were capable of understanding what I write, I wouldn't do it. Still, when you see some things posted and the lack of mental control you know those people wouldn't handle the heat of the moment well and why I think Purdue like others has fans that really don't know what is going on and would be mentally tough enough to deal with what the coaches AND players deal with...but it isn't just Purdue fans. It is what happens in all sports.

Now, had someone responded to me with a Purdue fanbase not being mentally tough...I wouldn't have thought a thing about it. However, I'm probably an insensitive SOB in many occasions and wouldn't notice. Just one of the many possible flaws I may have in other's minds. I'm much more sensitive to a comment relative to the game itself...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Riveting-
And I'd guess here ARE. Since not that many teams have made final 4's.
And most floors have a name on them.
I know of Norm Stewart at Missouri and Keady. Maybe there are a bunch more, but I'm not thinking of them. Of course we aren't talking about smaller schools that wouldn't likely go to the FF anyway.
 
I’m personally a zone proponent since my 5’5” freshman coach had us run it vs the tallest, most athletic team on our schedule. However, I thought we lost the Nebraska game by walking the ball up the court. We’ve shown the capability to beat high possession teams like Alabama, Arizona, Gonzaga and Illinois. Don’t like the idea of trying to minimize our possessions vs this year’s Big10…
 
The roster says 6'0.

A quick short guy can be more effective in a zone than a tall slow guy - depending on the opponent.

But whatever. This is all theoretical. Matt will never try it.
Either way, neither the Heat nor UConn is using someone as short as Braden to zone a team shooting lights out from 3.
 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT