If we win tonight, any later loss doesn't move us out of the top 10.
- Thread starter Abugabby
- Start date
I don't think that's necessarily true (although I think it'd have to be Michigan being the loss).
However, the notion that we're going to go through the Big Ten only facing one loss in the face is slightly unrealistic (which seems to exist on this board). If you had to label a good time to have a loss, this would be the time to experience and learn from it. Rather see them now than in February/March. It'd be great to win, not sure I'd lose my shit if we lost though....which some people on here would be....
I agree with this , but win this and from here on out no single loss will move us out.
Purdue is a top 5 team because so many teams lost. Purdue has earned it, but there are 10 teams right on our tails if we slip up. 3 losses moves us out of the top ten. We dont get the benefit of the doubt like other programs.
Well then, there’s only one thing to do... Let’s just win the effin thing!!
Illinois went unbeaten in conference play a number of years ago with a less talented team in a deeper conference....if there was a year Purdue could make a run at being unbeaten, this would be it. That being said...I think 3 losses probably wins the conference and being 15-3 is still damn good...would put Purdue at around 28 - 5 and if they can get to the BTT title game...likely places them as a #2 at worst seed.
I would be curious to know what Illinois team went unbeaten that was less talented than this year's Purdue team. Surely you are not referring to the mid-2000's team that went to the NCAA title game, that was absolutely loaded with Bill Self talent.
Who cares about a ranking in early Jan. Just win the damn games. We should worry about playing defense.
That would have to be the team he’s talking about, and they were loaded.
That being said, I’d agree with his assertion that Purdue could conceivably run the slate this year. I haven’t looked at your guys’ schedule but PU and MSU are obviously different caliber teams than the rest of the league and MSU just showed they aren’t untouchable. Its never easy to go undefeated in the B1G but I wouldn’t be shocked if it happened.
that would be 2005? coached by Bruce Weber? i thought they lost their last regular season conference game. Deron Williams, Luther Head, Dee Brown....had a good shot against ol Roy's squad. They ended the year with just two losses.
Yes, that is the team I am referring to and I believe Purdue's team is better overall than that team. The only clear advantage Illinois may have is with Dee Brown over PJ Thompson but I see a push at the other positions outside of Haas where I believe he would have dominated Augustine in the post. Purdue's team is likely a deeper and more well rounded team...however, that team could get out in transition and run...which is what typically had caused problems for CMP coached teams.
Looking in more depth at the conference that season, it appears it is actually some what similar in that the 2004-05 conference only had 5 bids and had 4 teams ranked at one point but none higher than 10th when paired with Illinois at #1. There could also easily be 4 teams in the Sweet 16 in Purdue, MSU, UM, and OSU and shows a very top heavy conference just like it is this season.
I am not taking anything away from that Illinois team that is arguably one of the better teams the conference has had since 2000....I just happen to think Purdue's team could be equally better or even better.
Now, I'll go take my Gold and Black colored glasses off before I have to get back to work!
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Agree to disagree.
Luther Head > Carsen (as a sophomore)
Dee Brown > PJ
Deron Williams > Dakota
Augustine = Haas (Augustine would take him outside similar to Wagner)
Vince > Powell
Purdue has 7 rpi top 50 wins and 6 top 50 wins in the ken-pom rankings against 1 loss to Tennessee. I don't see how they can fall out of the top 10 with a loss. Did I mention a 12 game winning streak. Ain't gonna happen.
It's easy to forget just how good of college basketball players Dee Brown and Luther Head were. The fact that they somewhat overshadowed Deron Williams says it all.
Running the table is crazy talk. There have been so many talented teams that don't run the table in the B1G. I think IU '76 was the last to do it? Let's just enjoy this tough 1 point win @ Mich.
Getting back to the original intent of this thread before it went off the rails, I agree with Abugabby's assertion.
As soon as I read this post, I realized who Deron Williams was and that sort of pushes it to the side of Illinois for me. Totally spaced who that player was until now. Thanks for the information!
If the two teams played 10 times, what would be the breakdown? Going back and looking more in depth at it and realizing I was thinking of different players (Deron Williams for example), I think Purdue would grab 3 of 10 from Illinois. Purdue is a contrast of style that I think would cause some problems for Illinois in that that Illinois team didn't seem incredibly deep and big along the front court and with Haas, Haarms, and Vince...you could get them in trouble, slow the game down, and win it from the FT line.
Those are good stats - but I think a bad loss will hurt them no matter what. Keep in mind - we have a lot of Top 50 wins - but we don't have many top 25 (2 in Sagarin).
Purdue really only has one "anchor" win - against Arizona, which is iffy in the anchor win dept. So a bad loss will hurt Purdue.
The challenge for Purdue this season will be to manage the losses, which is somewhat obvious. This @ Minnesota game - it's sort of a trap/no win situation for us. We win and we really would be expected to. However, we lose - Minnesota is very likely not an NCAA Tournament team. It won't be a "good" loss most likely down the road. Losing last night against Michigan probably would have been an ok loss. Michigan is likely a tournament team and it was on the road.
Polls are heavily weighted on good wins and bad losses - and consistency.
I'll say this much for the rankings:
Purdue won a true road game last night and has another opportunity at the Barn this weekend. Win that and our buddy up in East Lansing might even consider moving the Boilers up to #15.
Then, again, maybe he'll just come up with another argument for why beating Arizona, Butler, and now Michigan doesn't really matter. Who knows.
Purdue won a true road game last night and has another opportunity at the Barn this weekend. Win that and our buddy up in East Lansing might even consider moving the Boilers up to #15.
Then, again, maybe he'll just come up with another argument for why beating Arizona, Butler, and now Michigan doesn't really matter. Who knows.
We need the Wolverines to take out their frustrations on Sparty this weekend.
It will be an interesting game. I suspect both teams feel like they have a lot to prove.
Checking stats from the past (and my memory) and only considering college careers to that point I would say...
Luther Head = Carsen (as a Sophomore)
Dee Brown > PJ
Dakota > Deron Williams
Haas > James Augustine
Vince > Powell
Purdue's bench > Illinois' bench
Therefore advantage Purdue!
Now as far as going unbeaten in conference play - we will have to wait and see of course, but we still have that road game in East Lansing that won't be easy. A down year for the conference; I am not buying it. There aren't many cupcakes on the schedule, so we need to be ready to play every game!
You are correct, IU was the last team to do it. I got bored and looked up some random stats. Multiple teams have posted 1 loss seasons with two of them coming in the past 15 years, but only 12 have gone undefeated dating back to 1905. They are below.
IU x 2
PU x 2
Illinois x 2
Wisconsin x 2
Iowa
OSU
Minnesota
Chicago
A couple other interesting things (to me) that I came across were that two of the teams were undefeated in the same season and shared the title, and that three seasons ended with IU and PU being the sole teams sharing the conference title. The two didn’t play in one of the years and split the other two years; each team winning at home.
