MILWAUKEE — Purdue needed that win over Vermont last night bad.
Like, bad.
Now that that albatross has been dispatched, maybe things get easier for Purdue. By easier I of course don't mean that the games get easier or the results don't matter as much, but just that some small measure of pressure is off and now Purdue can just play.
That probably sounds trite, but I think there's probably something to it. Something small, but something nonetheless.
Purdue now moves on to play an Iowa State that it must not be weighed down against and now one would think it won't be. It's going to be a compelling matchup between a great frontcourt and a great backcourt, Iowa State's led by Monte Morris, one of the best point guards in the country.
The Boilermakers need Caleb Swanigan, increasingly ornery lately as the games have gotten bigger, to be the future pro that he is, but also need a repeat of what happened vs. Vermont. Someone else may need to have one of those special games. Last night it was Vincent Edwards. Purdue has a bunch of other guys who are capable.
Typically I wouldn't be thrilled about how Purdue may stack up against great guards and dribble-oriented teams with athleticism and that's what Iowa State is. Purdue's history against top-shelf point guards this season isn't stellar and I don't know who's going to check 6-foot-5, 250-pound Deonte Burton.
One thing that's painfully obvious: The post-entry turnovers must cease. Vermont in transition is one thing, Iowa State another.
And Iowa State is just as good a three-point shooting team as Purdue is, and you've seen what that came mean in games.
This is a scary game. There are no easy ones in this event, especially not in Round 2, but I think Purdue is a Sweet 16-caliber team and there would be a certain symmetry to the Boilermakers making it that far. They opened the season 15th in the AP poll, finished the season 15th in the AP poll, and got a 4 seed to the NCAA Tournament, synonymous with final 16.
Iowa State's going to be well represented in the crowd tomorrow, perhaps not unlike the de facto road game Purdue played in the Round of 32 against Washington in Portland years ago.
Purdue's going to have to play one of its best games of the season tomorrow night to get to Kansas City.
That much is clear.
Like, bad.
Now that that albatross has been dispatched, maybe things get easier for Purdue. By easier I of course don't mean that the games get easier or the results don't matter as much, but just that some small measure of pressure is off and now Purdue can just play.
That probably sounds trite, but I think there's probably something to it. Something small, but something nonetheless.
Purdue now moves on to play an Iowa State that it must not be weighed down against and now one would think it won't be. It's going to be a compelling matchup between a great frontcourt and a great backcourt, Iowa State's led by Monte Morris, one of the best point guards in the country.
The Boilermakers need Caleb Swanigan, increasingly ornery lately as the games have gotten bigger, to be the future pro that he is, but also need a repeat of what happened vs. Vermont. Someone else may need to have one of those special games. Last night it was Vincent Edwards. Purdue has a bunch of other guys who are capable.
Typically I wouldn't be thrilled about how Purdue may stack up against great guards and dribble-oriented teams with athleticism and that's what Iowa State is. Purdue's history against top-shelf point guards this season isn't stellar and I don't know who's going to check 6-foot-5, 250-pound Deonte Burton.
One thing that's painfully obvious: The post-entry turnovers must cease. Vermont in transition is one thing, Iowa State another.
And Iowa State is just as good a three-point shooting team as Purdue is, and you've seen what that came mean in games.
This is a scary game. There are no easy ones in this event, especially not in Round 2, but I think Purdue is a Sweet 16-caliber team and there would be a certain symmetry to the Boilermakers making it that far. They opened the season 15th in the AP poll, finished the season 15th in the AP poll, and got a 4 seed to the NCAA Tournament, synonymous with final 16.
Iowa State's going to be well represented in the crowd tomorrow, perhaps not unlike the de facto road game Purdue played in the Round of 32 against Washington in Portland years ago.
Purdue's going to have to play one of its best games of the season tomorrow night to get to Kansas City.
That much is clear.
