Some folks would’ve been much better off watching Puppy Bowl replays of “Tail-on Hurts” than the Great Choke in the Cathouse Sunday.
Just imagine seeing Big Ten referees miss 13 straight threes and throw the ball away 13 times in the last 20 minutes after just three turnovers in the first. Problem is, such gags don’t come from swallowed whistles. They are self-induced.
For the record, the fouls finished even at 17-17 and Purdue got four more free throws, 24-20, outscoring Northwestern 19-14 at the line.
It wasn’t the zebras who had five turnovers in the final 2:05. Those all came from kitties converging on just two guys -- the team’s tallest and smallest -- who kept drawing double-teams before their dishes fed only kitties. When not throwing it straight out of bounds.
They’d been proven as quick-learners and great players until the past week, when suddenly late pressure reduced them and their team to mere mortals. Now they’re being made into martyrs when they alone are responsible for their misplays, and if the perceived persecution by outsiders persists, the locals will only be finding fault with a lot more striped shirts after more bad losses.
The last two times Purdue started 11-1 in Big Ten play, it fully blew the league championship. It’ll happen again this year if the blame keeps going elsewhere. Time to man up and play as hard as the opponents do.
Just imagine seeing Big Ten referees miss 13 straight threes and throw the ball away 13 times in the last 20 minutes after just three turnovers in the first. Problem is, such gags don’t come from swallowed whistles. They are self-induced.
For the record, the fouls finished even at 17-17 and Purdue got four more free throws, 24-20, outscoring Northwestern 19-14 at the line.
It wasn’t the zebras who had five turnovers in the final 2:05. Those all came from kitties converging on just two guys -- the team’s tallest and smallest -- who kept drawing double-teams before their dishes fed only kitties. When not throwing it straight out of bounds.
They’d been proven as quick-learners and great players until the past week, when suddenly late pressure reduced them and their team to mere mortals. Now they’re being made into martyrs when they alone are responsible for their misplays, and if the perceived persecution by outsiders persists, the locals will only be finding fault with a lot more striped shirts after more bad losses.
The last two times Purdue started 11-1 in Big Ten play, it fully blew the league championship. It’ll happen again this year if the blame keeps going elsewhere. Time to man up and play as hard as the opponents do.
