OK, some thoughts on the biggest game of the college basketball day: Purdue-Eastern Michigan ...
That's obviously a joke, as all eyes are on Indiana for its landmark win over Kentucky, a "perfect storm" game if there ever was one. What I mean by that is that in college sports, sometimes there are so many factors leaning one way that the improbable almost becomes probable.
Like last year's Ohio State game at Purdue, where the Buckeyes came in having beaten the Boilermakers by a hundred earlier in the season. Yet, Purdue was so hot at the time and is so good in Mackey Arena, I remember telling people before the game Purdue would win by double-digits. Sure enough.
On paper, IU shouldn't have been able to beat UK, but at home on this day, everything was working in the Hoosiers' direction, except of course for the fact they were not ranked No. 1 like their opponent.
Anyway, you're not here to read about IU - well, maybe you are - but I mention it to point out that the Big Ten is good, probably better than some of us figured it might be. Indiana's resurgence is part of that.
So things will get tougher for Purdue than they have been during the Boilermakers' 9-2 start, undoubtedly a successful beginning for a new team, though it'd be really nice to have that Xavier W. But nothing's changing that now.
Purdue beat Eastern Michigan with relative ease Saturday, but what matters now is the week "off" it gets before meeting struggling Butler next Saturday.
This could be the most important week of Purdue's season and it won't even play a single game.
Purdue is winning right now, but not without deficiencies. I don't think there's any question it can get better offensively and defensively; figure out ways to either better position its big men for success or hide them; get healthy, or healthier; and, of course, shoot about 8,000,000 free throws.
Oh, and do good in school.
There are still some guys playing major roles for Purdue who don't have a whole lot of experience who might benefit from a chance just to catch their breath, stop and listen for a few days.
The week of practice maybe allows the coaching staff a chance to do kind of a self audit on how things have gone so far and what might be done differently. It will be interesting to see how the rotation evolves now that 11 games are in the books.
Matt Painter just talked the other day about the difficulties of making improvements during the game-after-game-after-game scramble this time of year.
Well, here's a full week of just practice to potentially make some improvements.
Additionally, Purdue's been a physical wreck already this season: Terone Johnson was slowed by his knee early in the season; D.J. Byrd has had a bad ankle; Robbie Hummel fought that illness, not to mention the judiciousness Purdue's using with him in terms of his practice schedule.
Lewis Jackson has already dealt with issues in at least five different parts of his body this season alone. To take inventory, it's foot, ankle, thigh, head and back. If I'm his thyroid, I'm worried that I'm next!
John Hart only saw his first minutes of the season today, though it's very clear he's going to really have to battle to get minutes with the two Johnsons well established now.
All this, and it's not even Christmas.
Purdue can really use this week to take a step back, get better and get healthy.
Because from here on out, the stakes are raised.
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