The Boilermakers could slide up into the double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament.
In fact, if Purdue wins out — victories at Minnesota Thursday night and at home vs. Northwestern Sunday — and Michigan State beats Nebraska, as expected, then the Boilermakers can bypass the tourney’s first two days.
It’d be a big climb back for the Boilermakers (17-11 overall, 8-6 in the Big Ten), who started the season with losses in three of their first four games.
“We’re just going to keep fighting,” Coach Sharon Versyp said. “Everybody knows we have an opportunity with that. The destinies aren’t in our own hands. Both teams we’re playing are really tough. One (Minnesota) plays really well at home. Northwestern … is getting some players back (from injury); at this point, you’ve got to really play within yourself and not worry about anyone else but yourself.
“We do have a great opportunity. We have a chance to finish 10-6, nobody would even think we’d d be close to that at the beginning of the year. But it’s about continuing to improve and keep getting better going into the Big Ten (Tournament).”
In that scenario, Purdue would play the 2:30 tip on Friday afternoon, likely against fifth-seeded Indiana, a rematch of the Boilermakers’ loss in Bloomington last month. The winner would get top-seeded Ohio State (presuming OSU and Maryland win on Sunday) in Saturday’s semifinals, because the Buckeyes upset the Terrapins in their only meeting.
Purdue lost 61-56 to then-No. 11 Ohio State Jan. 15 in Mackey Arena.
Conversely, Purdue could slide to as low as No. 8 if the Boilermakers lose out, although such a scenario seems unlikely.
Most of all, the Boilermakers need victories, including vs. Minnesota (14-13, 5-9) at 9 p.m. on Thursday. The Gophers, led by Carlie Wagner’s 19.4 points per game, are 11-4 in Williams Arena this season.
But Purdue is coming off its best half of the season, when it outscored Iowa 47-17 in coming back from a 10-point halftime deficit. The Boilermakers held the Hawkeyes to only five second-half field goals, shot 45.7 percent from the floor themselves, had only five turnovers and dominated the glass, 36-14.
Versyp would like to see it continue.
“The momentum, intensity and excitement and realizing that we can play like that, because it’s been a minute, playing that effectively on both ends of the floor,” Versyp said. “It’s a great opportunity if you can build confidence that way. You can’t bottle anything up but you hope it building confidence moving forward.”
Purdue, though, still has an uphill — and probably insurmountable — climb to the NCAA Tournament. Its only avenue, it seems, is winning the Big Ten tourney in Indianapolis next week. The double-bye would help, cutting down the wins needed from four (or five for the lowest seeds) to three.
Per RealTimeRPI.com, Purdue’s RPI sits at 90, with a strength of schedule at No. 76. The Boilermakers are particularly hurt by a couple bad losses, to RPI No. 141 Maine in the season opener and to No. 186 Southern Illinois, at home no less, six days later.
Purdue does have four wins against the RPI top 50, including Central Michigan (37), Michigan State (twice, 40) and Iowa (52). But perhaps only the Chippewas (21-6, 13-2 in the MAC) are a sure bet for the NCAA Tournament, although they might still have to win their conference tourney.
The Spartans (19-9, 9-6) are a bubble team, although likely can play their way in.
Otherwise, Purdue lacks a marquee win.
But, the Boilermakers will try to make a run, knowing that anything can happen. Indiana, for instance, loss at Nebraska earlier this week, only the Cornhuskers’ second Big Ten win this season.
“Something is going to happen that you don’t expect will happen,” Versyp said, “and it did.”
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