MINNEAPOLIS - It just Thursday night that Purdue was dubbed by its coach to be 'fat and sassy.'
Well then I guess that Sunday night the Boilermakers were skinny and, uh, whatever an antonym for sassy would be.
It's remarkable and a testament to how erratic things can get in college sports that a Purdue team that looked so good in the second half against Illinois, then so horrific at Penn State, could again look so good at Minnesota in tonight's convincing win.
The feeling that comes with Purdue's latest outhouse-to-penthouse swing, as well all know, might be fleeting.
But on this night, Purdue showed up for a game it had to have.
It's too early in the Big Ten season to call any game a must-win, but in a league where every road win is a difference-maker, Purdue couldn't afford to go 1-2 in its swing of getting three projected lower-division teams on the road right off the bat. That scenario would have put the Boilermakers even further behind in the league race in practical terms than they actually would have been.
In this season of apparent turning points that have come and gone, maybe this one will stick, after Purdue had to sit in an embarrassing loss for a couple days and endure a couple practices in which Matt Painter was likely less than pleasant, his message and methods probably about as subtle as an AC/DC concert.
Speaking of AC/DC, D.J. Byrd likes AC/DC. And he likes shooting threes. And Sunday night, he was really, really good at it.
Tell me: Who's been Purdue's best player the past five games?
Byrd is playing at a sky-high level right now.
Lewis Jackson joined him in that thin air during the second half Sunday night, despite continuing to get beat on like a pinata. His doughnut at Penn State surely didn't sit well, so he stuck on a 2 on the front of it in Minneapolis, 16 of those 20 coming after halftime, when the three-point magic of the 10-of-12 first half went away. Purdue needed to endure Minnesota's press and score. He will sleep well tonight.
Jackson carried Purdue offensively, but the Boilermakers helped themselves, too, by playing defense.
Minnesota shot only 31 percent in the second half after shooting nearly twice that in the first. When the Boilermakers got needed stops toward the end of the game, they finished with strong defensive rebounds, an issue earlier in the half.
Give Purdue credit: It could have crumbled ... again.
There were moments where it showed distinct relapses into Xavier/Butler territory with the fouling and its sudden inability to not turn the ball over against a sure-to-come press.
Make no mistake, though: Minnesota had a hand in its own undoing with bad turnovers, missed layups and a missed put-back dunk when the Gophers needed a spark. The Gophers had many opportunities to make more of a game of this than they did.
Purdue got a lot of bounces in this game, whether it was Anthony Johnson losing control of the ball only to hit Terone Johnson for a layup, or Terone Johnson's blocked shot coming right back to him for a lay-in to beat the first half buzzer. Robbie Hummel had a three carom 10 feet in the air (or so it seemed) and through.
But you make your own luck and Purdue played well enough to earn its share.
It had to.
So now what? Now Wisconsin comes to town, struggling more so than you'd ever think it could under Bo Ryan, who must be a real treat to be around these days.
Home game. Positive momentum. Struggling opponent.
Sounds like a trap to me.
Purdue best not pack on any weight or get to ... what's a synonym for sassy?
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This post was edited on 1/9 12:02 AM by Brian_GoldandBlack.com
