The good and the bad (vs. VaTech)

[charlespig]

The good:

1. Carsen dunk.
2. The "unathletic lineup" that built a 12-pt lead. It was Nojel with the 4 "slow" guys in EBo, Eifert, Cline and Sasha (it started with Haarms but EBo subbed in). That started with 9:41 remaining in the first half and Purdue up 24-22, and by the media TO at 7:06 were were on a 10-0 run. How did that happen? Well, Sasha hit a 3, Nojel has a layup off a nice pass by EBo, EBo has a nice putback from an ORB, and Cline hit another 3. During this span, Sasha and Cline combine for 3 REBs. I thought Painter will for sure put Carsen back in, but that lineup stays until 4:19 left, and the lead was still 10 by the time Carsen came back.
3. Sasha. I have been pretty tough on Sasha the last few games, but this one he really did a great job and Painter even kept him on the floor during crunch time. He knocked down two huge 3s, no TOs, and just 1 foul in 15 mins. He plays hard, moves well without the ball, and there's a toughness in him in that he'll sacrifice his body diving for loose balls or taking charges. Gotta love a player like him. Painter always regrets not redshirting Ryne Smith and Ryan Cline. He'll love having Sasha for a fifth year.
4. EBo. 18 pts (5-8 from 2s, 2-3 from 3s, 2-3 FTs), 7 REBs, 3 ASTs, 2 STLs, 0 TOs, only 1 PF in 24 mins. Painter needs to figure out a way to use Haarms and EBo together, esp. late in the game when neither is in foul trouble. You gotta play your best players.
5. REB. Rebounding continues to be our strength despite losing Haas and Vince. We have 11 ORBs (34.4%) while giving up only 24.1% in DRB to VaTech (D1-avg is 29.1%). It's "unathletic" guys like EBo and Eifert (both 7) leading the team. It once shows rebounding is about heart and effort, not necessarily how big you are or how high you can jump.

The bad:

1. Knocking down open 3s. Great players hit contested shots. Good players hit open shots. You gotta hit your open shots to be a good team, and VaTech did that. Every time they are open, esp. in the corner, they make us pay. Whereas we can get multiple ORBs, multiple open 3s, and still come up empty. That's basically the difference of the game.
2. Carsen's decision making. He had 9 TOs against WVU. He had 10 TOs in the last two games. I know he is high usage, but this level of TOs is killing us.
3. Officiating. They said all 3 officials have FF experience, but they are F***ing bull sh!t. So many 50-50 calls go against Purdue, including phantom fouls that bail out VaTech (e.g. the VaTech player at the baseline with the "old man move" as the commentator called it against Wheeler that hit the side of the backboard, and Wheeler didn't seem to even touch him but it was called a foul). The biggest 30-70 call was right underneath the 4-minute TO and the score tied at 77-77, Sasha just got in position to take a charge. Instead, he was called for a block, and the basket counted. A huge 3-point swing in a tie game in the crunch time. There is no f***ing justice. It's also those stupid foul calls that led Nojel to be on the bench down the stretch, and Carsen was gassed towards the end having to exert so much energy on defending VaTech's best player.
4. Hunter. He'd have collected 7 trillion if not for the 2 fouls. Let that sink in for a minute - 7 minutes with no contribution whatsoever and just 2 fouls, that's a rate of 10 fouls in 35 mins and the game is still not over! I hate to say it, but when compared to Phinisee, Hunter is looking very bad.
5. Wheeler. STOP FOULING! OK, some of that was on the officials who are terrible, but in 11 minutes he fouled 4 times! If officials are calling it stupidly tight, you gotta adjust b/c they'll always win.
6. Haarms. Blame EBo, but Haarms was held scoreless and only 2 REBs in 16 mins. His 3s looked good but just didn't go in. That's his only attempt the ENTIRE game. Again, Painter needs to find PT for both Haarms and EBo. There was a stretch against Davidson in the 1st half that Haarms was unstoppable posting up. We never Haarms getting post touches again, and you have to ask why, esp. when VaTech has no one taller than 6'6 after Blackshear, and Blackshear picked up his 3rd foul early in the second half and sat on the bench.
7. ESPN coverage. I think they are pretty awful. In the first two games, they showed the Dakich-Edwards piece twice. Then today they flashed something on the screen (where no one can see), and then couple seconds show it again and just showing Saquon Barkley. Then as I am wondering WTF they finally explained Painter compared Carsen to Barkley. Then they talked about nonsense like Nojel is great at nothing (do you homework dude, he can defend). Just sounds like a moron. Lastly, I still blame them for jinxing Carsen at the FT line. As soon as he said "Carsen is not gonna miss, he's 13-13 for the season," he missed, right on cue.

The mix:

• Cline. Just looking at the box score, I'd have put Cline in "the good." 14 pts (1-1 from 2s, 4-10 from 3s), 4 REBs, 4 ASTs, 1 STL. But he has 2 TOs, including one that is a pick-6. He also missed key open 3s that is backbreaking in a tight game (see Bad #1). Furthermore, his defense is less than ideal, as during the first half I kept seeing his man scoring over him (granted, VaTech has some great guards, but that's what he'll face the entire season in the B1G).

 

[ImRonBurgandy?]

haarms was mia. Seemed line we could have established an inside game given haarms' size advantage. Then again, he hasnt proven he can be relied on in a big game.

 

[Boilerscuz]

My most important "good" from the game was we looked like we should have beaten the #16 team in the nation. I wasn't convinced we had a top 40 team before tonight but now I think we're not that bad.

Early season, young team trying to find itself, I have to say I'm not that disappointed. Especially when compared to last years meltdown in their early season tourney.

 

[Boiler Buck]

Bad.....team D. Athletically Purdue could not keep up and were dominated in second half as we see they allowed 50+ in the second half. Team is not going to win games where the other team scores at will. Got to tighten up the team D. Team D really was not that great in first half either. But in the second half it was atrocious.

 

[DannyGranger]

Bad.....team D. Athletically Purdue could not keep up and were dominated in second half as we see they allowed 50+ in the second half. Team is not going to win games where the other team scores at will. Got to tighten up the team D. Team D really was not that great in first half either. But in the second half it was atrocious.

True. But there is a limit to what you can do in terms of "team" defense when you have individual who will lose their personal match-up 90% of the time (e.g. RC). But I really don't have an answer for it either. Just the fact of the current rosters makeup. I think we'll have to rely on being an extremely efficient offense team

 

[DannyGranger]

The Bad: LAYUPS, LAYUPS, LAYUPS!

There was more obviously, but this was the most aggravating. Everything else mentioned, I think I can come up with excuses for. But Carsen, NE, Evan, Grady. All missed huge bunnies. At least Evan almost always got his own missed rebound and drew a couple of fouls. But make our shots inside of 2 feet (yes in traffic, but very few were tough, truly contested) and we win.

Just listened to Painters PC, and he called out the same thing.

 

[mathboy]

Even with the one sided officiating, we had our chances. Some of this was a young team getting hacked every time they went inside. It was great to get them ready for the MSU game!

Young teams may get rattled when unfair things happen, or when shots don’t fall. This game gave them a good taste of such nonsense. They will grow from this and be a better team.

I also agree with the ESPN criticism. They made some inappropriate comment about the dominance of Big East basketball. Throughout the second half they did not mention anything about Purdue or Purdue players. I think their comments were 100% VT or Big East. That is what a screw job looks like.

 

[Treed1967]

The Bad: LAYUPS, LAYUPS, LAYUPS!

There was more obviously, but this was the most aggravating. Everything else mentioned, I think I can come up with excuses for. But Carsen, NE, Evan, Grady. All missed huge bunnies. At least Evan almost always got his own missed rebound and drew a couple of fouls. But make our shots inside of 2 feet (yes in traffic, but very few were tough, truly contested) and we win.

Just listened to Painters PC, and he called out the same thing.

I no my son missed 3 I can recall that he will make moving forward. I can also say this he has to guard 94 feet on quick athletic guards all over the court he has to get in there to rebound with the big boys run the point and try to score when he has too so it’s a lot he has to do them legs gets tired I’m sure u can understand that too. No excuses he has to make them bcuz he will play lots of min. He also wasn’t feeling well chest was burning was having problems breathing but he came to play in spite of bcuz ball players play no matter what. I will say this they moved the ball well towards the end quickly and no matter the athlete you had out there would have been hard on even the most athletic players to defend bcuz they were sharing the ball and they made shots when it mattered. This team is really good and it showed they can compete with teams like this moving forward that have athletic players like they had and hang with them. Great test for everybody and in March they will win this kinda game. Just spread the offense around that could change the complexity of this team in a big way

 

[BoilerIron]

IMO

The Good:

3pt shooting
Rebounding
Free Throw Shooting
Nojel's defense
EB on offense

The Bad:
Live ball turnovers (led to 19 pts)
Post play (can something be bad if it doesn't exist?)
3pt to 2pt shot selection ratio (we are jacking too many 3s)
Defense (specifically when at least two of Cline, EB, or Sasha are on the court together)
Painter's lack of riding the officials.
Haarms.

 

[pokey13]

I no my son missed 3 I can recall that he will make moving forward. I can also say this he has to guard 94 feet on quick athletic guards all over the court he has to get in there to rebound with the big boys run the point and try to score when he has too so it’s a lot he has to do them legs gets tired I’m sure u can understand that too. No excuses he has to make them bcuz he will play lots of min. He also wasn’t feeling well chest was burning was having problems breathing but he came to play in spite of bcuz ball players play no matter what. I will say this they moved the ball well towards the end quickly and no matter the athlete you had out there would have been hard on even the most athletic players to defend bcuz they were sharing the ball and they made shots when it mattered. This team is really good and it showed they can compete with teams like this moving forward that have athletic players like they had and hang with them. Great test for everybody and in March they will win this kinda game. Just spread the offense around that could change the complexity of this team in a big way

Isn't it neat to realize the game turns when your son has to leave the game? It just goes to show how valuable he is to the team. He'll have many more games and will have more growing pains. It's just part of the process of gaining experience and getting better. I don't think that the perfect game has ever been played by anyone. It's just play hard and do your best. That is all anyone can ask.

 

[bonefish1]

Even with the one sided officiating, we had our chances. Some of this was a young team getting hacked every time they went inside. It was great to get them ready for the MSU game!

Young teams may get rattled when unfair things happen, or when shots don’t fall. This game gave them a good taste of such nonsense. They will grow from this and be a better team.

I also agree with the ESPN criticism. They made some inappropriate comment about the dominance of Big East basketball. Throughout the second half they did not mention anything about Purdue or Purdue players. I think their comments were 100% VT or Big East. That is what a screw job looks like.

So the refs and the commentators were against Purdue? Oh the humanity.
The refing was questionable but not the reason we lost. We lost because VT took advantage of where they had an advantage which was trying to tightly guard good perimeter players and letting them get by us.
Hell, it was tied at 77 with under 5 to play.

 

[mathboy]

So the refs and the commentators were against Purdue? Oh the humanity.
The refing was questionable but not the reason we lost. We lost because VT took advantage of where they had an advantage which was trying to tightly guard good perimeter players and letting them get by us.
Hell, it was tied at 77 with under 5 to play.

Look at the plays that took place between 77-77 and the end of the game. Then tell me again that the refs had nothing to do with it.

 

[pboiler18]

When we were getting smashed on the boards early in the 2nd half and Haarms was mia we should have played Trevion. We didn't really need the Haarms/Boudreaux skillset at that point, we needed one and dones on D and extra chances on O.

I get that "Painter knows best" but when Wheeler or Eifert are ineffective offensively we might as well but the better D/Rebounding option in there. This was a game where he could have thrived down low as well.

 

[*4purdue*]

haarms was mia. Seemed line we could have established an inside game given haarms' size advantage. Then again, he hasnt proven he can be relied on in a big game.

If Haarms can be more productive than that, he shouldn't be playing 16 min. I thought Wheeler looked really good for a freshman. Yes, he got called for some fouls, but I'd let him play through that. I'd much rather give those minutes to him & EB.

 

[pboiler18]

If Haarms can be more productive than that, he shouldn't be playing 16 min. I thought Wheeler looked really good for a freshman. Yes, he got called for some fouls, but I'd let him play through that. I'd much rather give those minutes to him & EB.

Im telling you, if we want to be successful, Trevion needs some minutes. There are some matchups where Haarms won't be effective and we'll need some 5 minutes AND to play EB a lot. This was one of them.

 

[ImRonBurgandy?]

Isn't it neat to realize the game turns when your son has to leave the game? It just goes to show how valuable he is to the team. He'll have many more games and will have more growing pains. It's just part of the process of gaining experience and getting better. I don't think that the perfect game has ever been played by anyone. It's just play hard and do your best. That is all anyone can ask.

I really feel Edwards and Eastern need to play pretty much every minute.

 

[njm8845]

I really feel Edwards and Eastern need to play pretty much every minute.

I partially agree. But it's hard to do so when Eastern got into foul trouble.

And I don't really want to wear carsen out. We need him to play every minute of the B10 season.

 

[lkfletcher14]

Bad.....team D. Athletically Purdue could not keep up and were dominated in second half as we see they allowed 50+ in the second half. Team is not going to win games where the other team scores at will. Got to tighten up the team D. Team D really was not that great in first half either. But in the second half it was atrocious.

I thought our team defense was excellent in the first half but, I agree, it was atrocious in the second half. It was obvious that they weren't switching and covering each other like the first half. I just don't understand why a multi-coach of the year couldn't see that and call their attention to it. I, also, don't understand why they didn't try to get Haarms more involved in the game. I thought maybe he wasn't feeling well.

 

[New Pal Boiler]

Im telling you, if we want to be successful, Trevion needs some minutes. There are some matchups where Haarms won't be effective and we'll need some 5 minutes AND to play EB a lot. This was one of them.

Agree completely. Said the same thing in another thread. That drop step he had on the baseline the other day was surprisingly quick, even tho he missed the bunny at the rim.

If you’re not producing, give someone else a shot.

 

[pboiler18]

I partially agree. But it's hard to do so when Eastern got into foul trouble.

And I don't really want to wear carsen out. We need him to play every minute of the B10 season.

Eastern rotted on the bench 2-3 minutes too long. He should have been back in the game around 5-6 minutes when VT siezed the momentum. Still hate the foul discrepancy in the 2nd half. They played aggressively on D and didn't get called for a thing. Tough to beat a top 15 team AND the refs. That's for sure.

 

[FirstDownB]

I absolutely love Carsen, but I thought this year his coming back was to show off some point guard skills to the NBA. So far I have seen (edit: some) improvement in the passing and dime dropping department. With as much attention as he draws he should be setting up teammates for open layups. When he has the ball he too often has had that predetermined "I'm gonna get mine" look in his eyes.

 

[bonefish1]

I absolutely love Carsen, but I thought this year his coming back was to show off some point guard skills to the NBA. So far I have seen (edit: some) improvement in the passing and dime dropping department. With as much attention as he draws he should be setting up teammates for open layups. When he has the ball he too often has had that predetermined "I'm gonna get mine" look in his eyes.

When you're a potential POTY, you have the freedom to be selfish and take over a game. Did you ever watch Glenn Robinson? Like Carsen, he could rip off 10 pts in short order.
Carsen was pressing a little bit last night but I think it's because he felt he had to put the team on his back.
He won't see many more teams with guards like VT who can guard him.

 

[Scheffler90]

Feel like Carsen has to score a LOT this year. EBo and NE are big contributors. If Haarms struggles with the speed of the game like VaTech, it will be a problem.

 

[nitrowars]

Number one bad is our DEFENSE it is terrible!

 

[Chi-Boiler]

You could argue that the basketball game was pretty much the same as the football game except for that 3 OT thing.

 

[FirstDownB]

When you're a potential POTY, you have the freedom to be selfish and take over a game. Did you ever watch Glenn Robinson? Like Carsen, he could rip off 10 pts in short order.
Carsen was pressing a little bit last night but I think it's because he felt he had to put the team on his back.
He won't see many more teams with guards like VT who can guard him.

Yeah I get he has to be the alpha scorer. And I see now he had seven assists, I guess I missed a few of those. The great ones can score AND made their teammates better. The comments about Haarms being more active offensively.. I see Haarms as a guy who isn’t going to be a clear out post-up scorer like Haas, but a guy who can dive to the hoop, pick and roll, etc. He needs to be set up by a guard drawing away the defense.

 

[charlespig]

I no my son missed 3 I can recall that he will make moving forward. I can also say this he has to guard 94 feet on quick athletic guards all over the court he has to get in there to rebound with the big boys run the point and try to score when he has too so it’s a lot he has to do them legs gets tired I’m sure u can understand that too. No excuses he has to make them bcuz he will play lots of min. He also wasn’t feeling well chest was burning was having problems breathing but he came to play in spite of bcuz ball players play no matter what. I will say this they moved the ball well towards the end quickly and no matter the athlete you had out there would have been hard on even the most athletic players to defend bcuz they were sharing the ball and they made shots when it mattered. This team is really good and it showed they can compete with teams like this moving forward that have athletic players like they had and hang with them. Great test for everybody and in March they will win this kinda game. Just spread the offense around that could change the complexity of this team in a big way

Should have added one more good on Nojel - the only player with a positive in +/-. We missed him in the second half.

 

[JerseyBoiler]

Yeah I get he has to be the alpha scorer. And I see now he had seven assists, I guess I missed a few of those. The great ones can score AND made their teammates better. The comments about Haarms being more active offensively.. I see Haarms as a guy who isn’t going to be a clear out post-up scorer like Haas, but a guy who can dive to the hoop, pick and roll, etc. He needs to be set up by a guard drawing away the defense.

think we became too predictable by giving the ball to Carsen nearly every time down the floor. reminded me of last year when we fed the post 5 times in a row and Haas got double and triple teamed.

 

[DannyGranger]

think we became too predictable by giving the ball to Carsen nearly every time down the floor. reminded me of last year when we fed the post 5 times in a row and Haas got double and triple teamed.

I feel you, especially with how we got him the ball. the run baseline and catch it in the baseline at the 3 pt line/FT extended after 2 screens was a play we ran several times in a row, it allowed for trapping. I like when Carsen gets it at top of key. But general point stands.

 

[tjreese]

Yeah I get he has to be the alpha scorer. And I see now he had seven assists, I guess I missed a few of those. The great ones can score AND made their teammates better. The comments about Haarms being more active offensively.. I see Haarms as a guy who isn’t going to be a clear out post-up scorer like Haas, but a guy who can dive to the hoop, pick and roll, etc. He needs to be set up by a guard drawing away the defense.

It is great that Haarms gives that extra versatility over typical 5s , 4-6 inches shorter by diving, slipping, and ball screen play, but when you still have a half a foot and probably 8 inches reach or so...your still big enough to be effective down low when needed...and that was not a valuable asset last night for Purdue even though it should be there. He won't seal like Haas, nor be as effective inside on the blocks like Haas, but with his size he still should be really good wiht his height and quickness...

 

[delish1]

After watching this football game, I'm enjoying the Purdue game yesterday more. Going to rewatch it and expect to see some pretty good potential that I wasn't 100 percent sure was there.

There's a handful of guys that can produce. If they can figure it out which they have a long time to do, they will be dangerous in March. That's pretty much what you hope for.

I think wheeler is next to break out. He had a couple rough fouls from hands but he's looking much more comfortable already

 

[delish1]

Some ramblings after rewatch ...

Best assist of the game should go to EB's shoe as it falling off is what caused the opportunity for carsen's dunk.

A lot of good. EB just played hard. Eifert was in the right spots and made his 3s. Wheeler hit a big 3. Sasha looked more comfortable and could really help as his shot looks legit and confident.

Haarms actually played fine. He moved the ball, his 3 was soft and barely off and he had an effect on D. He just didnt play or get the ball much. He should improve in these kind of physical games.

It makes sense that nojel was sick. I noticed a couple dribbling mishaps (stuff he doesn't do) watching live and he was a step behind all game. Definitely caused a couple fouls and probably misses. He still made some plays though so hopefully his confidence is still rising. Bad timing for that sickness as it's teams like VT where he will be critical.

Cline did struggle a bit but he really needs to just make 1 or 2 more shots and he covers for himself. He had a lot of good looks. I think he played too many minutes for the effort he needed to give and got tired. Between development of hunter and sasha and nojel health, he shouldn't have to play 39. Plus in any game he could have hit 7 of those 10.

Some tough rolls and breaks went against them, missed very makeable layups, they got tired and out of sorts and still almost beat a good team that played well.

They made some mistakes too, were slow to rotate some and will probably have a couple games where they shoot poorly but overall they could still finish toward the top of a solid conference and get a favorable seed.

Also, I hate to be a complainer but there was some really bad foul calls. The block on sasha was huge and still looked like a charge to me but there were definitely a few others. Some head tossing and flopping by VT too (such a weak way to play). #5 was especially egregious. I'm so happy Purdue doesn't have players like that. Embarrassing for Robinson

 

[hoosierdog1]

The good:

1. Carsen dunk.
2. The "unathletic lineup" that built a 12-pt lead. It was Nojel with the 4 "slow" guys in EBo, Eifert, Cline and Sasha (it started with Haarms but EBo subbed in). That started with 9:41 remaining in the first half and Purdue up 24-22, and by the media TO at 7:06 were were on a 10-0 run. How did that happen? Well, Sasha hit a 3, Nojel has a layup off a nice pass by EBo, EBo has a nice putback from an ORB, and Cline hit another 3. During this span, Sasha and Cline combine for 3 REBs. I thought Painter will for sure put Carsen back in, but that lineup stays until 4:19 left, and the lead was still 10 by the time Carsen came back.
3. Sasha. I have been pretty tough on Sasha the last few games, but this one he really did a great job and Painter even kept him on the floor during crunch time. He knocked down two huge 3s, no TOs, and just 1 foul in 15 mins. He plays hard, moves well without the ball, and there's a toughness in him in that he'll sacrifice his body diving for loose balls or taking charges. Gotta love a player like him. Painter always regrets not redshirting Ryne Smith and Ryan Cline. He'll love having Sasha for a fifth year.
4. EBo. 18 pts (5-8 from 2s, 2-3 from 3s, 2-3 FTs), 7 REBs, 3 ASTs, 2 STLs, 0 TOs, only 1 PF in 24 mins. Painter needs to figure out a way to use Haarms and EBo together, esp. late in the game when neither is in foul trouble. You gotta play your best players.
5. REB. Rebounding continues to be our strength despite losing Haas and Vince. We have 11 ORBs (34.4%) while giving up only 24.1% in DRB to VaTech (D1-avg is 29.1%). It's "unathletic" guys like EBo and Eifert (both 7) leading the team. It once shows rebounding is about heart and effort, not necessarily how big you are or how high you can jump.

The bad:

1. Knocking down open 3s. Great players hit contested shots. Good players hit open shots. You gotta hit your open shots to be a good team, and VaTech did that. Every time they are open, esp. in the corner, they make us pay. Whereas we can get multiple ORBs, multiple open 3s, and still come up empty. That's basically the difference of the game.
2. Carsen's decision making. He had 9 TOs against WVU. He had 10 TOs in the last two games. I know he is high usage, but this level of TOs is killing us.
3. Officiating. They said all 3 officials have FF experience, but they are F***ing bull sh!t. So many 50-50 calls go against Purdue, including phantom fouls that bail out VaTech (e.g. the VaTech player at the baseline with the "old man move" as the commentator called it against Wheeler that hit the side of the backboard, and Wheeler didn't seem to even touch him but it was called a foul). The biggest 30-70 call was right underneath the 4-minute TO and the score tied at 77-77, Sasha just got in position to take a charge. Instead, he was called for a block, and the basket counted. A huge 3-point swing in a tie game in the crunch time. There is no f***ing justice. It's also those stupid foul calls that led Nojel to be on the bench down the stretch, and Carsen was gassed towards the end having to exert so much energy on defending VaTech's best player.
4. Hunter. He'd have collected 7 trillion if not for the 2 fouls. Let that sink in for a minute - 7 minutes with no contribution whatsoever and just 2 fouls, that's a rate of 10 fouls in 35 mins and the game is still not over! I hate to say it, but when compared to Phinisee, Hunter is looking very bad.
5. Wheeler. STOP FOULING! OK, some of that was on the officials who are terrible, but in 11 minutes he fouled 4 times! If officials are calling it stupidly tight, you gotta adjust b/c they'll always win.
6. Haarms. Blame EBo, but Haarms was held scoreless and only 2 REBs in 16 mins. His 3s looked good but just didn't go in. That's his only attempt the ENTIRE game. Again, Painter needs to find PT for both Haarms and EBo. There was a stretch against Davidson in the 1st half that Haarms was unstoppable posting up. We never Haarms getting post touches again, and you have to ask why, esp. when VaTech has no one taller than 6'6 after Blackshear, and Blackshear picked up his 3rd foul early in the second half and sat on the bench.
7. ESPN coverage. I think they are pretty awful. In the first two games, they showed the Dakich-Edwards piece twice. Then today they flashed something on the screen (where no one can see), and then couple seconds show it again and just showing Saquon Barkley. Then as I am wondering WTF they finally explained Painter compared Carsen to Barkley. Then they talked about nonsense like Nojel is great at nothing (do you homework dude, he can defend). Just sounds like a moron. Lastly, I still blame them for jinxing Carsen at the FT line. As soon as he said "Carsen is not gonna miss, he's 13-13 for the season," he missed, right on cue.

The mix:

• Cline. Just looking at the box score, I'd have put Cline in "the good." 14 pts (1-1 from 2s, 4-10 from 3s), 4 REBs, 4 ASTs, 1 STL. But he has 2 TOs, including one that is a pick-6. He also missed key open 3s that is backbreaking in a tight game (see Bad #1). Furthermore, his defense is less than ideal, as during the first half I kept seeing his man scoring over him (granted, VaTech has some great guards, but that's what he'll face the entire season in the B1G).

Couldn't agree more.MH and EB HAVE to be on the floor together at least for a while.Didn't understand why we didn't go inside and take advantage of our height! Our 5 best players include MH and EB!