What Could Have Been?

[IUhaterade]

There have probably been many threads like this over the years- but none of them were by be so I am taking my own stab at it lol.

I was thinking this morning about how unfortunate it was for E'twaun Moore and Jajuan Johnson that they did not have Robbie Hummel for either tournament run of their final 2 seasons.

We all know the chronology of how it happened- but I have never really thought about it this way before. So Hummel played in his Sophomore season NCAA tournament. If memory serves- we lost to 1-seed UCONN that season. Then of course he missed the final few weeks of his 3rd year in the program when he tore his ACL in a game @ Minnesota and then the entirety of his 4th year in the program when he tore another ACL (don't remember if it was the same one or the other one) during practice while the football team was playing Minnesota. By the time he played in another post-season tournament it had been THREE ENTIRE YEARS since his previous post-season tournament experience. Such an unfortunate story. I will always believe that 1 of those 2 lost tournaments for Hummel would have resulted in a final 4.

 

[clbndgm]

There have probably been many threads like this over the years- but none of them were by be so I am taking my own stab at it lol.

I was thinking this morning about how unfortunate it was for E'twaun Moore and Jajuan Johnson that they did not have Robbie Hummel for either tournament run of their final 2 seasons.

We all know the chronology of how it happened- but I have never really thought about it this way before. So Hummel played in his Sophomore season NCAA tournament. If memory serves- we lost to 1-seed UCONN that season. Then of course he missed the final few weeks of his 3rd year in the program when he tore his ACL in a game @ Minnesota and then the entirety of his 4th year in the program when he tore another ACL (don't remember if it was the same one or the other one) during practice while the football team was playing Minnesota. By the time he played in another post-season tournament it had been THREE ENTIRE YEARS since his previous post-season tournament experience. Such an unfortunate story. I will always believe that 1 of those 2 lost tournaments for Hummel would have resulted in a final 4.

Totally agree. That first one (after Robbie went down) we would have been a real good bet for the final four. At the time we lost Robbie, I firmly believed we were the best team in the country- there was no one we could not have handled. I am a '72 Purdue grad (do the math!) and that was and still is the only time in my life I believed that to be the case. We have had many good teams, not a few great teams but that was still the only time in my life I thought we were a solid #1. A real tragedy for Robbie, the team and the program.

 

[Hausta01]

The Baby Boilers junior year we would have been ranked #1 the week following the Minnesota game but we lost to MSU that Sunday and looked terrible.

I know the NCAAT is a bit if a crapshoot, but no one will ever convince me that wasn't Purdue's NC to lose with Robbie playing.

 

[mediaexpert]

I realize I am in the minority but I believe we were a final four team if Haas did not get injured.

 

[IUhaterade]

I realize I am in the minority but I believe we were a final four team if Haas did not get injured.

It is very possible- but I am not as confident in that final 4 as I would have been in either of Moore's final 2 years had Hummel not been hurt.

 

[indyogb]

No one can know, of course, but Purdue's struggles in the tournament are as much, if not more, due to bad luck as lack of talent. While most teams that have even won it could probably say that about a single elimination tournament, they've at least had it all come together once (or more). I continue to hope that good luck lands on Purdue at the right time before I die. We are the "Cubs of the Big Ten" but even the Cubs finally put it all together a few years ago.

 

[Hausta01]

I realize I am in the minority but I believe we were a final four team if Haas did not get injured.

We could have been, I just don't think we beat Nova in the EE

 

[Schnelk]

I started thinking FF the day we hammered a tough West Virginia team on national tv on New Years Day? And then the train kept a rollin until it hit the Barn. Dammit.

 

[Smokestack91]

I was think about this the other day. When Robbie went down the first time, our offense really struggled. As I recall, we had a very low first half score in the first game of the B1G tournament. Of course, we still had talent, but the players weren't used to playing without Robbie. Fast forward to this year and I think if the same thing happened (god forbid one of our star players in hurt), we will be in a better position depth and offensive choices wise.

 

[KentuckyBoiler]

I still say the 1994 Boilers would have beaten Duke and gotten into the FF, and eventually won the NC, if Glenn does not hurt his back from wrestling with his teammates the night before the Duke game. Still don't know what he or his teammates were thinking that night to get involved with doing this the night before such a big game.

Before that injury, there was no other player that year in the regular season or NCAA tournament that could take over a game like Glenn Robinson.

 

[gd4now]

I have always said that Rob's injury happened too late in the season for the team to learn how to play without him. Not that I wanted it, but if it had happened earlier in the season the team would of had more time to learn how to play without him and advanced further than they did.

 

[BoilerDaddy]

The other injury that people forget is in 98 when Jaraan Cornell went down with a sprained ankle against Indiana and never really recovered. Cornell was a 50% three point shooter that year and the team reached #5 that week, but were never the same team without Cornell, eventually losing in the Sweet 16.

 

[LedZep17]

Every time this subject comes up, I think of this parody reaction made. Everyone has seen it, but I had to rewatch it because it had been awhile. Still makes me laugh to help ease the pain when thinking about that season.

 

[IUhaterade]

I have always said that Rob's injury happened too late in the season for the team to learn how to play without him. Not that I wanted it, but if it had happened earlier in the season the team would of had more time to learn how to play without him and advanced further than they did.

Don’t think they would have advanced further necessarily. They were playing pretty well by the time they got to Duke- Duke was making everything that game with Singler and (was it Scheyer?). We woulda needed Robbie to win that game.

 

[Poprudy]

3 amigos should have went to at least an EE or F4.

 

[New Pal Boiler]

I still say the 1994 Boilers would have beaten Duke and gotten into the FF, and eventually won the NC, if Glenn does not hurt his back from wrestling with his teammates the night before the Duke game.

Heard G-Rob say recently on a podcast that he tweaked his back during the Kansas game, not afterward.

 

[punaj]

This thread makes my heart hurt.

 

[DAG10]

The other injury that people forget is in 98 when Jaraan Cornell went down with a sprained ankle against Indiana and never really recovered. Cornell was a 50% three point shooter that year and the team reached #5 that week, but were never the same team without Cornell, eventually losing in the Sweet 16.

That team played OSU in Columbus the game before the IU game...and, played at a level that nobody else had that year...they were hitting on all cylinders...they were never the same again after Cornell's injury, and, he was never the same again either unfortunately. That was the team that ultimately lost to Stanford when Stanford made a deep tournament run.

 

[Hausta01]

That team played OSU in Columbus the game before the IU game...and, played at a level that nobody else had that year...they were hitting on all cylinders...they were never the same again after Cornell's injury, and, he was never the same again either unfortunately. That was the team that ultimately lost to Stanford when Stanford made a deep tournament run.

Was that the Mark Madsen Stanford team?

 

[Mandeville LA]

That team played OSU in Columbus the game before the IU game...and, played at a level that nobody else had that year...they were hitting on all cylinders...they were never the same again after Cornell's injury, and, he was never the same again either unfortunately. That was the team that ultimately lost to Stanford when Stanford made a deep tournament run.

Yep, in St. Louis. I was there. Cornell’s injury was pretty bad. More than a sprain.

 

[Level 42]

We were a Final Four team had Cline made a free throw or we got boxed out on the rebound.

These 'what if' things are great, but will drive you crazy thinking about it. What these things do show is the massive amount of 'luck' that is needed along with a good team. But that is a component of a single elimination type of tourney.

 

[IUhaterade]

We were a Final Four team had Cline made a free throw or we got boxed out on the rebound.

These 'what if' things are great, but will drive you crazy thinking about it. What these things do show is the massive amount of 'luck' that is needed along with a good team. But that is a component of a single elimination type of tourney.

That was more of a get got and go on a lucky run vs the Hummel team I feel like SHOULD have been a FF team

 

[Level 42]

That was more of a get got and go on a lucky run vs the Hummel team I feel like SHOULD have been a FF team

Don't disagree. However, some bad luck for Robbie played in to that run. I also think had that happened earlier on and there was time to adjust, it still could of been a F4 team. Especially had Martin stayed.

 

[DAG10]

Was that the Mark Madsen Stanford team?

It was...the Collins twins were on that team as well, along with Tim Young.

 

[lovelyblonde]

I started thinking FF the day we hammered a tough West Virginia team on national tv on New Years Day? And then the train kept a rollin until it hit the Barn. Dammit.

I can't watch that game without my eyes tearing up. It STILL STINGS!

 

[Mandeville LA]

Has to one of the worst shootings nights the team has ever had in the NCAA’s

 

[DAG10]

I can't watch that game without my eyes tearing up. It STILL STINGS!

The loss to Wisconsin in the Elite 8 hurt/stung more...

 

[New Pal Boiler]

The loss to Wisconsin in the Elite 8 hurt/stung more...

To me, I’d put it behind The Silverdome and The Barn, as I thought those were National Title contenders. Didn’t feel that way about the 2000 team.

 

[BoilerDaddy]

To me, I’d put it behind The Silverdome and The Barn, as I thought those were National Title contenders. Didn’t feel that way about the 2000 team.

I took Robbie’s second ACL tear harder than I took his first because I knew after the second that he would never play with E’Twaun and JaJuan again.

 

[DAG10]

To me, I’d put it behind The Silverdome and The Barn, as I thought those were National Title contenders. Didn’t feel that way about the 2000 team.

Without a doubt, the Silverdome was the absolute worst from that standpoint and in that respect.

I was simply looking at it in that there was never a better opportunity to reach a FF, and, that FF was in Indianapolis. It stung more from that respect...it was a VERY beatable Wisconsin team to reach the FF...played in Indianapolis.