Purdue Rumors + 2012 Recruiting + News + Blog: Football / Basketball

2011-01-30T10:01:00.001-08:00

2009-2010 Boilermaker Basketball: A Look Back

2010-03-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

Jeff Smith

Despite JaJuan Johnson’s fantastic performance and an incredible effort on the defensive end, the Purdue Boilermakers season came to a screeching halt, Friday night in Houston, at the hands of the Duke Blue Devils, 70-57. This past season of Purdue Basketball was, at its very best, an incredibly exciting and promising one, and at its very worst, a frustrating and saddening one. It began with 14 straight wins, including a nail biting victory at Tennessee and a home court thrashing of West Virginia; the former attempting to secure a spot in the Final Four as we speak, the latter having already done so. Then, Painter's crew hit a rather large bump in the road, with consecutive losses at Wisconsin, vs. Ohio State, and at Northwestern.
With the future of the season in question after such a rough stretch, the Boilers reeled off 10 consecutive wins, including victories in Columbus against the Buckeyes and in East Lansing over the Spartans, who happen to be the club squaring off with Tennessee for a trip to the Final Four. The last victory of the streak came against the Golden Gophers of Minnesota, and in light of the news the team received the next day, felt more like a loss. The announcement that Robbie Hummel had torn his ACL was the point where all of the excitement and promise died and the frustration and sadness set in. The first game without Hummel was a 9 point loss to Michigan State at home, followed by wins over Big Ten cellar dwellers Indiana and Penn State. Coach Painter’s team continued playing with extraordinary effort, but it simply couldn’t replace what it had lost in Hummel, and as a result, the Boiler’s Big Ten Tournament ended in embarrassment with a 69-42 loss to Minnesota, in which Purdue managed only 11 first half points.
Heading into the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the ESPN national bracket reflected the poor performance against Minnesota, with the majority of the country predicting Sienna to pull the upset. The Boilers respond with perhaps their most impressive two game stretch of the season (considering Hummel’s absence). They ousted the Saints, 72-64, and then held off a much bigger Texas A&M squad in overtime, 63-61, to earn their matchup with Duke in the Sweet 16.
The loss to Duke marked the final game for both Keaton Grant and Chris Kramer as members of the Purdue Men’s Basketball team. They were two of Matt Painter’s original recruiting class and both played crucial roles in returning what was a down-trodden Purdue Basketball program to its once lofty status. They leave Purdue as the winningest class in the history of the program, and while that mark will inevitably be broken next year, their legacy will remain. When Grant saw his role decline as the star studded junior class came of age, he never once complained and remained the quintessential teammate. Kramer leaves West Lafayette as, perhaps, the most popular 6.4 PPG scorer in the history of college basketball. He captured the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year title twice and set a standard for toughness and determination that will be referenced at Purdue for years to come.
Even though the ’09-10 Boilers went 29-6 (including a 14-4 mark as Big Ten Co-Champions) and found their way to the Sweet 16, they will always be remembered as the team that should have reached the Final Four. If it weren’t for a devastating injury that ended the season of Robbie Hummel, who is undoubtedly the best all around player on the entire roster, the state of Indiana would be buzzing about a potential Butler and Purdue matchup in the National Championship. Everything was in place for the history books to look back at this season and celebrate what was; instead they will only mention what might have been.

Boilermakers Headed to Houston

2010-03-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

Jeff Smith
3/22/10

The Purdue Boilermakers were facing a lot of uncertainty as they headed into the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Spokane. Despite their usual Herculean efforts on defense, the loss of Robbie Hummel had severely impacted the potency of the team’s offense (as evidenced by their horrific performance against Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament). While the Boilers have a lot of skilled athletes and tough defenders, they had relied almost entirely on Hummel, JuJuan Johnson, and E’twaun Moore to carry the offensive load, contributing 66.8% of the team’s total offense. In order to advance past the first weekend and into the Sweet 16 they desperately needed to get significant offensive production from someone other than the usual suspects. The bell was answered by some very unlikely sources, as Keaton Grant, Chris Kramer, and even D.J. Byrd, made valuable contributions throughout the weekend.
The majority of the country, including President Barack Obama, had selected the Siena Saints to advance to the second round and a probable matchup with one of the Big 12’s best, the Texas A&M Aggies. Siena looked very much like the team that had accumulated two NCAA Tournament upsets over higher seeded teams in the previous three seasons. The Saints took a lead into halftime, when suddenly the aforementioned Keaton Grant returned to the form of seasons past, pouring in 11 points in the midst of a 20-3 Purdue run at the beginning of the second half. Grant’s outburst, coupled with the usual strong performance of JuJuan Johnson, were enough to hold off Siena, 72-64. It was a wonderful sight to see Grant perform well towards the end of his senior season, as he has been such a big part of the turnaround the Purdue Men’s Basketball program has seen over the last few years. His production peaked at 11.2 PPG his sophomore season, when the current trio of Hummel, Johnson, and Moore were still affectionately known as the “Baby Boilers.” His offensive output then dipped to 7.9 PPG last year, and has fallen even farther this year to 6.6 PPG. For Purdue to keep pace with the Duke Blue Devils in the next round the Boilers will need Grant to help stretch the defense and finish with 12-15 points.
The second round game against Texas A&M was an even more surprising result, with Purdue coming out on top 63-61 in OT. If coach Matt Painter knew before the game that JaJuan Johnson would shoot 5-15 from the field and tally only 11 points, and that Kramer and Byrd would provide over 1/3 of the team’s total offensive output, he would have told you that he would be spending next weekend in West Lafayette, not Houston. Kramer was finally aggressive on both ends of the court, to the tune of 17 points, and was able to garner some defensive respect. Even if he is not making shots against Duke, he needs to keep attempting them in order to keep the Blue Devils defense honest. D.J. Byrd also helped to spread the floor against the A&M defense, pouring in 10 points on 4 of 5 from the field. His performance came out of nowhere and provided the Boilers with some much needed offensive output. He even showed his range by netting a couple of three pointers.
The Boilers NCAA Tournament lives are all about improbability. If they are to continue this improbable tournament run without their fallen star then they are going to need to continue getting offense from improbable places. The aggressive, man to man, defensive approach that Matt Painter’s squad has perfected will give them a puncher’s chance against Duke. Excluding the debacle against Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament, the Boilers have had a chance to win every game that they lost this season. While their defense will keep them in the game they need some more unexpected offensive production to actually get over the hump and win, and if the performances of Grant, Kramer, and Byrd this past weekend in Spokane are any indication, there is reason to believe that they will.

The Boilermaker Breakdown

2010-03-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

Jeff Smith
3/15/10

The Purdue Boilermakers are facing a very unusual situation. They could be the first #4 seed in the history of the NCAA Tournament that hasn’t been picked to advance past the first round in majority of the nation’s office pools. Based on the performance that they put together in the Big Ten Tournament against Minnesota, I can’t say that I blame anyone who doesn't pick them. The Boilers brought the effort that they have been noted for since Matt Painter took over the club just a few short years ago, but unfortunately, they also brought the same lack of offensive production that plagued them during the early days of this new era.
The loss of Robbie Hummel changes the roles of everyone on the entire roster and no one seems to be comfortable with their new responsibilities. E’twaun Moore is the one guy on the Purdue roster who can get anywhere he wants to on the floor and is capable of creating his own offense, but when he receives the entire concentration of the defense he's going to have some off nights like he did against the Gophers (he began the game 0-9 from the field)and as a result the offense goes stagnant. JaJuan Johnson is definitely a low post threat (when he’s not on the bench due to foul trouble) but he still isn’t as strong as he needs to be with ball in his hands to dominate in a crowded post, and he’s going to see a lot of extra defenders in the lane since Purdue can’t stretch defenses like they did with Hummel on the court. The Boilers haven’t found a new third scorer as of yet to provide them with the extra offensive punch that they need. Keaton Grant has upped his attempts but he just isn’t a pure enough shooter to consistently knock down jump shots and he isn’t athletic enough to get to the basket with any regularity. Chris Kramer has returned to form after the brief glimpse of an offensive game that he showed a few weeks ago. I’m surprised that Coach Painter hasn’t just told him to stay under the opponent’s basket and catch his breath while his teammates trot to the other end and try to score. I don’t want to diminish his extraordinary defensive efforts, but it isn’t the Boiler’s defense that has the entire nation penciling #13 seed Siena into the second round, it’s their complete ineptitude on the offensive end. Lewis Jackson is perhaps even more useless than Kramer in the Boiler's offense. I can recall one sequence against Minnesota where he beat his man off the dribble and got to the rim but knowing that he couldn’t finish the play due to his height he took a page out of the Steve Nash and Chris Paul playbook and dribbled the ball back out along the baseline. He then turned to find himself 15 feet from the basket without a defender in sight, as his man was still caught up in the lane, and the closest man to him was more concerned about keeping a body on JaJuan in the post. Any guard in Division I basketball has the green light to take that shot and would knock it down at least half of the time, yet despite my screaming at the TV (which he honestly might have heard despite being 50 miles away in Conseco Fieldhouse) he refused to take the shot. If Jackson can’t finish after beating his defender and getting in the lane and he refuses to even attempt a wide open baseline jumper, then he might as well just stay at the other end with Kramer and make sure that they are the best fast break defensive team in the field of 65. I think Kelsey Barlow will be a star, and John Hart a serviceable Big Ten player, but neither are ready to fill those roles yet. I will plead the fifth on the other players who have found themselves in Purdue’s rotation (I’m talking about you Patrick Bade and Ryne Smith).
I know I’ve been pretty rough on a lot of guys who don’t get paid to play and despite all of their shortcomings, do give 100% effort every second they are on the court. But as much as they pain me to put down on paper, all of my observations are valid, and with Hummel sidelined, the Boilers have little chance to get past the first game, let alone the first weekend. Being a gambling man, and seeing that we are entering the best three weeks of gambling of the year, there are a few things that I would be willing to bet on for the upcoming game against Siena. I would bet that the game will be much closer than Saturday’s debacle against Minnesota. I would bet that I will be cheering my heart out from the opening tip. I would bet that Purdue will come out and give an incredible effort on the defensive end, and if you paid attention at all to what I wrote above, when it comes to total points, I would bet the under, no matter how low it may be.

The Boilermaker Breakdown

2010-03-04T10:09:00.000-08:00

Jeff Smith
3/4/10

If you had listened carefully, you could hear the buzz growing over the last few months. In West Lafayette and the surrounding areas things just felt different, different than they had ever felt, even different from the days when Gene Keady stalked the Boilermaker sidelines. Matt Painter had made the Boilers relevant again over the last couple of seasons, but this went beyond relevancy, this was teetering on becoming one of the greatest sports stories of the year. Inside of Mackey Arena there was an energy that was hard to describe, even amongst those who had been to every game since 1980, the last time Purdue reached the Final Four. This swell of momentum, and hype, and electricity in the air that couldn’t quite be defined were all pointing towards a special ending to this season. A torn Robbie Hummel ACL later and the aura, the feeling of specialness, of near invincibility, surrounding the 2009-2010 Boilers had vanished.
Even in this world of right here and right now, rarely does a feeling so grand and so overwhelming disappear in a single instant. When something of this magnitude happens no one really knows what to expect in the coming weeks, let alone the next day or the next minute. The rest of the Boilers finished the game and managed to edge out the Gophers by one point and get the win, but after hearing the news I’m sure they were all trapped inside of their own heads for awhile, thinking about what could have been, about how the Final Four will now be going on without them only 70 miles away, about how their friend must be feeling knowing he won’t be back this season, about how chances like this don’t come around very often. I can only imagine practice the very next day, all of the players and coaches pretending that this is a chance to rally together, saying all the right things out loud, probably putting in a little extra effort than they normally would during a late season practice, all the while knowing in the back of their heads that no matter what they do things aren’t going to be the same and that, without Robbie, they aren’t going to do all of those special things that everyone was talking about. All of this time spent thinking on and off the court led E’twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson, 2/3 of Purdue’s heralded junior class of homegrown Indiana talent, to announce that they would both be returning for their senior season. That announcement shows you just how much this season meant to them. Both would probably find themselves being selected in the first round of the NBA draft, with millions of guaranteed dollars finding their way into their bank accounts, and not only did they decide to come back, but their wasn’t a moment of hesitation in making the decision, they didn’t even want to attend pre-draft camps to evaluate their stock, they didn’t want to test the waters even for a second. As much as this decision says about the character of these two guys, not wanting to leave their friend, or the opportunity to come back next year and try to recapture what they had, behind, it says just as much about where they feel the rest of this season is headed.
It isn’t just the players who have been forced to spend some quality time inside of their own heads, the students and fans have had to do some serious contemplating as well. For Sunday’s loss to Michigan State, everyone came into Mackey arena with the intention of cheering as they normally would, simply because it’s the right thing to do, because they felt it was the only thing to do, but that didn’t disguise the obvious fact that something was missing. It was as loud as ever, but something was definitely missing. It’s the same thing that all of the players are thinking in the back of their minds, the same thing that everyone who cares about Purdue Basketball has thought at least once since the injury. While no one knew exactly what it was that was making this season so special, everyone knows that it’s gone.

The Boilermaker Breakdown

2010-02-23T10:33:00.000-08:00

Jeff Smith
2/23/10

The Purdue Men’s basketball team took care of business on the road against Evan Turner University and then came home to West Lafayette and earned a hard fought victory over an upstart Illinois club. The latest ESPN/USA Today rankings have moved the Boilers up a slot to #3, behind only one loss squads Kansas and Kentucky. The upcoming week sees the Boilers travel to the Land of Lakes to clash with the Golden Gophers and then back at Mackey on Sunday in a potential Big Ten Championship deciding tilt against Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans.
Purdue supporters have to feel confident heading into the last four games of the Big Ten regular season schedule and beyond. While getting all of the contributions from the usual places, (Hummel, Moore, and Johnson) there have been some wonderful signs from other places; hopefully precursors of things to come. Keaton Grant, heavily used since his freshman year, took some time to get used to coming off the bench and finding his rhythm. His performances this past week, 13 and 15 points respectively, are an encouraging sign that he is finally settling into his reserve role.
The other development, and of greater importance on Purdue’s quest to “Drive I-65”, is the aggressiveness of Chris Kramer. For the last 3 ½ years he has poured his heart and soul into Purdue Basketball and won the hearts of West Lafayette with his Brian Cardinal type toughness. Despite all that he has done in terms of toughness, hustle, and defense, I have usually been less than pleased with his performance on the other end of the court. It has often felt like Purdue is playing 4 on 5 on the offensive end when Kramer is in the game. He has passed up more open shots in his four years at Purdue than any player in recent memory. On one hand, it is extremely refreshing to see a kid who doesn’t hoist 20 attempts a game when given the opportunity, but on the other hand, if you don’t at least present yourself as a threat you are doing a huge disservice to your teammates. In the last 3 games Kramer has taken at least 4 shots in each, enough to make opposing defenses account for him, and loosen the clamps on the Boiler’s more established scorers. It perhaps even feels like he’s taken more shot than he really has due to his newfound aggressiveness. He has been attacking the basket with regularity. It’s a breath of fresh air that bodes well for the Boilers chances in the NCAA Tournament.
While Purdue has a couple of more hurdles to clear in securing a number one seed, they still have a wonderful opportunity to get to Lucas Oil Stadium despite what they do in the next couple of weeks. They have certainly proven that they can win 6 games in a row, and without a freak like Hasheem Thabeet to get in their way, and the recent improved play of Chris Kramer and Keaton Grant, I recommend that all of West Lafayette get ready to “Drive I-65.”

2008-11-26T10:09:00.001-08:00

Purdue Score vs Indiana,Preview,Talk| TV,Time,Purdue Live Score

2008-11-20T10:33:00.001-08:00

Purdue vs Indiana at home on Saturday, November 22, at 12:00 PM ET. Always find the live game Purdue score on this page. TV coverage of Purdue vs Indiana is on ESPN2-ESPN360. All the Purdue vs Indiana preview and talk from local, national media and Purdue blogs can be found at Purduemix.com.

2008-11-17T20:16:00.001-08:00

Purdue Score-Iowa, Game Preview|TV Time,Purdue Live Score

2008-11-14T10:30:00.000-08:00

Purdue at Iowa on Saturday, November 15, at 12:03 PM ET. TV coverage of Purdue vs Iowa is on Big Ten Network. The live Purdue score is always on the homepage. All the Purdue game preview and talk from local, national media and Purdue blogs can be found at Purduemix.com.

Wanted Purdue Blog Fan Talk! Do you have something to say about Purdue sports submit it to fantalk@sportsmixed.com and we will post all civil submissions. Do you want to write on a regular basis for Purduemix.com contact us at writers@sportsmixed.com we are looking for 3-5 people to be featured writers.

Purdue Score-MSU,Preview,Talk| TV,Time,Purdue Live Score

2008-11-04T18:13:00.000-08:00

Purdue at Michigan State on Saturday, November 8, at 12:00 PM ET. Always find the live game Purdue score on this page. TV coverage of Purdue vs MSU is on Big Ten Network. All the Purdue vs MSU preview and talk from local, national media and Purdue blogs can be found at Purduemix.com. Does Purdue have a chance versus the Spartans?

Purdue Score-Michigan|Preview|TV,Time,Purdue Live Score

2008-10-31T10:59:00.000-07:00

The Purdue score always live. Purdue at home vs Michigan on Saturday, November 1, at 12:00 PM ET. TV coverage of Purdue vs Michigan is on Big Ten Network. All the Purdue - Michigan preview and talk from local, national media and Purdue blog can be found at Purduemix.com.

Purdue Score-Minnesota,Preview,Talk|TV,Time,Purdue Live Score

2008-10-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

Purdue at home vs Minnesota on Saturday, October 25, at 12:00 PM ET. TV coverage of Purduevs Minnesota is on ESPN Classic/ESPN 360. Always find the live game Purdue score on this page. All the Purdue vs Minnesota preview and talk from local, national media and Purdue blogs can be found at Purduemix.com. Can Purdue stop suprising Minnesota?

Game Preview|Purdue-Northwestern|Purdue Score,TV,Recap

2008-10-14T20:25:00.000-07:00

Purdue at Northwestern on Saturday, October 18, at 12:00 PM ET. Always get the latest live game Purdue score on this page. TV coverage of Purdue vs Northwestern is on ESPN2/ESPN360. Get the latest game preview plus recaps after the game updated instantly from local and national news in addition to hottest blog talk and rumors.

Purdue Score vs Ohio State,TV,Preview,Time,Recap

2008-10-06T20:54:00.000-07:00

Always get the latest Purdue score, news and more for all the games at Purduemix.com. Purdue at Ohio State on Saturday, October 11, at 3:30 PM ET. Get the latest live game score right on this page. TV coverage of Purdue vs Ohio State is on ABC. Also get the latest preview and recaps after the game updated constantly from local and national news in addition to hottest blog talk and rumors.

Purdue Score vs Penn State, TV, Preview, Time, Recap

2008-09-29T16:53:00.000-07:00

Always get the latest Purdue score, news and more for all the games at Purduemix.com. Purdue Boilermakers at home vs Penn State on Saturday, October 4, at 12:00 PM ET. Get the latest live game score right on this page. TV coverage of Purdue vs Penn State is ESPN/ESPN 360. Also get the latest preview and recaps after the game updated constantly from local and national news in addition to hottest blog talk and rumors.

Purdue Score vs Notre Dame, TV, Preview, Time, Recap

2008-09-25T11:08:00.000-07:00

Always get the latest Purdue score, news and more for all the games at Purduemix.com. Purdue at Notre Dame on Saturday, September 27, at 3:30 PM ET.
Final Score:
Purdue -21
Notre Dame -38

Purdue Score vs Notre Dame, TV, Preview, Time, Recap

2008-09-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

Always get the latest Purdue score, news and more for all the games at Purduemix.com. Purdue at Notre Dame on Saturday, September 27, at 3:30 PM ET. Get the latest live game score right on this page. TV coverage of the Purdue vs Notre Dame is on ABC. Also get the latest preview and recaps after the game updated constantly from local and national news in addition to hottest blog talk and rumors.

Purdue Score vs Central Michigan, TV, Preview, Time, Recap

2008-09-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

Purdue vs Central Michigan on Saturday, September 20, at 12:00PM ET. Get the latest live game score right on this page. Also get the latest preview and recaps after the game updated constantly from local and national news and blogs. TV coverage of Purdue vs Central Michigan is on Big Ten Network. Always get the latest live game Purdue score for all the games at Purduemix.com.

2008-09-16T10:13:00.001-07:00

Purdue vs Oregon, Stats, Time, TV, Preview, Recap

2008-09-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

The Purdue Boilermakers vs Oregon on Saturday, September 13, at 3:30 PM ET. Get the latest live game score right on this page. Also get the latest preview and recaps after the game updated constantly from local and national news and blogs. TV coverage of the Purdue vs Oregon is on ABC. Always get the latest live game score for all the games at Purduemix.com.