1.09.2010

Purdue had to lose sometime

Winning their first 14 games wasn't totally unexpected (they had a pretty easy pre-conference schedule, with one top ten matchup on a neutral court and another top ten matchup at home). And if there was a game that would break their streak, I figured it would be at Wisconsin. And it was.

After the game, though, I'm a lot less confident that. Wisconsin did not play a good game, especially offensively, and Purdue couldn't even make it a game at the end. If this were an anomaly, then no big deal, but the slow start first half has been Purdue's modus operandi for most of the season. At some point they have to shake it and get out of the gate strong. Good teams are going to pull so far ahead Purdue won't be able to catch them.

I also think yesterday's game highlighted a) Hummel still isn't the offensive player he was two years ago, b) Johnson is the basketball equivalent of Curtis Painter - puts up great numbers against smaller teams, but get some size in his face and he disappears, and thus c) Moore is going to have to carry this team to Indianapolis.

I'd like to see Painter prep this team for a final four run. If that means getting Barlow and Bade more PT, and even Marcius into the mix, so be it. To win a big ten title and not get to the final four because Purdue didn't play its cards would be disappointing.

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