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Boilermakers Basketball Schedule
Next 5 Games
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Michigan St.
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Tue 02/09 | 9:00 PM EST |
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Iowa
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Sat 02/13 | 4:35 PM EST |
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Ohio St.
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Wed 02/17 | 6:30 PM EST |
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Illinois
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Sat 02/20 | 4:00 PM EST |
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Minnesota
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Wed 02/24 | 8:30 PM EST |
Last 5 Games
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Indiana
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Thu 02/04 | W 78 - 75 |
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Penn St.
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Sun 01/31 | W 66 - 46 |
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Wisconsin
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Thu 01/28 | W 60 - 57 |
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Michigan
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Sat 01/23 | W 69 - 59 |
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Illinois
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Tue 01/19 | W 84 - 78 |
Big Ten Conference Standings
(updated 2.8.2010 at 2:56 AM EST)
| Conf | Overall | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
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Michigan St. Spartans
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9 | 2 | 19 | 5 |
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Wisconsin Badgers
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8 | 3 | 18 | 5 |
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Ohio St. Buckeyes
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8 | 3 | 18 | 6 |
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Illinois Fighting Illini
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8 | 3 | 16 | 8 |
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Purdue Boilermakers
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7 | 3 | 19 | 3 |
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Minnesota Golden Gophers
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5 | 5 | 14 | 8 |
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Northwestern Wildcats
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5 | 6 | 16 | 7 |
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Michigan Wolverines
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4 | 7 | 11 | 12 |
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Indiana Hoosiers
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3 | 7 | 9 | 13 |
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Iowa Hawkeyes
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2 | 9 | 8 | 16 |
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Penn St. Nittany Lions
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0 | 11 | 8 | 15 |
A battle for First Place: Michigan State preview
by BoilerTMill on Feb 9, 2010 11:33 AM EST
in Men's Basketball
0 comments
This is the big one, and I probably jinxed us. If we play in typical Purdue fashion, we go out and lose badly tonight in the national spotlight, thus inviting all kinds of criticism from those that showed up yesterday. Honestly, we would be open to it too. This is a statement game tonight. A win allows us to take control of the Big Ten and our national destiny in terms of seeding. In Joe Lunardi's most recent bracket we are three seed behind West Virginia (a team we soundly defeated) and Michigan State. A loss probably knocks us from the top two seed discussion, and rightfully so. It is our fault for blowing the Ohio State game at home and for losing at Northwestern.
This game takes on added importance because of those losses. If we had held on to just one of those games, especially Ohio State at home, we would be fine in the Big Ten race even with a loss. Now, we almost need this game. With the Buckeyes heading to East Lansing later this month there is a great chance that Michigan State could get another loss before coming to Mackey Arena, but we also must go to Ohio State and I am not confident about that game at all.
Right now, we are the Big Ten's best chance at a top 2 seed because of our spotless non-conference record and the good wins over West Virginia, Wake Forest, and Tennessee. We won't get there, however, without a win either tonight or in Columbus and a share of the Big ten title.
2009-10 Record: 19-5, 9-2 Big Ten
2008-09 Record: 31-7, 15-3 Big Ten (lost in National Championship game to North Carolina 89-72)
Blog Representation: The Only Colors, SpartyMSU
Series with Purdue: Purdue leads 62-44
Last Purdue win: 72-54 at Purdue on 2/17/09
Last Michigan State win: 62-51 at Michigan State on 3/8/09
Last Purdue win at Michigan State: 99-96 (OT) on 3/1/1998
0 comments | 0 recs |
A public apology to Syracuse fans
by BoilerTMill on Feb 9, 2010 8:42 AM EST
in Men's Basketball
10 comments
Before getting into the Michigan State preview later today, I feel like there needs to be a final word on yesterday's overrated/underrated debate. First off, I owe Big East fans in general and Syracuse fans specifically an apology. I based my opinion of Syracuse too much on the one LeMoyne game and on teams like North Carolina, Florida, and Cal faltering. The LeMoyne loss still bothers me some because no major conference team should ever lose to a Division II team. To me, a major conference basketball team has so many advantages in talent, film study, coaching, training, facilities, etc that it should never, under any circumstances, lose to a division II team. To be fair, I feel the same way about a BCS conference football team losing to a 1-AA team, something that has happened all to often to the Big Ten since 2006.
That said, the Syracuse fans that came over here and coherently argued the case for the Orange impressed me. The Orange is clearly a team that took that loss and learned from it. Thanks to Syracuse fans, I got a better idea of their entire body of work. I originally said they were still a very, very good team, but not worthy of their ranking. In that, I was wrong. If I am going to argue earlier in the season that Purdue should be higher because they have beaten everyone they have played and cannot control what others on their schedule do, then I must logically carry that argument over to teams like Syracuse who have only one loss. Yes, it was a loss at home, but we have no room to talk after losing to a similar team at home in Ohio State.
Part of what makes me stand out (at least I hope) as a blogger is that I am willing to admit when I am wrong. I respect solid arguments backed up by stats more than raw, attacking opinion (i.e. Purdon't couldn't even compete with the last place Big East teams because the Big Ten is worse than the WAC and you are an idiot who writes at a fifth grade level). I will admit in this case I was wrong about Syracuse. I respect and thank the Orange fans that came over here to politely express their opinion and sway me to your cause. It is my hope that you will take a look at Purdue tonight, in what will be a very tough road game, and respect us as well. I think we have earned some respect to this point despite our stumbles. Of course, with my cockiness I am sure I have doomed the guys to a bad loss tonight.
10 comments | 0 recs |
MVP Boilermakings 2/9
by TelePunk5 on Feb 9, 2010 1:29 AM EST
in Boilermakings and other Purdue sports
2 comments
Drew Brees, Super Bowl MVP. You have to like the sound of that. Even the Colts fan in me can't be too sad about that loss. Drew is such a class act and a great player, I couldn't imagine a more deserving player than him to win a Super Bowl. I have no connection to New Orleans, or the devestation of Katrina. As such, I can't rightfully say that I understand what Drew Brees or the Saints mean to the residents of the city. Therefore, I leave it to the good people of NewOrleans.com to tell us;
"Four years ago, who ever thought this would happen?" he said, still fighting back tears.
Earlier, as confetti swirled just above the playing surface at Sun Life Stadium, Brees' eyes were already watering, trying not to cry as he held his son, Baylen, who was wearing a Saints jersey with his father's name on the back and a headset so the loud celebration wouldn't scare him. Brees struggled yet one more time to keep his emotions in check as he lifted the silver Lombardi trophy over his head.
But a few minutes into his postgame interview, Brees simply quit trying.
"Eighty-five percent of the city was under water, all the residents evacuated all over the country, people never knowing if they were coming back or if New Orleans would come back," he said. "But not only the city came back, and the team came back ... when the players got there, we all looked at one another and said, 'We're going to rebuild together.'
"We leaned on each other," Brees said, pausing as he choked up. "This is the culmination of that."
After the jump, we hit the Boilermakings.
2 comments | 0 recs |
Defend That, Digger! The Overrated/underrated edition
by BoilerTMill on Feb 8, 2010 10:12 AM EST
in Men's Basketball
267 comments
ED NOTE: A special thank you to the passionate Syracuse fans that have stopped by today to make this the best Defend That, Digger ever. You guys are great and I would love to see you guys in March to settle this once and for all, hopefully on April 5th in Indianapolis. You have made some great arguments today and I will admit that I was wrong about some things here. What follows is the original, unedited article. The comments are also untouched.
Well, we all know that the Big East is overrated. This makes me come off as an overzealous homer and uneducated blogger, but I have my swagger back. A five game winning streak will do that, especially when the previously out of reach Big Ten title is very close at hand. It has been awhile since I have had a chance to rip on the Big East and the rest of Digger's beloved, but with seeding becoming more and more of a priority, here are some reasons that those teams may not be the elite teams they would profess.
I do think there are some elite teams. From what I have seen of Kansas and Kentucky, they can only beat themselves on a neutral court. They are clearly the best teams, they haven't lost at home, and it has taken a shockingly strong effort for each of them to lose so far. Everyone else is relatively mortal. Let's begin at the top of the "elite" pile:
Are you paying attention, Digger?
267 comments | 0 recs |
Drew Brees: Super Bowl Champion and MVP.
by BoilerTMill on Feb 7, 2010 10:54 PM EST
in Football
16 comments
A Hurricane helped him on defense. A Hurricane got the game winning TD pass from him, and a Hoosier sealed it. Our favorite Boiler now has his ring and a Super Bowl MVP. Go ahead and celebrate tonight, Drew. You have earned it. Hammer & Rails Nation is with you.
BTW: Great shot of Len Dawson, one of the first in the cradle of quarterbacks, passing the trophy to the Saints.
Also for the record: Purdue is now tied with Alabama for having 3 quarterbacks that have won Super Bowls. Len Dawson, Bob Griese and Drew Brees.
16 comments | 0 recs |
Super Bowl Boilermakings 2/6
by TelePunk5 on Feb 6, 2010 11:57 PM EST
in Boilermakings and other Purdue sports
17 comments
I hope everyone is having a great Super weekend. I am sitting here tonight watching the Michigan State game, wrestling with myself. Do I wear the Brees jersey to the Super Bowl parties tomorrow or one of my Colts jerseys? This is a great weekend to be a Purdue fan from Indiana. No matter what happens tomorrow, my favorite player or my favorite team will win the championship. In addition to that, how lucky are we as football fans for this Super Bowl? The 2 best teams of the year squaring off in the title game. This is game that everyone wanted (with the notable exception of Brett Favre's immediate family). So, here is a bit of pre-game analysis before we get to the Boilermakings.
I think tomorrow's game will be a classic Super Bowl. These are 2 great teams, with 2 great quarterbacks, and underrated defenses. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the Saints jump out to a lead of more than 10 points. The one thing you can say about the Saints is that they are unpredictable. Every single week, there is some new kind of offensive scheme or formation, some new wrinkle that you have never seen from them before. Meanwhile, the Colts have a tendency to let even mediocre offenses stay in the game for quite some time. They allowed the Jets to score 2 explosive touchdowns, so much that it even seemed like the Colts were in deep trouble in the AFC Championship Game. New Orleans just has too many weapons for the Colts to contain. They have 3 great running backs who can all punish the Colts should they try to clamp down on Brees. Every single wide receiver they have is a constant home run threat, and Shockey is a big tight end to try and contain with a small defense like the Colts have (he had a pretty good game against them as a Giant, against Bob Sanders).
A lot of talk this week has focused on both of the offenses, but these defenses are playing really well too. The Saints are very opportunistic, known for getting and converting turnovers. On other side, the Colts are quietly the number 8 scoring defense in the league, despite giving two games to the bench players. The Colts have done this despite numerous injuries to key members of their secondary, defensive line, and linebackers. This is nothing new for the Colts, who have also been dealing with the loss of Anthony Gonzalez. The depth problems are going to hurt them early. Offenses less prolific than this have given the Colts young secondary hell. Brady and Moss put on a 45 minute clinic for the Colts' rookie corners in Indianapolis this year. Even Mark Sanchez managed to turn them around last week, and more than once.
This is the Colts though, and they made a whole season doing this. They have come back late seven times. Ask New England what kind of lead is safe against this team. New Orleans can't let up at any point in this game, because Manning will shred them. Manning will make them pay for every mistake, every person out of position, every mismatch, and every blitz. I have described the Saints defense as opportunistic, and that is the problem. How many opportunities does Peyton Manning ever give the opposing team? The Vikings were kind enough to cough up the ball 4 times last week, and still the Saints took the game to overtime. This was after Manning torched the #1 defense in NFL for nearly 400 yards and 3 touchdowns. If Darrelle Revis and the Jets' better secondary couldn't get Manning to throw a pick, my hopes aren't high for the Saints.
I see this game playing out like the tortoise and the hare. New Orleans is going to shoot out to an early lead, as Brees tests the young defense. On the other side, Manning will take his time, daring the Saints to sell out on a blitz or get too aggressive and leave holes in a zone, and then he will strike. The Colts will take advantage of every single error made by the Saints defense and climb back into the game, and eventually pull away. The Saints game plan is to get in Manning's head, to get at him, make him hear footsteps and force him to make mistakes. I just don't see it happening. The Ravens and Jets couldn't stop Manning and they had the two best defenses in the playoffs this year. After watching that happen, I have trouble imagining the Saints being the team that finally forces Peyton to lose a football game. Drew is good enough to keep it interesting for the whole game, but I don't see that defense containing the Colts. Sorry Drew.
Colts 34, Saints 27
Tell us what you think in the poll, and after the jump we hit the Boilermakings.
17 comments | 0 recs |
Vote for Chris Kramer and Raymar Morgan
Let's show some Big Ten solidarity and vote for Chris Kramer and Raymar Morgan, as they are up for the Lowe's Senior CLASS award. Even you want a third player to vote for (since you can vote for three) pick Adam Koch from our NCAA first round opponent last season.
3 days ago
BoilerTMill
0 comments
0 recs
Non-conference opponents update for 2/6
by BoilerTMill on Feb 6, 2010 11:44 AM EST
in Men's Basketball
24 comments
INSTANT UPDATE: Vote here for Chris Kramer, as he is up for the Lowe's Senior Class Award.
It is a great Saturday. We have our favorite quarterback going for his first Super Bowl ring tomorrow, there is a lot of college basketball on, and our basketball Boilers have the day off while our main rival for the conference title has a tough road game. That game comes with the possibility that the Spartans won't have their best player. We continue to do our part for a high seed in March, but today is a big day for everyone else. Here is what our non-conference opponents have been up too, as well as who they face next.
Purdue's profile:
RPI: 10
Strength of Schedule: 33
Top 50 RPI wins: #5 West Virginia, #9 Wisconsin, #20 Wake Forest, #22 Tennessee
Top 50 RPI games remaining: at #14 Michigan State, #14 Michigan State, at #34 Ohio State
Top 100 RPI wins: #61 Minnesota, at #77 Illinois
Worst loss: at #63 Northwestern
24 comments | 0 recs |
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