Close doesn't count, BUT.....

[troublesome one]

Purdue gives #6 Michigan State all it can handle at the Breslin Center.

Bodes well as this group gains maturity.

[hideaway70]

Yeah they looked like they might be a contender in the conference if they catch a couple breaks. IU, MSU and Wisconsin are all looking pretty solid.

[TheBigB]

One of Purdue's best players (Robbie Hummel) did not play in East Lansing, due to "flu-like symptoms". This will be a very interesting group to watch develop, over this year and over the next year or two. If Keaton Grant can stay out of trouble, everybody of note on this year's squad will be back next year - and only Calasan would be leaving then.

Looks to be a return to a strong year in Indiana College D1 basketball, with Indiana and Butler ranked, Notre Dame close, Purdue looking pretty good, and IUPUI sitting on top of their conference.

[hideaway70]

Looks to be a return to a strong year in Indiana College D1 basketball, with Indiana and Butler ranked, Notre Dame close, Purdue looking pretty good, and IUPUI sitting on top of their conference.

Butler looks impressive with those guards.

I went to the ND-UConn game last Saturday and ND looked very impressive in the first half but they squandered a big lead in the second. BUT they did win, which is what counts. They just need more consistent play for 40 minutes, especially at point guard.

[troublesome one]

Now they derail Ohio State's 19-game Big Ten winning streak. Talk about a tale of two halves. Boilers were down 7 at the half and battled back.

They almost gave it away at the end and gave Painter the longest 49 seconds of his your career.

[troublesome one]

Boilers come back from another halftime deficit to win. The youngsters are going to have to learn to play hard from the get-go.

[troublesome one]

Boilers avenge their only conference loss at MSU. Winners of 10 straight. And with Scott Martin on the bench.

Next Tuesday's showdown with IU will prove interesting, especially since it's in Bloomington.

[TheBigB]

Next Tuesday's showdown with IU will prove interesting, especially since it's in Bloomington.

It will really prove interesting if Dan Dakich is the head coach, since the heat on Kelvin Sanctions really has been turned up.

[troublesome one]

What?!? No cries if "Steve Alford" from the IU faithful?

Dakich was a loyal assistant to Bobby Knight for years and was not considered since he didn't have head coaching experience. Now that he's been at Bowling Green awhile it'll be interesting to see, should the need arise for a replacement, if he gets a sniff at the position.

[TheBigB]

What?!? No cries if "Steve Alford" from the IU faithful?

Dakich was a loyal assistant to Bobby Knight for years and was not considered since he didn't have head coaching experience. Now that he's been at Bowling Green awhile it'll be interesting to see, should the need arise for a replacement, if he gets a sniff at the position.

I wasn't talking about him as a permanent hire, necessarily. If Sampson gets fired or suspended now, along with the assistant that was also named in that report, it leaves Dan Dakich as head coach.

Alas, it appears that IU isn't going to do anything hastily.

[matt_s]

Alas, it appears that IU isn't going to do anything hastily.

Heck no they aren't. If they can get the NCAA to stay off their back on acting until after the tournament, they will "investigate" the situation to determin their own sanctions and punishments until at least 24 hours after IU is out of the Tournament.

[troublesome one]

Or this from the Indy Star about bringing back Bobby Knight:

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dl...0601/802150489

[Eric_H]

Boilermaker posers got exposed last night.

[troublesome one]

I would disagree...

They only capitalized on one of the three things (turnovers, 3 pt. shooting %, freethrow shooting %) that have carried them through this winning streak. They forced IU into 18 more turnovers. Purdue's 3 pt. % and FT % (a woeful 52.8%) sunk them. They can take getting outrebounded and still survive.

Lavin said last night that their low post weakness was exposed but they flourished against MSU (Suton) and Wisconsin (Brian Butch) and Illinois (Shawn Pruitt & Brian Randle).

It's still a shame that that the Big 10 can't keep a home-and-home series for the traditional rivalries of PU-IU, U of M-MSU, etc. Maybe Delaney and the scheduling committee will see the light.

[TheBigB]

Boilermaker posers got exposed last night.

Gee - really objective analysis there, Eric_H. "Posers"?

It's still a shame that that the Big 10 can't keep a home-and-home series for the traditional rivalries of PU-IU, U of M-MSU, etc. Maybe Delaney and the scheduling committee will see the light.

I seem to recall that this was put up to a vote of coaches and university presidents, or something like that. IU and Purdue voted for that very thing, but most schools didn't care.

It is more likely they will return to a full round robin schedule, not by replacing the conference tournament (which many traditionalists would prefer), but by putting a few conference games in December. Unlike in football, there isn't an appreciable advantage in playing patsies, because the RPI is such a strong factor when it comes to tournament selection time. Most teams would be better off going 1-1 (or even 0-2) in those extra two conference games than whipping up on the Woffords (ooops - didn't happen with Purdue, did it?) of the world.

[Eric_H]

Where does it say I have to be objective?

[TheBigB]

Where does it say I have to be objective?

You don't, but when you use a term like "posers", you need to back it up with better evidence than a loss on the home floor of a team sharing the conference lead. Or are you one of those type of fans that chant "overrated", when the implication is that the primary reason that your team won the game is because the other team was overrated, not because your team played a good game?

[troublesome one]

Boilers secure #2 in the Big Ten regular season. Much better than expected.

[TheBigB]

Boilers secure #2 in the Big Ten regular season. Much better than expected.

Yeah, but according to Eric_H, the basketball expert, they are posers, even though they finished a game ahead of the "real" team that can't even win at pathetic Penn State.

[edited to add appropriate emoticon, lest anybody think that I was being all that serious]

[hairypumper]

Hopefully they'll be "Posing" with the Big Ten Championship trophy.