1/20/2024 Boilermaker Water Cooler Chat: Road Trip Edition
Rants, ravings, and somewhat sensical opinions following the wild, wacky, and wide-wide world of Purdue sports.
In the absurd new landscape of the Big Ten, each team will take a west-coast road trip for multiple stops. I love a good road trip. You grab yourself a coffee, some snacks, a partner, and you set out on the open road. Often times I spend days finely crafting my song playlist, so that I can rock and roll my way across the country. My own private concert.
When it comes to Purdue’s road trip, I immediately think of one song lyric. The, song, a 1974 cover of a Yard Bird’s cover of a 1951 Tiny Bradshaw big band song (Yes, as convoluted as that was to read, it was equally as difficult to type), Aerosmith’s “Train Kept a Rollin” is absolutely not a song about Purdue Athletics. The refrain of the song, however, is perfectly fitting.
“I said, train kept a-rolling all night long
“Train Kept a Rollin” Aerosmith
Train kept a-rolling all night long
Train kept a-rolling all night long
Train kept a-rolling all night long
With a “heave!”, and a ho!
But I just couldn’t tell her so, no, no, no.”
The Games:
#17 Purdue 69, Washington 58
A jet lagged Boilermaker squad started the game half asleep falling down by 8 at halftime. Come the second half, the Boilers rolled over the Huskies.
Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 19 to lead the Boilermakers. In double figures was Braden Smith (17 pts, 5 ast, 5 stl), Caleb Furst (15 pts, 6rb) and Fletcher Loyer (12 pts, 5rb), as the balanced attack had Washington spinning in the second half. Despite poor shooting from 3 (23%), a career night from Great Osobor (doubled his career 3 point makes by hitting 5), and surprisingly arrogant courtside fans, the Boilers win by double digits on the road.
Purdue – Washington Photo Gallery by Mark Elsner: https://iscpurdue.com/purdue-mens-basketball-vs-washington-1-15-25/
#17 Purdue 65, Oregon 58
The slow first half performances continued in Oregon, as Purdue just couldn’t seem to find a groove offensively in the first 20 minutes. The second half adjustments, however, flipped the script and eventually led to a double-digit lead in the final minutes. A few straggling desperation 3s from Oregon cut into the total, but it was academic by the end.
Trey Kaufman-Renn, again, led the way with scoring, notching a double-double (23 pts, 11 rb). Braden Smith showed up in a big way (15 pts, 7 ast, 4rb, 4stl), and Camden Heide provided a spark off the bench (9 pts). The Boilermakers continued their poor shooting from 3 (16%) but played excellent defense to survive a rock fight in Oregon.
Purdue – Oregon Photo Gallery: https://iscpurdue.com/purdue-mens-basketball-vs-oregon-1-18-25/
Break it Down:
The Boilermaker Special kept rolling this week, as Purdue handled business on the West Coast. Offense may have been a bit eye-watering at times, but defense travels. Holding two teams under 60 points for consecutive games on the road is an impressive feat, especially against a ranked foe in Oregon.
For Purdue to stay in the Big 10 title race, they needed a big week, and they delivered.
What Went Well:
- TKR American Badass: For some reason, this young man gets a lot of heat from certain talking head types, and I don’t get it. Day after day, game after game, week after week, this young man produces. This week he averaged 21pts and 8 rebounds, despite being being a hammered down low for 2 games.
- In Braden We Trust: What more can be said? His patience, efficiency, passing, and leadership shows every game. Going on the road and leading the Boilermakers to 2 victories, what more can you ask for?
- 83%: From FT against Oregon, which looms large in a close game. If Oregon is going to play the physical “Foul ’em all and let God sort ’em out” including multiple flagrant fouls, then the Boilermakers needed to make them pay from the line, and they did.
Opportunities for Improvement:
- Speaking of Flagrant Fouls: The Big Ten isn’t exactly known for officiating prowess, in fact I’ve heard the term “laughing stock” casually thrown about. Oregon made no qualms that they were planning on hammering Purdue every single play, as hard as possible. Hell, Purdue shot 30 FTs, and should have shot several-dozen more. One play in particular caught my eye, which should have been the third flagrant of the game. In the second half, Myles Colvin was taking the ball to the hole on a fast break. Oregon C, Nate Bittle, performed an impressive form-tackle after losing his footing. Colvin wiped out, hard, from a foul that made no attempt on the ball. Very easily could have been injured. In what should have been Bittle’s second flagrant of the game (and garnering an ejection), was called a common foul on the floor, and wasn’t reviewed. What more can be expected from a DJ Carstensen led officiating crew?
- Speaking of Bittle: Why did NBC interview his dad during gameplay? I am just being honest, is he some sort of walking-legend that I am unaware of? In a close game, I couldn’t care less on what Mr. Bittle has to say about the state of basketball affairs.
- Cultural Mismatch: I am typing this article while watching college hoops on Sunday. The home court environments are something to behold. Michigan State has a wild home court advantage. IU, when not booing and chanting at their apparent soon to be fired coach, is a great home court advantage. Illinois, Northwestern, Maryland, Rutgers… Madhouses. Mackey Arena ,the best of them all. Washington and Oregon? Woof. Despite the media’s attempts to make it seem like the atmosphere in those stadiums seem intimidating, they were anything but. I’ve had more hostile experiences in Stewart Center Library while I was on campus.
Big Man on Campus:
Trey Kaufman-Renn was a man amongst boys this week. While he might have started slowly in both games, he ended strong. Averaging 21 pts and 8 rebounds on the week, he was rock solid for our Boilermakers.
One Last Thing:
I absolutely adored hearing the Purdue faithful taking over the west coast arenas. “Lets go Boilers!” “Boiler Up!” and “Whose house!” echoed across the Pacific Northwest. Great job by the best fans in the land!
A Look Ahead:
The (as of this writing) #17 Purdue Boilermakers return home after a strong business trip out west. They take on Ohio State for a Tuesday 1/21 clash and a 7:30 tip. Following that, the Boilermakers bring in Big Ten contender (as of this writing) #20 Michigan for a huge game on Friday 1/24, and an 8 pm tip. If the Boilermakers can sweep the train rolling, they will be in position to be in the top-tier of the Big Ten come the final weeks.
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