12/1/2025 Boilermaker Water Cooler Chat: Bucket List Edition
Rants, ravings, and somewhat sensical opinions following the wild, wacky, and wide-wide world of Purdue sports.
Apparently, when I was a toddler, I wanted to be a “big talking man”. My parents remind me of that memory regularly, most often when I am talking way too much at Thanksgiving dinner. While it took a bit of translation, apparently what young’n Ben wanted to be was a media member. So I studied communication, and set out my goals of being a Big Talking Man.
As a kid, I created what I now know as a “Bucket List”, or a series of cool goals to accomplish as an adult. 4 year old me thought that it would be awesome to work for the local TV station, which aired Purdue games back before they were nationally broadcasted. Then I wanted to be on air talent. Then I wanted to work alongside my mentor. Then I wanted to have my own show. Then… then… then… these buckets got filled.
4 year old Ben, sitting on his living room floor, watching Gene Keady coach basketball, and Fred Akers coach football, all while wrestling with my dog, in front of a warm fireplace… that was my life. I distinctly remember, as a kid, thinking to myself, “wouldn’t it be the best day ever to be a big talking man for both Purdue Football and Basketball in the same day?”
While my media work is more of a moonlight than my career, these days, I have still been doing this for over 20 years. I have filled many buckets. I have added ridiculous things to my bucket list. Things like:
- Be a movie monster in a horror movie. (Check)
- Eat a traditional Polish food on Live TV. (Check)
- Interview a member of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. (Check)
- Meet Jimmy JJ Walker. (Check)
- Cover the NCAA Tournament. (Check)
- Meet the San Diego Chicken. (Check)
- Eat a hot dog with Kobiyashi. (Check)
- Cover Purdue in a Bowl Game. (Pending)
See? Some of these things are flat out ridiculous. All of these silly things that I have done, there was one thing that 4 year old me would think is the coolest thing ever. One of my original buckets. On a chilly, breezy, Black Friday, Indiana Sports Coverage filled one of my first buckets.
- Cover both Purdue Basketball and Football in the same day. (Check)
FOOTBALL:
#2 Indiana 56, Purdue 3
Speaking of buckets, an Old Oaken Bucket was on the line. The Hoosiers sashayed into town, and danced on the grave of the 2025 Purdue Football season.
Ryan Browne was actually the most explosive QB on the field, throwing for 238 yards and scrambling like a madman to avoid sacks. He played his tail off, but he could not carry the load of 11 others around him.
The Hoosiers dominated on the ground, marching up and down the field. 37 carries, 5 TDs, 355 yds. Ain’t nobody beating a team that does that.
That about covers it.
Break It Down:
The good news is that Purdue doubled their win totals from last year. The eye test of the 2025 Purdue Boilermaker team is a significant improvement from the year prior. The bad news is that doubling the win total, is two wins.
Now, I am not blaming the kids, nor am I blaming Barry Odom. Coach Odom had to bubble-gum and paper clip a roster together. Several players had established talent, but on the whole there was a talent discrepancy for this year’s squad. Likewise, Ryan Walters left this program in a 12 foot deep hole. Digging yourself out of a 12 foot hole, still leaves you 6 feet under, even if you’ve improved a ton.
Some major improvements are needed for the 2026 season. The offensive play calling was horrendously bland. Without some sort of offensive spark, Purdue will be a dead before they arrive. It will be difficult to fill out a team that can go toe-to-toe with a B1G caliber opponent. You need to be able to score points in bunches in order to compete.
Likewise, Purdue will need to address the overall talent for this group. Again, I am not pointing figures at the players, as I do believe they played their hearts out, but just look at this Purdue roster vs the ranked opponents that they played. It is like night and day.
Finally, Purdue needs to somehow get a break of good luck. Pray to the football gods, sacrifice a bucket of fried chicken to Jobu, never step on white chalk lines ever again. While some programs have a proverbial “leprechaun shoved up their asses”, getting every lucky break in their rebuild, Purdue did not get one right bounce this season. 2 wins… but if the ball bounced right Purdue would’ve beaten Minnesota, Rutgers, and yes, even Michigan. Essentially one play for each of those games turned the tide. That would’ve been 5 wins right there.
Brighter days are ahead for the Purdue football program, this is for sure. Getting stomped out on your home field, in a rivalry game to end the season, will definitely leave a bitter taste in Purdue fans’ mouth.
BASKETBALL:
EIU 62, #1 Purdue 109
Speaking of buckets, the #1 team in all the land got plenty of them on Friday. Boilers started slowly, then turned on the gas. Daniel Jacobsen led the way with 24pts and 9rbs. 6 total Boilermakers scored in double digits, joining Jacobsen was Fletcher Loyer (15), Trey Kaufman-Renn (14), Gicarri Harris (12), Omer Mayer (10), and Oscar Cluff (10). The Boilermakers beat a bad team badly. Gotta love it!
Purdue – Eastern Illinois Photo Gallery by Mark Elsner: https://iscpurdue.com/purdue-mens-basketball-vs-eastern-illinois-11-28-25/
Break It Down:
The Swiss have an army knife which can do everything! Aptly named a Swiss Army Knife, had the tools you needed to succeed! A blade, wood saw, nail file, tweezers, screwdriver, toothpick, scissors, magnifying glass… hell, newer ones have flashlights, USB memory sticks, and Wi-Fi hot spots. If I ever find myself on the mean streets of Valparaiso Indiana, I would want one of those in my pocket for survival.
As for the Boilermakers, they are so versatile that it is a new hero every game. This time it was Daniel Jacobsen taking the reigns, and demolishing the opponent. Just like the several tools on a Swiss Army Knife, each Boilermaker served their role perfectly.
6 players in double digit scoring, 9 players logging assists, out rebounding opponents by 20, shooting 63% from the field, 48% from 3, and 89% free throws? Yeah, that’s balance, that’s deadly, that’s the Swiss Army Knife of basketball teams.
Big Man on Campus:
Daniel Jacobsen, is literally and figuratively speaking, the BMOC this week. 24pts, 9rbs, 6 blocks, and set a Purdue record by making his 19th straight shot. Absolutely incredible performance from this young man.
Volleyball Dancing:
Dave Shondell’s volleyball squad has made the NCAA tournament, garnering a #3 seed on yesterday’s selection Sunday! The Boilers will host on Thursday and Friday, so if you have a chance to attend, go ahead and support the team! The Boilermakers will take on Wright State on Thursday to kick off the action!
A Look Ahead:
Now that we are firmly supplanted in Basketball mode, the #1 Purdue Men’s Basketball team will now enter the part of the season where they have struggled the most over the last few seasons… The early season Big Ten slate. The Boilers will play their first conference game, on the road nonetheless, against Rutgers. In years past, you could mark this game down as an auto-loss. Penn State, Northwestern, hell, even Rutgers have all beaten the Boilermakers in this spot the last few seasons. The Boilers should be heavy favorites, but you never know. I guess, we’ll see on Tuesday. 8 PM, live from New Jersey (FS1).
Following that game, Purdue will return home for a marquee matchup against (As of this writing) #15 Iowa State. The Cyclones have looked awfully tough so far this season, with victories against St. John’s, Creighton, Syracuse, and Miss St. Boilers should be favored, but this one will not be easy. That game tips off noon on Saturday (CBS).
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