12/26/2024 Boilermaker Water Cooler Chat: Not So Sweet Home Edition
Rants, ravings, and somewhat sensical opinions following the wild, wacky, and wide-wide world of Purdue sports.
I’ve driven through Alabama before. It was fine.
Home of multiple Buc-ees, Football, white BBQ sauce, and Forrest Gump, Google tells me that Alabama is known as the “Yellowhammer State.” I assume it is called that because of the abundance of yellow hand tools.
Also in 1974, Alabama was the titular subject for an iconic classic rock song from the Southern-Rock band Lynard Skynard. “Sweet Home Alabama” is a fun little ditty that, at face value, is an homage to how lovely Alabama is. The song might not be about that. I am not doing any further research on it. Lets just assume that people are proud of Alabama, it is their home, and it is sweet.
For Purdue, however, their visit was neither sweet nor savory. I was more of a “Free Bird” fan anyways.
The Game:
#16 Purdue 69, #2 Auburn 87
After getting pulverized into a fine powder in the early portion of the game, the remaining suspended dust cloud veiled a much more lopsided loss than the score indicated.
Three players scored in double figures Cox (16), Trey Kaufmann Renn (15), and Fletcher Loyer 11. Braden Smith provided 8 adding 6 assists, but 5 turnovers. The rest of the roster provided sporadic (and I mean VERY sporadic) support, as Auburn out skilled, out toughed, and out played the Boilermakers.
I don’t care what you say, Auburn is everything they’re billed to be, and then some. They are severely underrated at #2. Yeah, I just typed that.
Break It Down:
Auburn literally flexed on the Boilermakers. By literally, I mean after every highlight-reel dunk, they would literally flex. Auburn players had synchronized dance moves, celebrations, pre-planned taunts for each explosive ESPN top-10 caliber play, and the Boilermakers stood there and took it.
What do you do when your opponent is tick-tock dancing down the floor as your team is down by 30 midway through the second half?
I am not sure. The officials aren’t going to stop them. Bruce Pearl isn’t going to stop them. Purdue, the ball is in your court.
Stop them.
Boilers were never going to win this game. Auburn, despite the #2 ranking, is absolutely the best team in the nation. They are incredible, and are led by the presumptive national player of the year Johni Broome (23pts 11rb).
Purdue has scheduled tough this season but has a flawed roster, particularly following the Jacobsen injury. Now sitting at 8-4, this isn’t the record that many had hoped they would have at this point. The thing is, however, this should be somewhat expected. This Purdue team is far from a finished product, and they are still trying to feel their way through the blemishes on this roster.
Putting yourself in a time machine just a few years back, you will notice that Purdue traditionally fires off a dud or two at this point of the year. The combination of finals and the Christmas holiday lulls the Boilers to sleep (past couple years aside). Adding to the fact that Purdue has the hardest schedule in the nation, and has scheduled a series of hyper-athletic, punch you in the mouth type of teams, Matt Painter’s squad is licking their wounds, having lost 3 of their last 4.
Things are going to be ok. Painter will coach this team up. They will grow more experienced day by day. Either way, a loss like this is like a lump of coal in your stocking.
What Went Well:
- CJ Cox: Was only the 4th Boilermaker to score in this game, splashing a corner 3 at the halftime buzzer. He also became the only player outside of Smith, TKR, and Loyer to lead the team in scoring this season. That, in itself, is impressive. However, Cox’s performance carries extra weight, as he appears to be the only bench player to be producing anything.
Opportunities for Improvement:
- 0: Combined points by Camden Heide and Myles Colvin, Purdue’s two most athletic and explosive wing players. Unfortunate, because the Boilermakers were at an athletic disadvantage this game and needed one (or both) to step up. Getting a goose-egg from one starter stings, but from two? Brutal.
- Shut Them Up: When a team has choreographed celebratory dances against you, it should be humuliating. When your opponent literally flexes on you multiple times in a game, you should be embarassed. Stop them. Show some pride and get pissed off. Boilermakers need to show some fight, show some pride, and make it so no opponent flex on them again.
- ESPN: The feed to this game should have come with a safety disclaimer… “Seizure Warning”. Hyper glitchy, flicker-y, hard to watch (aside from the poor Purdue play), this feed gave me a headache. Thank goodness they eventually put a “Technical Difficulties” bug on the screen. That was nice of them. Oh, how I don’t miss watching games on ESPN…
Big Man on Campus:
Due to popular demand, there will be no BMOC honor awarded this week. Coffee is for closers.
A Look Ahead:
The Boilers have, yet again, only 1 game this week. The (as of this writing) #16 Purdue Boilermakers will host Toledo on Sunday 12/29. Hopefully Purdue can right the ship with a little momentum heading into the new year.
Merry Christmas to all of our readers, from all of us at ISC! Hope Santa is good to you!
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