3/31/2025 Boilermaker Water Cooler Chat: Salutation Edition
Rants, ravings, and somewhat sensical opinions following the wild, wacky, and wide-wide world of Purdue sports.
Oscar Wilde, in the late 1800s said that “Life imitates art far more than art imitates life.” Certain times we have to just sit back and breathe it in and feel the moment. Now I am not trivial enough to try to say that a basketball game ending in the early hours of a Saturday morning, is art, but man, there is something about it.
A well lit court, surrounded by 30k fans is a sight to behold. Two teams, one a heavy favorite and another, a plucky home underdog, feels like a hollywood script. A drama filled contest, back and forth. Blood, sweat, tears, painted the canvas which was Lucas Oil Stadium. A game that came down to the last second. There is something very romantic about the game of basketball in the state of Indiana. The concept of such paints a striking image into your head.
Oh, and poetry. There are artful and delicate words that could describe the hard play, the swishing nets, the passion of the crowd. As for me, there is one pitch perfect and ironic twist. The game was ended by one last incorrect call, by an antagonistic Big Ten Official who was a notorious thorn in Purdue’s side all season. How poetic is that?
The Game:
#4 Purdue 60, #1 Houston 62
A back and forth affair, the Boilers didn’t back down from the big-bad-burly Houston Cougars. Both teams traded haymakers, with the Boilers leading at half. A second half surge, coupled with several 50/50 calls that went against Purdue, led to a double digit Houston lead. A couple of stops, some clutch shots, and Cam Heide tied the game up with just a few seconds remaining in the game with a huge clutch 3.
Houston’s ensuing possession featured a blatant charge, which flattened Braden Smith, that Paul Szelc acknowledged but did not call. This led to an open, but missed, jumper, in which the ball ricocheted out of bounds off of Purdue. A nifty under the basket inbounds play later, and Purdue loses by 2.
Fletcher Loyer had 17 points, and lit up Houston in the first half. Trey Kaufman-Renn had 14. Braden Smith only scored 7 points, but had an astonishing 15 assists. Cam Heide and Myles Colvin played well off the bench. The Boilers fought and scratched, but came up just short.
Purdue – Houston Photo Gallery by Mark Elsner: https://iscpurdue.com/ncaa-sweet-16-purdue-mens-basketball-vs-houston-3-28-25/
Break It Down:
I am really proud of this Purdue team. They were playing on house money, and nearly cashed in. Did they play perfectly? No. They played hard nosed Boilermaker Basketball, and nearly took out a #1 seed in the process.
What a growth curve that this team went through this season. The Boilers were getting smoked by Auburn, Marquette, and Texas A&M earlier in this season. They learned from it, they got better. This Purdue team hit a slide in February and March, but they righted the ship. One blown call and one slick out of bounds play from an Elite 8 against Tennessee.
Be very proud of this team. All you want from a basketball program is continual improvement from the beginning of the season to the end. This team showed that they can play their best ball at the end of the season. They played to seed in the tournament, and almost achieved a huge upset at the end of the year.
At the beginning of the season, I said a Sweet 16 is a successful season for this team. They were in a rebuilding mode, following the loss of 2x National Player of the Year, and several other key contributors. Prior to the season Purdue’s prized recruit flaked and jumped ship after trying to strongarm Painter for extra guarantees. Into the season, Zach Edey’s replacement, Daniel Jacobsen got injured in the first minute of the second game. There were so many what ifs, but doing so means nothing.
This team had a successful season. That is what matters. Thank you, Boilermakers for a fun year!
On To The Off Season:
Ok, so now what? The offseason is off and running. The Boilermakers only graduate one contributor in Caleb Furst. However, in this world we live in, that doesn’t mean that they are bringing everyone else back. NIL is ruining the sport a very real thing, and essentially puts an open free-agency to any player who wants to be bid upon. Other players might not be seeking money, but rather a better situation for playing time. Others might just want one last shot to be a star. Some might want to be close to their girlfriends, or families, or who knows.
The bottom line is that Purdue will have, on paper, one of the best rosters in basketball if the key contributors stay. Braden Smith is an All-American. TKR will be in the running to be an All-American next year. Fletcher Loyer is still a consistent dead-eye shooter. Camden Heide and Myles Colvin showed what they can be at the end of the year. CJ Cox, Gicarri Harris, and Raleigh Burgess look to contribute more as sophomores. Jack Benter and Daniel Jacobsen are returning to active duty, getting off of a redshirt year. This team could be really good next year.
As of the writing of this article, both Brian Waddell and Will Berg have entered the transfer portal. Neither is surprising. Neither got a ton of playing time. Waddell is a grad-transfer and might be looking to be a leader on another roster. Will Berg hasn’t panned out into the star that some thought he would be, and maybe a change of scenery will do him good. Will others join them? We will see.
Rumors are that there are some high-profile transfers considering coming to Purdue. Painter has already alluded to him dabbling in the portal for next season. Who knows what the additions will be!?
One Last Thing:
Paul Szelc has been one of the officials that you don’t want to read on the roster when you are playing a Big Ten basketball game. I am a huge proponent of “if i know your name as an official, it is probably a bad thing” and the fact that I am confident in spelling S-Z-E-L-C without looking it up, is not a good thing. Is he the worst, absolutely not. He is bottom 3, however. His blown call at the end of the Houston game was incredible. The series of questionable out of bounds and 50/50 calls that were all wrong, was impressively bad. In a two point game, one bad call can directly impact the game. Several will end the game. Oh, only to sweeten it, the way that Tennessee wet themselves on Sunday, he pretty much cost Purdue a Final 4.
I hope the Big Ten is happy that Paul Szelc, one of the most infamous well known B1G officials gave the world a glimpse into his ineptitude.
Thank You:
This article marks the end of the 2024-2025 sports calendar, and thus the end of the Water Cooler Chat series for this year.
I want to give my sincerest thank you to the Purdue Athletic department. They have proven to be a class act in the business, and on the cutting edge of athletic departments. Thank you for the opportunities provided to ISC.
I want to thank my cohorts here at ISC. Our Editor Dave Kovich, the best photographer in the business Mark Elsner, writers and personalities Corey Ross, Kobie Lucabaugh, and John Budzynski. You folks are the best, and I love working closely with you.
Finally, of course, I want to thank the readers of these columns. The Purdue faithful are the best fans in the world and we do this for you. Yes, it is fun, but without the readers, we wouldn’t exist. For those of you who interact with me online, who recognize me in the stands or on the streets, thank you. You make this already fun gig, even more fun.
Thank you, everyone, for being a huge part of ISC! Boiler Up, God Bless! See you in the fall!
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