11/11/2024 Boilermaker Water Cooler Chat: Veterans Day Edition
Rants, ravings, and somewhat sensical opinions following the wild, wacky, and wide-wide world of Purdue sports.
I am an American. That’s the way most of us put it, just matter of factly.
They are plain words, those four: you could write them on your thumbnail, or sweep them across this bright autumn sky.
But remember too, that they are more than just words. They are a way of life. So whenever you speak them, speak them firmly, speak them proudly, speak them gratefully.
I am an American.
We all know those words which proudly echo across West Lafayette on football Saturdays. We as Americans have been blessed to live in the safety, luxury, and freedom in which these words encapsulate. We are a brilliant melting pot of cultures, religions, races, and political ideologies. Whether or not we seem to recognize it, we are tremendously lucky to be living in this country.
And on this day, the 11th day of the 11th month, Veteran’s Day, I wish to thank those who have fought for, sacrificed for, and died for our freedoms. I have many family members, friends, and loved ones who are Veterans. To those who I know, and those who I don’t, I want to provide my sincerest thank you to every member and veteran of our Armed Services.
Thank you to the true heroes of our country!
Basketball:
Texas A&M Corpus Cristi 73, #14 Purdue 90
Fletcher Loyer led the way in scoring, pouring in 21 pts. He was one of 5 players in double figures (Kaufman-Renn, Colvin, Jacobsen, Smith). Braden Smith looked good, flirting with a triple double, 12 pts, 15 assists, and 8 rebounds. This game was controlled for most of the contest, minus a strong run by TAMCC in the early portion of the second half. Once Purdue settled down, this game was comfortably over.
The high point, to me, was the breakout of Daniel Jacobsen, who for all intents and purposes solidified his position as the starting center following this game. His 13 points and 7 rebounds really showed his potential.
Photo Gallery by Mark Elsner: https://iscpurdue.com/purdue-mens-baseketball-vs-texas-am-corpus-christi-11-4-24/
Northern Kentucky 50, #14 Purdue 72
Purdue starting center Daniel Jacobsen broke his leg 58 seconds into this contest, just one game following his impressive performance in the season opener. According to Matt Painter on his Sunday press conferences, surgery is imminent, and he will miss the remainder of the season while achieving a medical redshirt. This is a huge blow to the Purdue Boilermaker squad, and we wish Jacobsen a quick and speedy recovery.
The game itself, Purdue played a little bit sloppy, turning the ball over too frequently. This game also had an extended scoring drought, but was coupled with good defense, so the damage was minimal. Fletcher Loyer again led the way with 16 points. TKR had 14, and Smith added 11. Caleb Furst, Raleigh Burgess, and Will Berg filled in for the injured Jacobsen, each providing a different way of impacting the game.
Break it Down:
What is this team? We aren’t quite sure yet. There have been plenty of positives, and some glaring question marks. While we thought Purdue had found their future center, an injury is going to open that question back up. Clearly both opponents this week are overmatched, but these were far from patsy teams. These are tournament caliber programs, so it was good to play some reasonably skilled opposition.
Only two things are for sure this season. 1) This team is a work in progress and will continue to be for the next several weeks, and 2) There are several people on this team that have the capability to pop-off for a double digit scoring output. That is a good problem to have!
Football:
#2 Ohio State 45, Purdue 0.
The Purdue Boilermaker football performed better than I thought they would have. They almost scored 3 times.
Big Man on Campus:
Fletcher Loyer has led the way for the Purdue basketball season so far. He is the highest scorer on the team, and has shown to be consistent from the free throw line early. I am sure we will see plenty of BMOC awards for Big-Game-Fletch this season!
A Look Ahead:
The (as of the writing of this article) #14 Purdue Men’s basketball team will take on Yale on Monday (TODAY!!) for an 8:00 tip. Yale is a consistent tournament team, so it will be interesting to see how Purdue matches up. On Friday 11/15 Purdue will host #2 Alabama in a rematch from last year’s thrilling matchup, for a 7:00 tip. Alabama is legit, and should be a final four caliber team this season. This is the week where we will learn an awful lot about the Purdue basketball team!
As for football, Purdue will host #6 Penn State for the final game in Ross Ade this season. The senior night crowd will see the 3:30, primetime-kickoff, while the rest of us can watch it on national TV. We are all fairly certain how this one will go, but… you never know!
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