The Countdown to Kickoff series continues with a look at Purdue’s defense! I looked at every unit and provided an outlook. Is this group ready to take a leap? Plus, I jump into the special teams before answering a bunch of listener questions.
Braden Smith did not get selected to any of the three AP All-American teams.
If you remember how he played after being left off the midseason Cousy list, watch out.
To this point in the season, every time Purdue has REALLY needed David Jenkins Jr. to step up, he’s answered the call. Great minutes from him in the first half so far.
Purdue has played several of the nation’s best teams this season. It hasn’t lost to any of them. If Purdue plays good basketball tonight, it has a really nice chance of cutting down the nets.
Purdue has a whole lot of nothing to lose today. When Jeff Brohm took the Purdue job, the program was miles away from this point. Just a fantastic turnaround.
You can’t say enough about how big Caleb Furst and Ethan Morton’s 10 total points were in the first half. Purdue needed help scoring, and its glue guys delivered.
During his radio show last night, Matt Painter brought up a good point that Purdue had played four games in a row without a single off day. The schedule really opens up a bit for Purdue the rest of the way, especially with some real time off between Ohio State and Indiana.
It’s going to be a wild scene in Mackey Arena tonight. Should Purdue win, this would cap one of the most unexpected Big Ten championship runs that I can remember. They’ll need to play well to get there, but it could be a special night for Purdue fans.
When Purdue defeated Tennessee in November, it did so despite turning the ball over 16 times and shooting 4-for-15 from three. Improving on both of those numbers today would be ideal.
Ethan Morton saw a couple of much-needed threes fall for him tonight and was huge on defense in the last two possessions. It’s very easy to overlook his importance to this team, but he’s a big reason Purdue won tonight.
It’s wild that Purdue is getting on a plane to Ann Arbor this afternoon. I know the options were limited to reschedule the Michigan game, but man. Not an easy turnaround.
Jeff Brohm accomplished everything you could have hoped for when he took over in December 2016. He inherited a disaster and turned it into a Big Ten West champion. Purdue and its fans owe him a great deal of gratitude. The timing works out well here, IMO.
Lost in the midst of last night’s basketball game was the news that Brady Allen will return to Purdue. With Hudson Card and Allen in the room, Ryan Walters and Graham Harrell should feel good about what they have at QB. Now, they need to hit the portal for some receivers.
Fletcher Loyer got the game-winning shot that he almost did on Monday. That is a hell of a win for Purdue, especially after such a rocky start. Ohio State is legit.
I am really interested to see how tomorrow goes for Purdue. The Breslin Center isn’t an easy place to play, and I have a feeling Tom Izzo will throw a lot at Purdue’s freshman guards. It’ll take a really strong performance to get a W.
Five-star Harrison Ingram will decide today between Purdue, Stanford, North Carolina, and Michigan. Should Purdue land him, he would be the highest-rated commit in the recruiting ranking era.
Not sure I’ve ever seen a better performance from Purdue in that building. Purdue exorcised the turnover demons that haunted it in Assembly Hall the last two years and delivered a huge win.
Mackey Arena is going to be absolutely electric on Sunday afternoon for Michigan State. We’ll see how effective Tom Izzo’s recent lobbying efforts have been.
You know how truly special of a player Zach Edey is based on how much time opposing fan bases spend trying to minimize his accomplishments. That doesn’t happen to average players.
Listening to Matt Painter’s press conference and that’s as much as I’ve heard him talk about officiating in some time. His body language during the game certainly showed the frustration.
Between the football game at Wrigley and two top-25 basketball games, it’s going to be one heck of a weekend for Purdue fans. I’m sure I’m not the only one that can’t wait!
Even after a significant slump early on in the season, Fletcher Loyer is shooting 37.4% from three on the season. He’s going to go down as one of the best shooters to ever play at Purdue.
I don’t get into officiating much, but how Coleman Hawkins didn’t pick up a tech last night blows my mind. He’s a solid player, and it’s reasonable to think he could be even better if he didn’t get as emotional towards officials.
Regardless of how this game ends up, Purdue has something really special in Fletcher Loyer. Another big moment where’s he’s stepping up in a way freshmen rarely can.
Purdue has made the Final Four led by two all-conference players who came to West Lafayette as three-star recruits with little other high-major interest. Tremendous identification and development by Matt Painter and staff.
Just a fantastic performance by Trey Kaufman-Renn tonight. Matt Painter always refers to him as a future all-Big Ten type of player, and we’re seeing why.
Early August, this is how Purdue fans turn out for an Alumni game at Mackey. Unreal.
Pretty strong coach bench, too: 😁 ... Coach Gene Keady & his former players Coach Cuonzo Martin & Coach Matt Painter.
It’s a big night for Purdue basketball, as Jaden Ivey will be the highest draft pick the program has had since Glenn Robinson, and Trevion Williams could make this the first draft with two Boilermakers selected since 2011.
All things considered, not a bad half at all for Purdue. I don’t think it’s possible to say enough good things about Mason Gillis. His impact has been incredible.
It’s strange to go into this knowing that win or lose, this is Zach Edey’s last game in a Purdue uniform. There are few words to describe everything that’s gone into his Purdue career. What a story it’s been.
The broadcast team is really showing that they don’t watch a ton of college basketball. The most frustrating part of the NCAA Tournament for those of us who start watching before the month of March.
Against maybe the toughest schedule in the nation, Purdue finishes the regular season 28-3.
This year was never going to be defined by the regular season, but Purdue did everything you could have possibly imagined. A fantastic first 31 games.
There will be an adjustment period with some mistakes for Braden Smith, but Purdue got a criminally underrated player in him. He does things that this program hasn’t seen in some time.
There’s going to be a ton of conversation about the Purdue-Indiana matchup this week, and rightfully so, but the Boilers can’t look past Penn State. With how many threes they shoot, they can sneak up on anyone on any night. Gotta be ready for them.
That’s a great bounce-back win for Purdue, who finally gets some real time off this week. Depending on how the next two Northwestern games play out, the Boilermakers could clinch a share of the Big Ten title against Indiana.
Another season of college football in the books. 235 days from now, Purdue will return the field in one of the most anticipated season-openers that Ross-Ade Stadium has seen.
That’s three games in a row where Purdue’s played really good basketball. It’s probably their best three-game stretch since Portland, as the Boilers look the part of the number one team in America. It’s still just crazy to believe, but it’s legitimate.
Purdue’s heavily favored tonight, as they should be, but this game is as important as any in the quest for a Big Ten title. Show up, take care of the basketball, and don’t let Battle or Garcia go nuclear on you.
What a performance from Camden Heide this evening. The best game of his young career. There’s a lot to like about his future, especially if he can develop as a ball-handler.
I really like this hire of Graham Harrell. Seeing a defensive coach immediately commit to a pass-first offense is exactly what you want to happen, and Harrell has seven years of experience as an offensive coordinator.
What a win for Purdue. What a play drawn up by Painter. What a performance by Zach Edey. What a second half from Fletcher Loyer. Purdue earned that one despite not playing its best.