Purdue Fans about to find out why cliche' sportscasters contracutally obliged to rant "That's why they play the game!"

First appeared on March 2nd, 2010

in The Lebanon Reporter

OK Purdue fans so your first outing without star forward Robbie Hummel didn't quite turn out the way you would have liked. And yes we know 44 points scored was by far a season low for you. But no matter how ugly things were Sunday, it's still not time to hit the eject button on your season.  Those Boilers left deserve more than the "sky has fallen, woe are we" panicked reaction most of you have had to this point.

First let's understand Sunday's match up was one you could have just as easily lost with Hummel playing. Considering you've gotten the bulk of the press in the Conference this year, Sparty was playing with an understandable chip on his shoulder. "But we're not a Final Four team anymore" you whine in unison, well if we knew who the Final Four teams were now, why would we bother to invite 60 other teams to play in the tournament?  

 With Sunday's loss, Matt Painter and his team do find themselves at a crossroads however. The next two weeks are far more important than any single loss could be. The issue here is not so much the injury to Robbie Hummel, it's the timing. The Boilers have enough talent to win games without Hummel, but with only 2 regular season games and the Big Ten Tourney left they likely won't have enough time for everyone to sort out their new roles and find a groove before the NCAA Tournament.

Two games is not enough time for the Boilers to convince themselves they can win without Hummel either. This is where the Big Ten Tourney comes in to play. Purdue has enough talent left to beat both Indiana and Penn State but the trick for Painter will be convincing his players of that. If they can find a way to survive their last two games, the Tourney gives them an opportunity to not only play with some added pressure but make a statement to the NCAA Tournament committee as well.

History has shown the committee considers key injuries when sowing their almighty seeds. This is why the Boilers need to win out (including the Big Ten Tournament). If they can do this, that would put a tremendous amount of pressure on the committee to not saddle them with a 4 or 5 seed.

Undoubtedly Hummel was an important piece of Purdue's puzzle but he was not their leading scorer or rebounder. Those titles belong to E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson. In Moore and Johnson the Boilers still have a1-2 punch that will be better than the vast majority of the teams that make the field of 64. 

To win out however the Boilers will need Lewis Jackson and Chris Kramer to score more. Now is also the time for Keaton Grant to play the way he did as a Sophomore. That season he was a double digit scorer and looked liked a key piece of the program's future. Now Matt Painter needs him more than ever and Grant finds himself with a perfect opportunity to salvage his career and make himself one of those names Boiler fans recall fondly at the same time.   

The X factor in all of this is that Purdue plays smothering team defense and this, above all else, gives them a chance to win every night. Obviously offense doesn't hurt your chances, but no matter the sport, defense is usually the difference in the biggest games (see Colts, Indianapolis). So cheer up Boiler fans, though it's not what you expected, the end of your season should still prove interesting.