Hey hey, it's preseason poll time, where we count down our top 20 one-by-one. Today, we'll look at #10, the Purdue Boilermakers. That's right, we're bookending your weekend with teams from Indiana.
Let's check out everybody's favorite team named after an alcoholic beverage.
Conference: Big Ten
2008-09 Record: 27-10 (11-7)
NCAA Postseason: Beat Northern Iowa 61-56 in first round. Beat Washington 76-74 in second round. Lost to UConn 60-72 in the Sweet 16.
Head Coach: Matt Painter (5th season)
Losses: Graduation - 6'9" F Namanja Calasan (6.4 ppg), 5'9" G Bobby Riddell (2.4 ppg), 6'6" F Marcus Green (4.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg), 6'9" F Chris Reid (1 pt all season).
Key Returnees: 6'3" Junior G E'Twaun Moore (13.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.0 apg), 6'8" F Robbie Hummel (12.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg), 6'10" F/C JaJuan Johnson (13.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg), 6'3" G Chris Kramer (5.2 ppg, 2.5 apg, 2.5 spg), 6'4" G Keaton Grant (7.9 ppg), 5'9" G Lewis Jackson (5.9 ppg, 3.3 apg).
Additions: 6'5" G Stevie Loveless (Frankfort, IN), 6'0" G Bubba Day (West Lafayette, IN), 6'5" G/F Kelsey Barlow (Indianapolis, IN), 6'0" G Dru Anthrop (Lafayette, IN), 6'4" G Kyle Coleman (Tipton, IN), 6'5 G D.J. Byrd (Crawfordsville, IN), 6'2" G John Hart (Beech Grove, IN), 6'8" F Patrick Bade (Indianapolis, IN), 6'9" F Sandi Marcius (Nedelisce, Croatia).
The Skinny: Lest we forget that the great state of Indiana is the cradle of college hoops, look no farther than the trio of new players on Butler's Purdue's roster.
Yeah, that's right. I'm recycling the lede. Because it rings true. There's no doubt in my mind that Purdue can recruit nationally, but that they really don't feel like they must. I'd like to know just how on earth a Croatian got into that mix. Maybe Croatia is the midwest of Europe.
Clearly, the strength of this team is in its returning players. Moore, Hummel, Johnson and Grant are the solid scorers this team has learned to count on, with Jackson dropping dimes and pitching in with a few points per contest. Kramer is a stumbling block, and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. He is a bruising defensive stopper - one of those crucial pieces that often goes unnoticed on championship-quality teams like this one. The bench is pretty much all new guys, so it will be crucial for one or two of the kids to play well, especially anyone taller than 6'5".
I've never seen Purdue's Robbie Hummel and Butler's Gordon Hayward in the same room at the same time, but I'm assured they're two totally different people. The close proximity of West Lafayette and Indianapolis still has me a bit suspicious, however. Hayward Hummel is a lanky caucasian with goofy hair and a sweet outside shot. He put in 38.1% of his treys last season, and did some dirty work on the boards for a shortish team. (This paragraph also reduced, reused, and recycled as part of our Green Initiative here at STF).
Purdue gives me the feeling of one of those teams that really embodies its mascot. These guys are tough, blue-collar workaholics, and they're coming off a Sweet 16 appearance with no meaningful losses in personnel. They're still a tad short, but that's clearly not a terrible handicap for Painter's system. He recruited a donkey cart full of guards again this season, so he's clearly not too terribly concerned about it.
Don't be surprised to see the Boilermakers return to the Sweet 16. The contributions of their bench players throughout the tough Big Ten season will give us some indication if they will be able to take the next step.
Bloggers Say:
"This is the part where I am supposed to say 'I hope these high expectations don't go to their heads...blah blah blah.'
"As has been pointed out before, a know-nothing clown who can barely bang out coherent sentences and yet still works as a journalist, once said that he wasn't impressed with Robbie Hummel and that he's likely be a "role player" and unlikely to get any serious minutes until maybe his junior or senior seasons.
Well, Role Player Rob has been selected as one of only 50 players from across the nation to earn a place on the Naismith Trophy 2009-10 preseason watch list."
Best Games:
112/1 Wake Forest Demon Deacons
12/12 @ Alabama Crimson Tide
1/1 West Virginia Mountaineers
Since several of the Big Ten games will be very meaningful and exciting, I've focused on the non-con here. That's a pretty strong lineup, and a couple of good games at home as well. Ought to have the guys in the right mindset for conference play.
Famous Basketball Alums: John Wooden, Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson, Joe Barry Carroll, Brad Miller, Gene Keady, Gene Keady's hair.
Other Famous Alums: Writer Booth Tarkington, Orville Redenbacher, George Peppard, Gus Grissom and Neil Armstrong.
#15
A thoughtful insight and ideas I will use on my blog. You've obviously spent some time on this. Well done!
We woulda gladly given you more content than the quote you pulled during one of our mean streaks!
Good work, yo.