Posts - Boiled Sports: Recent Episodes
Boiled Sports
It may feel like he’s been around forever, but Barry Odom is only 48 and may be just realizing his potential.
Just two years after the last head coach search and subsequent hire, the BSSF is back at it. First up is Boilerdowd…more names, opinions and content on this topic is headed your way this week.
Wild guessing or educated speculation??? BDowd looks ahead in the B1G and the entire nation for the 2024-2025 season
I have a few predictions about who will make impact before actual news from practice begins to bubble up…
I led our Boilermakers to an EA College Football 25 Natty, I got some new ink and I have some Purdue basketball thoughts
Sampling a high proof Knob Creek burns a bit…but Coach Walters defense might not get burned too often this Fall…Let’s talk
A sour ending doesn't make the season any less sweet.
The NCAA National Title game saw our Boilermakers handled on the perimeter by UConn's wings, as the Huskies limited Purdue to only 7 three pointers attempted, all while Zach Edey got whatever he wanted inside on Donovan Clingan (by Dan Hurley's design). But Purdue won the most games in its basketball history, Edey swept every National Player of the Year award for the second straight year (the first time in over 50 years, since Bill Walton at UCLA), Matt Painter and a roster that almost entirely returned completed a redemptive season a year after the FDU loss (arguably the worst loss in March Madness history).
And, oh yeah, our Purdue Boilermakers made the Final Four for the first time since 1980, and won a National Semifinal game for the first time since 1969.
By all measures, this could have been the greatest season in Purdue basketball's history, led by possibly Purdue's greatest player in its history, led by possibly Purdue's greatest coach in its history. Let's enjoy it all, without worrying about what anyone else says.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network and celebrate this great season looking good. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for weekly LIVE Boilerdowd’s Quickcasts after every game, and LIVE podcasts at least once a week throughout the season. Get some NEW Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us.
UConn put to bed any discussion of who was the best team in America earlier tonight in Phoenix.
Thanks to AJ's and Homefield Apparel (enter Boiled23 for 15% off your first purchase) for partnering with us all season.
New Purdue designs for stickers, shirts, and more on the BS RedBubble page.
Purdue prepares for their toughest and last opponent of this fantastic ride of a season.
Matt Painter is undefeated in the Final Four - Purdue dispatches with #11 NC State in an ugly, despite a poor Braden Smith game and a handful of turnovers. The redemption journey is nearly complete, and it's real: Zach Edey swept every Player of the Year award, Purdue won the Big Ten, and our Boilermakers are playing for a National Championship on Monday night - underdogs for the first time all year against Danny Hurley's dominant UConn Huskies.
Enjoy it, this is a literal once-in-a-lifetime moment we get to experience: the first modern Championship Game appearance by our school. Let's enjoy this together.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network and finish this dream season looking good. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for weekly LIVE Boilerdowd’s Quickcasts after every game, and LIVE podcasts at least once a week throughout the season. Get some NEW Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us.
Some Saturday gameday QuickCast thoughts before Purdue’s Final Four game against NC State:
What’s the match-up look like? Where are Purdue’s advantages? Where are NC States? Also, who is the most-sturdy BSer and who has a baby face? All of this and more discussed today on the Not-So-QuickCast.
It happened. Zach Edey and Dalton Knecht traded haymakers, threes weren't falling, Tennessee was playing the physical style of game they thrive in, the game got tight - and, this time, Matt Painter and our Boilermakers came out on top.
The Final Four ceiling for Gene Keady's program has been broken, a potentially destructive FDU became a footnote in a longer story, and the catharsis felt by Purdue fans everywhere wasn't just felt in Detroit's Little Caesars Arena - it was felt by Boilermaker fans across the world, by those still here and lifelong diehards who have passed but are held closely in our memories this week.
Sports shouldn't mean this much. It's objectively stupid that they do. But moments like this make the "Purdue family" feel like something beyond just a marketing ploy that every school (and soulless company) preaches but doesn't practice. It feels real, because this is real - this is a family that extends beyond what's normally felt by fans rooting for the same laundry, and it's wonderful that something as meaningless as a basketball game can bring us together like this.
Whew. Come talk it out with us. We promise to (mostly) hold it together.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or Purdue will trip again to a double digit seed, except this time in the Final Four. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for weekly LIVE Boilerdowd’s Quickcasts after every game, and LIVE podcasts at least once a week throughout the season. Get some NEW Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us.
Purdue battled through a somewhat ugly game, but the unthinkable (a year ago) happened: They punched their ticket to the Final Four in Phoenix. Thoughts after an amazing trip to Detroit with a stadium full of Boilermaker faithful:
Zach, Braden, Matty and Co glide to an Elite 8 in Detroit - cool, calm, and collected over Gonzaga.
The first hurdle of Purdue's potential redemption arc is cleared - the Boilermakers looked unbothered as they cleared all obstacles put forth by Grambling State and Utah State with ease. Zach Edey looked every bit the part of the two-time National Player of the Year, Fletcher Loyer continued his strong late-season play, Braden Smith ran the show but the Boilermakers didn't miss a beat while he was on the bench, Trey Kaufman-Renn had his well-deserved moment in the spotlight, and Camden Heide and Myles Colvin emerged as athletic wonders off the bench.
All this, while it didn't even look like Purdue was hitting every cylinder it could.
The opening weekend of March Madness 2024 brought no stress to Boilermaker nation, but all that means is a date with better teams in a few days. A much-improved Gonzaga awaits, with the winner of Creighton/Tennessee waiting in the wings with a trip to the Final Four on the line for all four teams known for tripping in the NCAA Tournament. Redemption awaits one of the region's semi-finalists - why can't it be us?
(Come be terrified with your BS pals on this pod.)
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or hear we’ll never experience the fabled third weekend of the tournament. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for weekly LIVE Boilerdowd’s Quickcasts after every game, and LIVE podcasts at least once a week throughout the season. Get some NEW Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us.
Purdue ROLLS through Indy and Heads to the Sweet 16. TKR sets a tone. Heide reinforces the state of things on the court. Colvin drives the point home. Everybody shows out v Utah State as Purdue goes 15-deep and scores 106 on the way to their 31st victory.
Hey, basketball shorts well above the knee are back in style so maybe the stars are aligning.
Due to a couple of losses to higher seeds, Matt Painter and Purdue are labeled as underachievers. But is it fair? Or even accurate?
Either way, Purdue ends up in the record books after the entirety of the last two seasons:
Two dominant Big Ten regular season titles, one Big Ten Tournament title, undefeated stacked nonconference schedules, two losses in Mackey Arena. Zach Edey (likely) gathering two-time National Player of the Year and Purdue's all-time scoring and rebounding records and virtually every individual award available. An overlooked barely-3-star Braden Smith emerging as one of the best point guards in the country. A supporting cast that decided to stay intact, and a coach in Matt Painter that everyone is waiting to crown as the face/voice/conscience of college basketball.
And an immortal March Madness #16-over-#1 loss to Fairleigh Dickinson University, coming a year after a Sweet 16 loss to #15 Saint Peters, which was a year after losing in the first round to #13 North Texas.
The time for immortality is here - no matter what. A perfect recipe for fandom indigestion. Come talk through the 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket and the Boilermakers' potential path with your friends at Boiled Sports. At least we have each other.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or hear about the Curse of March forever. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for weekly LIVE Boilerdowd’s Quickcasts after every game, and LIVE podcasts at least once a week throughout the season. Get some NEW Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us.
We now know how Purdue starts their road to redemption - with the winner of Grambling State and Montana State, in a familiar #1-vs-#16 matchup. Grab your mac and cheese bites, it’s a live Quickcast reaction from AJ’s on Vine!
The BS RedBubble has new designs, check them all out at that link!
Wisconsin edges Purdue in Minneapolis, after Zach Edey sets the all-time Purdue scoring mark. A week of rest after last game’s injury scares might be the best thing before the most important tournament run of Matt Painter’s career.
New stuff on RedBubble!
Purdue gets gritty as they fight through injuries, poor shooting and abnormally-poor rebounding to beat guaranteed NCAA tourney-bound MSU.
The Boilermakers won the Big Ten with a better record than last year, and clinched another undefeated season at Mackey Arena, on the backs of Zach Edey's second National Player of the Year season (somehow even better than the last), an All American season from Braden Smith, a perfect transfer addition in Lance Jones, the winningest senior class in Purdue history, a coach in Matt Painter saying all the right things, and a perfect cast of complementary players.
It looks like, no matter what happens in the Big Ten Tournament, Purdue is set up for a favorable March Madness run as a #1 seed through Indianapolis and Detroit. What could possibly go wrong?
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or hear about the Curse of March forever. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for weekly LIVE podcasts every Monday at 9pm this fall and for all of Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
Purdue beat Wisconsin on Senior afternoon as Edey leads the way (again). Appreciating this landmark senior class during their last outing in Mackey Arena.
Edey toughs it out, Loyer, Smith and Gillis bomb from deep and Purdue’s defense carries a victory to the Beef House.
Purdue holds on v MSU to guarantee at least part of their 26th B1G basketball title. Edey and Smith play large - and Fletch reappears after a tough month.
J Money and BDowd Talk about the appreciation of Zach Edey, college basketball parity, court storming, expanding the NCAA Tournament and the possible death of bluebloods?
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or hear about the Curse of March forever. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for weekly LIVE podcasts every Monday at 9pm this fall and for all of Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
Zach Edey puts on a dominant 35 point + 15 rebound performance, the Boilers withstand a late Wolverine run (and scoring drought), and Purdue fans made Crisler sound like Mackey Arena as Purdue wins at Michigan 84-76.
Oh, hey, new stickers and illustrations are available now!
Edey, Heide, Jones, Smith, Gillis…everyone was knocking shots down, Mackey was rockin’, and the Boilers rolled to their 24th win.
It isn’t the end of the world…but losing to a team that just fired their coach kinda sucks. Purdue is still up by a game in the B1G race, if you’re into that sort of thing.
How many handsome dudes can you fit into a podcast? We’re not sure, as we haven’t hit the limit yet.
Minnesota shot the lights out for a half before Purdue took control in Mackey. Boilers improve to 23-2 and now prepare for a road game v Coachless aOSU.
Edey’s final games at Mackey will have come and gone soon. What’s it all mean to us as Purdue fans/alums?
Purdue swept IU with ease by beating them by 20 points at Mackey earlier tonight. Purdue leads the B1G by 2.5 games and is 22-2.
In short:
Purdue sweeps IU, Edey hits a three, and Mackey faithful get chicken.
Ready to prove doubters/haters wrong…ready for a different ending to this season…QuickCast style.
Purdue shoots poorly from deep, except Lance Jones, and finds a way to win v. #6 Wisconsin in Madison. They now lead the B1G and have improved to 21-2.
Purdue plays Wisconsin on Sunday Afternoon, and it can't come soon enough. Let’s quiet all the ref talk.
Purdue improves to 20-2 as Edey/Jones play BIG down the stretch. Beating Northwestern is tough for this Boiler squad…good win…but mercy. Here are some thoughts.
A LIVE postgame Handsome Hour, immediately following Purdue's always-harrowing trip to the RAC in Piscataway to play Steve Pikiell's Rutgers squad. Purdue finally breaks Rutgers' win streak, Zach Edey eclipses 2000 career points, but things got too close for comfort.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or Purdue might actually have to worry about winning the Big Ten regular season title this year. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for weekly LIVE podcasts every Monday at 9pm this fall and for all of Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
J and Boilerdowd get together for an actual one-hour Handsome Hour (of sorts) as they discuss the current state of the Purdue basketball program.
Purdue improves to 18-2, beats up on Michigan, gives the starters some time to take a deep breath and played 15 players on the way to a resounding victory.
Purdue didn’t shoot great, but doubled-up Iowa on the glass to improve to 17-2 on the season. Here are some thoughts…
The Handsome Boys are BACK for a live podcast immediately following Purdue beat IU in the unfriendly confines of Assembly Hall. We will undoubtedly talk through Purdue's harrowing fall all the way to #2 overall, the trajectory of the basketball season, football chaos, and your questions.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or we might enter the transfer portal too. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for weekly LIVE podcasts every Monday at 9pm this fall and for all of Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
Big Zed’s 30/20 night, Smith’s 11 assists and an incredible five minutes propels Purdue to a cruise to victory in Mackey. Purdue is now 15-2.
Tominaga and Mast beat up on Purdue as Hoiberg stole Paint’s lunch money. Purdue loses by 16 in Lincoln and falls to 14-2. Here’s me trying to figure out why the elite don’t beat Purdue, but the non-elite have their number:
TKR’s massive effort helps Purdue fight through some self-inflicted wounds and some outside pressures to beat the #9-ranked Illini in Mackey Arena. Here are some 2am post-game thoughts.
A deep-dive into college football's current power structure, problems that threaten its foundations, and a path to a better future.
Your #1 Boilers beat Maryland in College Park by 14 points and it felt like more than that.
Purdue improves to 12-1 and readies themselves for the real B1G rockfight season by beating EKU.
Nic Scourton has entered the portal…this one was a not-so-happy Christmas surprise, at least for Purdue fans.
Purdue communications/media ninja and local media mogul, Derek Schultz, sits down with BDowd to talk about the win over Arizona, recent Pacers success and names some dudes.
Purdue handled the Dolphins 100-57 as Heide and Colvin played significant minutes. Purdue improves to 34-0 in the Pre-con over the last three seasons in a fun one.
Merry Christmas, fellow Boilers.
Purdue improves to 10-1 on the season with a win over number one Arizona in Indianapolis.
Some hate us…that’s alright. Purdue is playing with house money in Indy, Northwestern sucks and the NCAA continues to wander aimlessly through the wilderness. Here’s a QuickCast about this stuff.
Purdue improved to 9-1 after clawing a win out versus Alabama in Toronto, 92-86. Bama’s length, athleticism and offensive philosophy is a tough matchup for Purdue…and because of that, Purdue had to fight back after digging multiple double-digit deficits to find a way in Zach Edey’s hometown. Edey matched Alabama’s Sears with 35 points as Smith had 27.
This one felt like a Sweet 16-type of match-up in the neutral site versus a team that looks like a top-20 squad…good win for the Good Guys.
Fran earns a tech, Purdue earns a dub…as the Boilers played and looked angry and motivated. Purdue rolled 87-68 and improved to 8-1 on the season.
Purdue is now the #4 team in America as they head to the tail end of the non-con. Tonight was fun.
Purdue fights ‘til the end and finds a way to beat IU for their fourth win of the season. Hud Card grinds it out, Thieneman grabs two ints and Nic Scourton blow up the final play to help the Boilers hold on.
Thanks to Edey’s workhorse mentality and Smith’s big shots down the stretch, Purdue dances through the deepest Maui Invitational field ever. Purdue will be #1, yet again on Monday. Ho hum.
The injury bug hit Purdue football hard and rendered the offense inept against Northwestern, despite a historic back-to-back 300 yard team rushing game from the Boilermaker backfield (and quarterbacks). Meanwhile, basketball took on the first of a behemoth field in #11 Gonzaga at the Maui Invitational in Honolulu - and Lance Jones, Braden Smith, and Big Zach Edey led them to a huge first round win.
Listen to our LIVE stream from Monday at 9pm, after the Gonzaga basketball game, to commiserate on all things from the Boilermaker sports weekend.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or Purdue won’t keep the Bucket. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for weekly LIVE podcasts every Monday at 9pm this fall and for all of Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
Purdue gutted out an ugly win v. Tennessee all why fighting UT, themselves and the officials. The Boilers improve to 5-0 while winning 67-71 in the Semis in Honolulu.
Purdue beats Gonzaga for the second time in as many years. This time, they win by 10 points.
No Hud Card, No Nic Scourton…No Victory. Purdue struggled to finish drives as they fell 23-15 in Evanston.
Purdue football showed new offensive life in a wonderfully satisfying thrashing of PJ Fleck's Minnesota, as the running backs, Hudson Card, and the offensive line put together their best performance of the year. All while the Boilermaker basketball non-conference season kicks into gear as Purdue welcomes Xavier to the friendly confines of Mackey Arena on Monday.
And, of course, the coaching silly season has begun.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or Purdue won’t repeat this wonderful offensive performance against Northwestern. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for weekly LIVE podcasts every Monday at 9pm this fall and for all of Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
Matt Painter’s second-highest rated recruiting class is signed…The six man class should make immediate impact.
Post-game wrap-up and look back at Purdue’s win over Xavier. The Good Guys improve to 3-0 and get ready to travel to Hawaii to play Gonzaga next week.
Hudson Card was dealing today as Purdue looked like a team that should be better than 3-7. It was a beautiful afternoon in God’s Country as Coach Walters’ squad renewed some hope…here are some thoughts on the game.
Edey, Smith, Jones and Colvin all combined for big, timely plays as Purdue cruised to an 87-57 victory. #3 Purdue is now 2-0 on the young season.
Football needs momentum to end the season. Basketball needs 5 months of antacids for us fans watching.
Purdue’s defense fought hard as the offense continued to struggle in Ann Arbor as Purdue lost 41-13. The losing streak is up to four-straight. Here’s the wrap-up.
Purdue football's defense had a (fairly) good day at Nebraska, but the lack of offensive execution was apparent as the Boilermakers slip to 2-6. Michigan is having a pretty weird season off-the-field, but they look every bit the part of a champion during gameplay, and maybe Purdue should just take an extra bye week before a very important end-of-season stretch.
Also, Purdue basketball played a very cool charity exhibition game at Arkansas for United Way Arkansas' tornado relief efforts. Purdue lost that game in overtime, and internet reactions were predictably normal and sane.
Join us LIVE every Monday at 9pm as we work through our feelings of a disappointing Purdue sports weekend.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or Purdue’s injuries will get worse. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for weekly LIVE podcasts every Monday at 9pm this fall and for all of Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
Purdue cruised to a 98-51 victory earlier tonight in Mackey…their final pretend game of the pre-season.
Purdue falls to 2-6 in football after losing to Nebraska and to 0-0 after losing to Arkansas in a scrimmage.
Purdue plays Nebraska on Saturday…so instead of a Handsome Hour, I had a one-man party.
Listen, Purdue might not be a perfect team juuust quite yet, but even on an off-day this reloading Boilermaker roster couldn't make even this McCord-led Ohio State team sweat. Ryan Walters begins his tenure at Purdue 2-5, which is just below where we hoped Purdue would be by this time of the season - not a disaster, but not great.
Come listen to our LIVE Handsome Hour on YouTube every Monday at 9pm as we talked through the good (Mockobee's night, emerging receiving targets, the offense between the 20s, Jenkins and Scourton) and the bad (the offense close to the area on the field that results in points being scored, kicking field goals that results in points being scored, the general scoring of points by any means necessary, and even more injuries to the offensive line).
Also, we spend like the first 40 minutes talking about basketball and the first AP Top 25 of the year, and Purdue's upcoming season of terror.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or Purdue will somehow suffer an offensive line injury during the bye week. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for weekly LIVE podcasts every Monday at 9pm this fall and for all of Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
Another frustrating loss, in the Fresno State / Syracuse style this season, as Iowa's defense bullied the Boilermakers and found just enough space in Ryan Walters' defense to eek out 20 points. Coverage sacks baited Hudson Card into taking a ton of pressure, a lack of offensive playmaking creativity , and a few devastating injuries to an already-thin Purdue roster are not making things easy for this young coaching staff.Join us LIVE every Monday at 9pm as we try to talk ourselves through another game slipping narrowly through Purdue's fingers, and preview this upcoming murderer's row stretch against Ohio State, at Nebraska, and at Michigan.
Purdue struggled to find offensive rhythm and had a couple of defensive break-downs that were difference-makers. Purdue loses 20-14 at Iowa.
Ryan Walters first home victory as Purdue head coach poetically comes against his old squad, Bert Bielema's Illinois. We talk through the gameday coaching changes, the newfound offensive creativity with Deion Burks, worrisome injuries, the Iowa rivalry and the Brian Ferentz Scoring Countdown (and, oh yeah, what might be the best defense in the country).
Join us LIVE on YouTube every Monday at 9pm as we vent and/or celebrate all things Purdue football.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or Purdue’s luck vs Iowa will end. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for weekly LIVE podcasts every Monday at 9pm this fall and for all of Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
Round 1 of Bert Bielema vs Ryan Walters goes to the young Boilermaker coach, as Purdue comes away with a resounding Homecoming 2023 victory vs Illinois. What did we learn from the game?
A sluggish start and continued third down defensive woes cost Purdue its 17th straight game against Wisconsin, and a third straight home loss for Ryan Walters. The stress is real, the transition year is real, and we've got to pull ourselves together as fans here a bit. We go through the first 3 years of every Purdue coach since Jim Young in 1977, highlight the other Purdue-peer programs who have hired a young first-time head coach, and try to address every very real concern about this year’s roster that we can.
But not before we declare Homecoming vs Bert's (and formerly Walters') Illinois a MUST WIN. Or do we? Join us LIVE at 9pm, tonight and every fall Monday after the Boilermakers take add a few more stress miles onto our hears.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or we will be having the same boring “is the new coach bad???” conversation for another few weeks. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for weekly LIVE podcasts every Monday at 9pm this fall and for all of Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
Purdue fell to 1-3 and lost again to generational bugaboo, Wisconsin, yesterday. Here’s the wrap-up:
A second consecutive penalty-filled loss to Dino Babers' Syracuse and the first game filled with unforced turnovers has Purdue fans a bit shook, leading up to a Friday night Ross Ade showdown with a Wisconsin team still trying to find its offensive identity.
We're here as always, live every Monday at 9pm, to talk Boilermaker faithful off the ledge three games into Ryan Walters' coaching career.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or Purdue will lose to Wisconsin for the 21st straight year. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for weekly LIVE podcasts every Monday at 9pm this fall and for all of Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
Purdue loses its second-straight game to Syracuse as Garrett Schrader shreds Purdue’s defense and Hud and Mock were loose with the ball. Here are a few delayed thoughts about the game.
The first win of the Ryan Walters era at Purdue was an eventful one, and the BS East contingent was on-site to document every last raindrop and lightning strike. We also take much-needed detour rants to address the nonsense from the rest of the Big Ten (which, yes, includes Nebraska and Michigan State spotlights). And we preview Week 3's Homecoming challenge against a better-than-expected Syracuse, and heap praise on Official BS Guy Dino Babers.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or Purdue will suffer through another insane Syracuse game. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for weekly LIVE podcasts every Monday at 9pm this fall and for all of Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
Purdue fights the elements and wild turkeys to earn a 24-17 victory and improved to 1-1
Lots to learn from the first game of the Walters era - a thin offensive line, the emergence of Nic Scourton and Deion Burks, troubles on 3rd down, Ross Ade renovations, and a preview of a big Week 2 road trip to Virginia Tech in this LIVE Handsome Hour.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or Purdue goes winless this year. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for all live video podcasts and Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
The air is getting crisp and/or humid, travel plans being made, insanity is about to be experienced in its fullest as the 2023 college football season starts for your Purdue-centric Handsomes.
We preview the first year the Ryan Walters era for our Boilermakers, Hudson Card's debut under (a backup) center, Purdue's playmaking options, an offensive line that could surprise, a revitalized defense adjusting to a new identity, play the schedule game for our expectations, the Fresno State opener, on the new Ross Ade field, and take a wider look at the Big Ten and college football in the last season before college football's new Power 2 reality takes hold. And, of course, your lovely questions.
Join us live every Monday at 9pm on YouTube during the fall as the Handsome Hour begins its 18th season talking Purdue football. Yes, we're all old now.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or Purdue goes winless this year. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for all live video podcasts and Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
“Your spot isn’t owned…it’s rented and rent is due every day.” Walters gameweek presser reaction
HELLO, IT’S FOOTBALL SEASON AGAIN. The Handsomes will be back live on YouTube every Monday at 9pm EST during Purdue football season, and we promise you shenanigans.
In our season premiere, we start with first impressions of the Ryan Walters era, realignment and the dawn of the last college football season for this chapter in history, internet troubles, and your many questions and tangents. Choo choo.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or this will be the dawn of another terrible Purdue football era. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for all live video podcasts and Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
Huggins and Fitz, Colvin and Zach, Card and Walters…lots to talk about in today’s QuickCast
HE'S BACK. WE'RE BACK. READY TO BE HURT AGAIN. PHOENIX 2024.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network and watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for all live video podcasts and Boilerdowd’s Quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
Enjoy sports however you want, but don’t try to tell us there’s a benefit to your conference opponents succeeding.
Matt Painter all but dared the assembled media to ask him a real question. Seriously, he did that. (But they did not.)
Purdue makes history, losing to possibly the lowest-rated tournament team of all time after winning the Big Ten regular season and tournament championships. Maybe it was a rebuilding year, after all. Come process this purgatory with us, with more than a few laughs on the way.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network and watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for all live video podcasts and Boilerdowd’s Quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
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A Handsome reaction to Purdue’s second Big Ten Championship of the season, with 33% of the podcast live from AJ’s! Boilerdowd, J Money, and Aneesh talk through the harrowing ending of Purdue’s Big Ten Tournament victory over Penn State, contextualize the amazing season so far, and take the obligatory tour of the revealed NCAA Tournament bracket and Purdue’s potential path to a national championship.
Join the BS Bracketgasm Tournament Challenge on EsPN using this convenient link - the winner gets a variety bag of BS swag, and a gift card to AJ’s Burgers and Beef!
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network and watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for all live video podcasts and Boilerdowd’s Quickcasts or, well, you know what March sadness will bestow Purdue. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
Enter 'BOILED' at checkout of 15% off Purdue apparel at Martin Vintage. Get something delicious to eat when you're on or around campus at AJ's Burgers and Beef.
Purdue handles their business v aOSU. Now, our Boilers await the winner of PSU v IU in the Championship
Boilerdowd, J Money, and Aneesh talk through the incredible regular season of Zach Edey, exceeding expectations, Matt Painter in March Madness, potential Purdue paths in the Big Ten Tournament, March Madness seedings, and a rapid Purdue Would You Rather round.
Should Paint shake it up or stay the course? What’s next for our Boilers after a tough stretch?
Purdue’s lead in the conference shrinks to just one game as Purdue loses big at Maryland
A Livecast Quickcast Handsome Basketbeat after just another Purdue regular season game and IU's only game of relevance all season.
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A QuickCast look at internet stupidity, loud noises and being the unanimous number one team in America
It is fun to watch Purdue win…It is fun to watch Dickenson lose…Tonight was doubly-fun.
Wow wow breaking news the Boiled Sports Basketball Beat is back! Going live after Purdue hangs on to beat Maryland to talk through the Boilers’ in-the-mud recent wins, Purdue basketball’s best-ever start (19-1), Big Ten basketball refereeing in crisis, and gush over Zach Edey, Fletcher Loyer, and Braden Smith.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network and watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for all live video podcasts and Boilerdowd’s Quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
Enter 'BOILED' at checkout of 15% off Purdue apparel at Martin Vintage. Get something delicious to eat when you're on or around campus at AJ's Burger's and Beef.
Jalen Pickett was a wrecking ball in the first half…but after Purdue weathered that, Smith and Edey picked and rolled PSU to death and a loss in Philadelphia
A new Purdue football era begins, and it belongs to Ryan Walters (and a $6M assistant coach salary pool). Is this the path Mike Bobinski imagines that can fuel Purdue's mini-leap to the Wisconsin-tier of the Big Ten? Meanwhile, Matt Painter's era of Purdue basketball continues as Purdue reaches #1 for the second consecutive year. It's most definitely an interesting time to be a Boilermaker fan.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or we’ll be cursed with another coaching search quicker than you’d like. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for all live video podcasts and Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
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Choosing Walters is a risk for Bobinski and Purdue, but it’s undeniably a swing for the fences.
Illinois’ 36 year old rising star coordinator is bound to get head coaching interest soon.
Michigan’s co-OC has plans through the end of the year; he certainly doesn’t have time to take a call from a 765 number. Does he?
The handsome lads reflect on an awesome 6-year football run with Jeff Brohm at the helm, talk through the state of the Purdue job guided by Mike Bobinski's steady hand, and look into potential Purdue Head Coach Candidates identified by the Boiled Sports Search Firm.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or this coaching search won’t end for a fortnight. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for all live video podcasts and Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
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Would Georgia’s OC be able to apply any of Kirby Smart’s lessons to Purdue? Or is he (or his agent) just looking for that sweet sweet buyout?
His agent may or may not have made a generous contribution to the BS Search Firm to get him on this lsit.
A program-builder with high-octane offenses and three decades of head coaching experience seems not bad.
A few thoughts and candidates as I look ahead to this afternoon’s Handsome Happy Hour.
Click here for the full list of coaching candidates identified by the BS Search Firm.
There’s basically no chance; he’d rather build an offense in Miami than in West Lafayette. Right?
A man who when he’s coaching always looks like he’s doing long division in his head while hungover.
Only 43 years old with 12 years of head coaching experience, an 81-57 record, multiple awards, and a longtime BS favorite.
High-powered offenses, adaptable schemes, tough in the trenches, and a decade of championship runs. He tops the list for me.
Six DIII Championships, one MAC title, and has rebuilt two FBS programs. That enough for you?
Purdue football played in (and lost) their first Big Ten Title game, and is headed to Orlando for a Citrus Bowl matchup with LSU. Louisville's head coach Satterfield bolted for a rival 90 minutes north in Cincinnati, leaving a very loud and Purdue-relevant vacancy. Message boards and Twitter are once again at the mercy of Jeff Brohm’s potential homecoming decision, and we work through how the decision could be made. Purdue basketball continues their undefeated run, continues their run ranked top 5, and should be ranked #1. Just a few things J Money and Aneesh talked about on this week's Handsome Hour.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or this Brohmwatch will last for weeks. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for all live video podcasts and Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
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Purdue dominates Minnesota with a balanced attack as well as a Zach Edey night that’s already among the best we’ve seen from a big man at Purdue.
VB opens NCAA play against familiar opponents, facing Tennessee at 4 PM Friday and possibly Louisville on Saturday at 6. Both matches will be on ESPN+.
A legendarily packed Handsome Hour for a Thanksgiving weekend full with three trophies, four victories, a fresh top 5 ranking in basketball, and a first-ever football trip to Indy for the Big Ten Title against Michigan. Plus all the joys of the coaching carousel silly season.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or life will never get better than that Purdue weekend. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for all live video podcasts and Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
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Soap cleans up as Jeff, AOC, Sizzle, Cory and company gut out a win in Bloomington. This one has major implications for our Boilermakers…here are my thoughts. What a weekend…so far!
We bring in our handsome buddy Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) from the IndyStar to preview the 2022 Old Oaken Bucket game, IU's two-year football hangover, Tom Allen's future, and the perfect steakhouse dinner with Matt Painter and Mike Woodson. Then J Money and Aneesh fret about Purdue's very good shot at the prestigious Big Ten West (partial) title, and reflect on where Purdue is now when compared to preseason expectations.
Purdue has a clear path to (at least a share of) a Big Ten West title - all they have to do is beat two overmatched teams in Northwestern and Indiana. A Handsome Hour Happy Hour about everything that could possibly go wrong along the way - and early season basketball thoughts.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or we will never be able to entertain you during work hours again. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for all live video podcasts and Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
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Payne Durham, Devin Mockabee, Jeff Brohm and company came up big in Champaign to improve to 6-4 on the season…here are my thoughts on the game.
Zach Edey had 30pts and 11 rebounds, but his teammates shot like dogmeat from deep. And yet, Purdue improved to 2-0.
Braden Smith’s 7 steals, Zach Edey’s 17 rebounds (six blocked shots) and Flech Loyer’s 17 points lead the way as as the new-look Boilers begin the 2022-23 season 1-0.
It might not be overreaction nor a knee-jerk statement to say that someone needs to be fired and changes need to be made in the wake of Saturday’s game…see what I mean in today’s QC.
Purdue allows an RB to rush for 200 yards and allows Petras to look like a B1G QB and Brian Ferentz to look like a B1G OC, all while Brohm’s play-calling leaves Purdue fans scratching their heads. O’Connell joins the pain train by throwing two picks without adding a TD. Windy weather, bad loss, Good Guys fall to 5-4.
A Quickcast rapid reaction about Purdue’s cruise over Truman State. Listen, watch. enjoy, and subscribe - as my Dad did when he tuned in live!
After Purdue's inevitable loss to Wisconsin, the Boilers get a much-needed bye week break before a very important November. What better way to celebrate a week off than with a Friday afternoon Happy Hour Handsome Hour?
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or we will never be able to entertain you during work hours again. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for all live video podcasts and Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
Enter 'BOILED' at checkout of 15% off Purdue apparel at Martin Vintage. Get something delicious to eat when you're on or around campus at AJ's Burger's and Beef.
Someday…this will change. Until then, I need to be reminded that winning against Wisconsin isn’t an option.
Bizarro Purdue continues to win close games despite giving up big plays, with the B10 West division title coming down to the well-expected race between Illinois and the Boilermakers. All Purdue has to do is win on the road versus Wisconsin. What could go wrong?
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or we will somehow talk about Nebraska even more. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for all live video podcasts and Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
Enter 'BOILED' at checkout of 15% off Purdue apparel at Martin Vintage. Get something delicious to eat when you're on or around campus at AJ's Burger's and Beef.
AOC and MockTruck lead Purdue to a 43-37 victory over Nebraska. Purdue’s defense dials up 4 sacks and 2 interceptions…but major lapses kept it close. Purdue improves to 5-2 and 3-0 in October as they prepare for Wisconsin. Let’s look at what unfolded last night in a sold-out Ross-Ade Stadium.
Purdue is a heavy favorite, which we don’t love, as Nebraska comes to town. Here are a few pre-game thoughts.
Can we interest you in weekly heart attacks, nonsense penalties by both teams called by egregious refereeing, allowing points at the end of every half, a suddenly stout rushing defense paired with a shockingly effective rushing offense, and at least one receiver making opponents look like children trying to tackle Derrick Henry? Well we've got the team for you! Come talk about these BIG TEN WEST LEADING Purdue Boilermakers with your Handsome friends at Boiled Sports dot com!
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or you’ll be transferred to the ACC like Maryland. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for all live video podcasts and Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
Enter 'BOILED' at checkout of 15% off Purdue apparel at Martin Vintage. Get something delicious to eat when you're on or around campus at AJ's Burger's and Beef.
Payne Durham (and his pal Mershawn) made the play of the day in College Park, Maryland as Purdue improved to 4-2 by beating the Terps 31-29. Maryland looks like a solid bowl team and winning on the road is always tough…and this was another big win. Let’s talk about it.
Purdue narrowly avoided an upset at Illinois and swept Rutgers to remain unbeaten in conference play; after holding on to edge Iowa, they’ll face Wisconsin Saturday with a chance at their best Big Tenteen start in 38 years, when they went 6-0 and finished 10-3.
SIX WAY TIE FOR THE BIG TEN WEST. Football lives here. Let's talk about this year's first annual Surprising Win of the Year, finally winning at Minnesota.
Subscribe & rate the Boiled Sports Podcast Network or you’ll be transferred to the ACC like Maryland. Watch the show on YouTube and subscribe for all live video podcasts and Boilerdowd’s quickcasts. Buy BS Gear at the BS Store to be as handsome as us. Get some Purdue-themed stickers at the BS Redbubble page.
Enter 'BOILED' at checkout of 15% off Purdue apparel at Martin Vintage. Get something delicious to eat when you're on or around campus at AJ's Burger's and Beef.
Purdue survived a spat of injuries to outlast FAU on Homecoming - a sign of a resilient team, or a warning of a potentially deadly October schedule?
Purdue VB swept Minnesota to start conference play; the Boilers are #5 in both AVCA and Massey and look to defend their ranking and unbeaten conference record against Illinois and Rutgers this weekend.
Purdue allowed the game vs Syracuse to remain in The Extremely Stupid Zone, and it indeed got extremely stupid.
Purdue’s first road test comes against a surprisingly strong Syracuse. And we might have mentioned Scott Frost and Nebraska once or twice.
Purdue burns up ISU on both sides of the ball and the sun beats down on the Boiler faithful in Ross-Ade
Three more matches, three more wins: VB moves to 6-0 and stays #3 in Massey, moving up to #9 in AVCA. They’ll face #5/4 Louisville Friday and either Xavier or Lipscomb on Saturday in the Louisville Invitational.
Purdue closed out the game in less-than-ideal fashion, but there were plenty of bright spots that still hold the promise of a special season.
Reaction to Ross-Ade’s stadium renovation renderings and optimism for the Penn State game
The Handsomes are here to talk you through any scary feelings of optimism, happiness, enthusiasm, and double-digit win hopes.
Purdue started its 2022 season with a 3-0 record at the Tennessee Classic, moving up to #3 in Massey’s ratings and 11th in the AVCA poll. Which is the more likely endpoint for the Boilers’ regular season? Let’s take a closer look and try to figure it out.
Purdue is preparing for Penn State, so is BDowd…here is a bit of a deeper dive into Purdue’s first opponent
Purdue has had a rough week on the recruiting trail…but like everything, we need to keep our perspective.
It’s time for the summer State of the State of the Purdue Sports state, from your handsome friends at BS.
Better late than never: QuickCast Thoughts on the B1G Expansion with the Addition of USC & UCLA
Jaden Ivey is about to be Purdue’s most promising NBA star-in-the-making since Glenn Robinson. Let’s talk about his potential NBA draft destinations and address all the (imperfect) comparisons.
A few thoughts on Brohm’s Louisville home and the prospect of Matty starting a Freshman at PG…again
Spring football wraps up with the Black/Gold game…and some reaction to yesterday’s big news from the athletic department
I address the #FirePainter crowd and talk about solutions as I look into the crystal ball for our basketball Boilermakers
Cinderella dances, while listless Purdue has two left feet. And yet again, Purdue has a disappointing end to another season.
Purdue’s path to the Tourney’s third weekend is paved in gold. What could possibly go wrong?
Brandon Newman’s spark turns the game in Purdue’s favor…Purdue holds on to beat PSU in Indy.
Purdue allowed IU to dictate the pace of the game, but Eric Hunter helped Purdue secure a win in his final game at Mackey Arena
The high expectations started back in November…can/will Purdue meet those expectations?
That’s right, we’re back with a 100-minute four-man dive into Purdue basketball, just before the final stretch of the 2022 regular season.
Happy Birthday LBD, Judging Paul Mulcahy, and can Purdue become Virginia…An old-fashioned gumbo QuickCast.
Edey’s dominant performance, Sasha’s shooting, and Jaden’s superstar emergence pushes Purdue over Illinois (and some self-inflicted wounds).
Purdue beats Penn State, loses Coaches Shepherd and Lambert…and I fight through tech difficulties…Weekend Wrap-up QuickCast.
Purdue used rapid scoring, an experienced quarterback, and old fashioned grit to beat Tennessee in Nashville in one of the most memorable and satisfying victories of modern Boilermaker football history.
Just your run of the mill, five hour bowl game with almost 1300 yards of offense. Somebody get me some oxygen.
Purdue’s offense crushes Nicholls, perimeter defense struggles and I’ll address some of the rumors about tomorrow’s Music City Bowl
Purdue sports giveth and taketh but never forget that this is about as good of a time as it’s ever been.
Purdue cruised past Illinois State, then came within a set of getting knocked out before roaring back against Dayton to make their third straight Sweet 16, the first time they’ve done that since 2010-13. The Boilers play BYU Thursday at 11 AM, with the winner facing Pitt or Kansas on Saturday.
A look at the historic, unanimous AP #1 ranking for our Boilers as well as the upcoming bowl game.
Purdue earned a program-best 6 seed for the NCAA tournament and will open play against Illinois State Thursday at 7; if they win, they’ll face the Marquette-Dayton winner Friday at 5.
Leonard Hamilton was impressed as the voters yawn, and BS hands out some important football awards…on this QuickCast
What is this feeling? Is it happiness? Is it hope? Is it a weekend of unencumbered fun while watching Purdue sports?
Purdue can win in an old baseball park…or in a casino; A Beauty of a Boilermaker Saturday.
Boiled Sports fans out across the country to give you….well, nothing, really. But we’ll enjoy it.
Purdue posted historic wins last weekend, ending long droughts at Wisconsin and Minnesota and closing to within one game of the conference lead with 3-1 wins in Madison and Minneapolis. They look to extend their six-match winning streak (currently tops in the conference) against Michigan Friday and at Northwestern Sunday.
Ivey and Edey flex some muscle v Indiana State…and we’re all looking ahead to 3:30 this afternoon
Purdue survived some spirited play by Maryland and Rutgers to post a couple of road wins in the run-up to their biggest week of the season; they will face #3 Wisconsin and #10 Minnesota on the road Friday and Sunday, respectively, as they try to draw within one game of the conference-leading Badgers.
Purdue cruised last night versus Bellarmine…here are some LiveCast thoughts on the win.
Purdue reaches bowl eligibility prior to the IU game for the first time since 2007 and takes down their second top-3 team of the season in the process. Brohmvember is upon us.
Purdue gifts J Money the only birthday gift he ever asked for - utter embarrassment for Nebraska and Scott Frost.
Purdue swept Northwestern and stopped #3 Wisconsin in four sets to move within two games of the first-place Badgers and Huskers; they’ll look to close the gap Friday against Maryland and Sunday against Rutgers as part of a four-match road trip.
Purdue wins without defense…but won’t be able to do that when it counts. Here are my thoughts.
Purdue looks to get off of the mat after losing to Wisconsin and needs to find offensive rhythm
VB was upset by Michigan State in five sets, then fell at Nebraska in four, dropping to 12th in the AVCA poll and 13th in Massey. They swept Northwestern Wednesday and will host Wisconsin at noon on Halloween.
Purdue VB split its matches last weekend, falling 1-3 at Ohio State but coming back for a 3-2 win over Penn State. The Boilers switched spots with OSU and are ranked #7 by AVCA and #6 by Massey going into this week’s matches, Wednesday vs Michigan State and Saturday at Nebraska. Both will be televised on BTN.
After dropping to 3-2 and scoring 13 points in three straight games, Purdue heads to Iowa City to take on a stout defense and a disciplined offensive line. What could go wrong?
Purdue VB returned the favor at Illinois on Wednesday, dropping the Illini in five sets, then swept Iowa on Saturday to move to 5-1 in conference play and remain #6 in the AVCA poll. The Boilers will finish their road trip at Ohio State on Friday, then host Penn State Sunday in Holloway.
4 Purdue fell in five sets to Illinois on Friday before rebounding to
sweep Rutgers on Homecoming. The Boilers are now #6 and will get a rematch with the Illini Wednesday before traveling to Iowa for a Saturday match.
Does Jeff Brohm now win close games instead of lose them? A BS investigation. Oh, and haikus.
Purdue VB improved on its best ranking in program history by toppling Ohio State in five sets, then sweeping Indiana for its 14th consecutive Monon Spike win. The fourth-ranked Boilers host Illinois and Rutgers to open October in Holloway.
Lots to talk about as Purdue looks to improve to 4-1 v. Minnesota in God’s Country this coming Saturday
Purdue swept three opponents, including top-25 Tennessee, to win the Stacey Clark Classic in their final weekend of non-conference play. The 7th-ranked Boilers open conference play against 3rd-ranked Ohio State today in a sold-out Holloway Gym.
Ipso facto, ipso fatso, ipso Bertso - everything previewing Purdue vs Illinois is here.
Purdue avoided a catastrophe in South Bend, now they’ll welcome Illinois next Saturday at 3:30
Brian Kelly may have tied Knute Rockne in wins at Notre Dame, but he will always be the man who sent Declan Sullivan to his death.
Purdue volleyball dropped their first match of the season, splitting two matches at Xavier. The Boilers lost in straight sets to Louisville and returned the favor against Lipscomb; they are back in action this weekend at Holloway for the Stacey Clark Classic, facing Jacksonville State, Purdue-Fort Wayne and Tennessee.
Purdue heads North to play the hated Fighting Irish. Here’s a look back at UConn and ahead at UND.
The perfect podcast to listen to en route to the UConn game or while having a drink on a Friday night or while pregaming before the game on Saturday. So many applications! Like an ointment! It’s the Handsome Hour! Listen now!
Purdue swept both of their matches at the Rebel Challenge in Las Vegas, moving up to #6 in the AVCA Coaches poll, their highest ranking in program history. The Boilers will face fellow top-10 side Louisville and either Lipscomb or Xavier in Cincinnati this weekend.
Boilers start the 2021 football season with an important, and fun win over Oregon State
8th-ranked Purdue VB kicked off its actual 2021 season last weekend, beating Loyola Marymount in four sets on Friday and sweeping Kansas on Sunday. The Boilers travel to Las Vegas to face UNLV and Washington State later this week.
The Handsome Hour has been renewed for its 16th season to preview the 2021 Purdue football season with unbridled optimism. What could go wrong?
Purdue’s football team is getting healthier and the QB battle is not yet settled, as camp draws to a close
Purdue returns their entire roster from 2020 and adds one of the best freshman classes in the country. Will it be enough to get that elusive Final Four appearance?
A little LiveCast action for a Wednesday afternoon from the BS World HQ studios is headed into your heads, hearts and earholes. BDowd talks about the Forgotten 6 on the basketball side and the team depth and looks ahead to shootouts this Fall? Finally…AUSSIE, AUSSIE, AUSSIE!!!
Check, check, check check it out.
Come on, do you really think a good take matters? Up until a few days ago, nobody really thought Texas would leave the Big 12 for anything other than the Texas Conference, containing only Texas and giving all TV money and rights to Texas. Now they seem all but certain to head to the SEC and produce a rights package that should challenge the Big Somenumber when it’s next up for bid.
Instead, I thought I’d see what it’d be like if we could set aside what’s likely to happen and try to do something that might make a little more sense than cornering the biggest US market that doesn’t care about college sports in a viewing format that is dying off.
Rules* As much as possible, schools in the same state should be in the same conference * As much as possible, conferences should have a contiguous, reasonable footprint * Where possible, put rivals in the same conference
4 x 16
ACCEast Coast states belong in the ACC. Yes, you too, Pennsylvania. So Maryland and Rutgers are shipped east, and Penn State is sent over as well for reasons to be shown shortly, plus Pitt-Penn State is an annual thing again.
Send South Carolina over to stay with Clemson, and we’ve got 15; West Virginia is the lucky 16th. They could go either way but they do touch both Virginia and Pennsylvania, and that also puts Pitt-WVU back on an annual schedule.
Big 16With the mistakes gone and Penn State also missing, there’s plenty of room to pull in half of the Big 12-2; Iowa State-Iowa is a thing now, plus OU-Nebraska and Kansas fans schooling Indiana fans on what it means to be a basketball elite. Missouri is really a better fit here, but there isn’t anyone else who can be easily peeled off and sent elsewhere.
SECWe sent South Carolina away and need to do some additional housekeeping: A&M should stay with Texas. That gives us room for FSU and Miami, since Florida is definitely SEC country, and … an open spot. Hmm. Can we think of a school that recruits like there are no rules? Do they have a great deal of success in one sport? Wouldn’t you love Kentucky-Memphis as a twice-annual hoops rivalry, with the loser on probation for 100 years? DONE.
Western 16If we stop pretending this conference has anything to do with the coast, we have a lot of options, especially for later. Yes, the Big Not12 should definitely merge with the Pac-12; A&M joins the four other Texas schools. That would make 17, so sorry, Utah, you are the odd folks out. You ought to be over with BYU anyway.
Notes* Remember, this is totally unrealistic. You can’t really boot a school because that costs a ton of money and conferences only want to collect it, otherwise Rutgers would have been gone years ago. * There are several schools that could probably make the jump; pick your favorites if you don’t like these. * Army, Navy, and Air Force really belong in their own conference. Or the Patriot League, yes that’s I-AA. * No, I didn’t forget Notre Dame. They always wanted a special place reserved for them. So I did that.
4 x 18Marshall to the ACC. Marshall-WVU should be worth it. Let’s add East Carolina as well, although I could be convinced to push Charlotte instead.
The Big 16 gets … uh. Cincinnati is the obvious choice. Fortunately, we pulled in Oklahoma, so that makes Tulsa available. Beyond that, it gets kind of tricky.
Now we can welcome Utah back to the Western 16, along with BYU. If you’d rather make BYU sit in a corner with Notre Dame, that’s fine. You could take just about anyone else out of the Mountain West and be fine, as you’ll see in the next section.
The SEC has a lot of choices, but not a lot of appealing ones. Central Florida should probably go, since that will quiet their fans down, and let’s send South Florida as well, for that longtime UCF-USF rivalry that dates back to … you get the idea.
4 x 20Charlotte to the ACC, as mentioned above. Then we’re about out of options. Temple, I guess?
For the Big 18, let’s grab Colorado from the Western 18 and add Colorado State, because after that it’s basically MAC teams or teams in other footprints. (The downside of having Nebraska and Minnesota.)
The Western 17 now needs three teams, but has a bunch to choose from. Boise State and … how about San Diego State and Nevada?
The SEC also has a bunch to choose from, but none of them are particularly appealing, except that Saban and some other guys will love to have in-conference lopsided matchups in place of the I-AA games they wouldn’t get in this configuration. Western Kentucky and Tulane? Good enough.
Notes* In this format, it doesn’t really make sense to try for 5 x 16 instead of 4 x 20 because one of my main points was footprint, and why would I have four conferences dividing things up and one of them taking schools from everywhere? * None of this is really taking into consideration actual factors like athletic strength, size of facilities, etc. You might point out that past expansion did not necessarily do this either. Fair point! * Still didn’t forget Notre Dame. They know what they did.
Final thoughtsI would expect conferences to eventually reach this size. At 4x20, each conference can split into two actual conferences, although if Warren brings back Leaders and Legends we’re gonna have to talk about that.
I’m undecided as to whether this would help other sports or hurt them - it would definitely affect scheduling, but it’s potentially much easier to send teams out on a four-school trip to, say, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State and then home, than to send them to Penn State, Maryland, Ohio State, and Minnesota or something like that.
Yes, the battle for the 15-16 spots, 17-18, and 19-20 would be significant. There really would be a stark contrast between the Big Four and everyone else. I doubt it would make a I-A and a I-A.5 or whatever, though. In theory an 80-team subset of current I-A could stand on its own, but in practice those schools are gonna want to kick some other ones around, and I-A.5 teams wouldn’t be real keen on helping out the folks who booted them down a rung.
Anyway, none of this is going to happen, right? Texas isn’t heading to the Pac-12 no matter what, not if an SEC offer is on the table. There are plenty of folks who have never known Florida State and Miami as anything but ACC teams. Penn State has been in the Big Tenteen even longer than Miami has been in the ACC (they and FSU joined conferences the same year, back when I was in college, yes that long ago).
(googles “Iowa State to the Big Tenteen”)
Going into the last regional final of the night, it was a given that one of two teams would make their first Final Four* appearance. Pitt’s dream run ended after yet another five-set comeback by Washington, Wisconsin advanced again, Texas returned to the Final Four for the first time since 2016, but either Purdue or Kentucky would get their first chance.
It wasn’t the Boilers.
Early on, it looked like it might be. Tied at 4 in the opening set, the Good Gals used a 7-2 run to open up a five-point lead. Kentucky fought back twice, but Purdue led by five as late as 17-12 … when the second-seeded Wildcats scored seven straight to go in front 17-19 and looked like they were in front to stay. One more Purdue run put the Boilers up 22-21, but it was UK with set point at 22-24. Purdue did get the serve back, but an Avery Skinner kill sealed the first set, 23-25.
The second set was similar, but notably, Purdue wasn’t able to pull away at any point. They did lead as late as 19-18, but again a late UK run put them in a hole, and at 19-22, they managed just one more point, as the Wildcats used an 0-3 run to seal the set. Going into the break, 0-2 seemed like an insurmountable deficit.
It turned out to be exactly that. When a Grace Cleveland attack found the court, Purdue was already trailing 0-7. It got worse, with the Good Gals falling behind by as many as 11 before closing to 16-22. Once again, UK closed out the set, and at 16-25, Purdue’s tournament run was over. They’d end the season ranked #7 in the AVCA poll, their highest-ever postseason ranking.
Kentucky’s run never ended, as the Wildcats would go on to beat Washington and Texas in four sets each for their first-ever national championship. The Good Gals could take some consolation in the fact that they were the only team to hold Kentucky under .340 in a tournament match; UK’s .256 was their worst hitting percentage of the season. (That’s how good the Wildcats’ defense was; hitting .256 in a 3-0 sweep. Texas hit .333 in the title match against them, the only team to top .300.)
Let’s take a quick look back at the long weekend, then look forward for a bit.
*since the NCAA does only what it’s forced to do with women’s sports, it’s trademarked that for use solely with the MBB tournament, which means that announcers have to use the clumsy “national semifinal” instead of saying what literally everyone else is saying, reason one million why the NCAA shouldn’t be in charge of anything
7 Purdue 3, 10 Oregon 1 (25-17, 25-16, 22-25, 26-24)The Boilers took control early, played Oregon close in the third but couldn’t get the sweep, then came close to allowing a fifth set before finally closing out the match.
Turning pointDown 19-21 in the fourth set, four straight Purdue points put the Boilers up 23-21. Oregon would force extra points at 24, but the Ducks never had a set point, and Purdue closed out on their first match point.
LeadersPurdue
Kills: Caitlyn Newton 17 (.127), Grace Cleveland 15 (.351), Jael Johnson 10 (.474)
Assists: Hayley Bush 50
Aces: Johnson 1 (even), Newton 1 (-2)
Blocks: Taylor Trammell 4.5 (1 solo), Johnson 2.5, Cleveland 2.0
Digs: Bush 21, Jena Otec 17, Marissa Hornung 13, Maddie Schermerhorn 11
Oregon
Kills: Morgan Lewis 13 (.156), Gloria Mutiri 12 (.300)
Assists: Kylie Robinson 22, Elise Ferreira 20
Aces: Ferreira 1 (even), Becca Morse 1 (+1)
Blocks: Karson Bacon 3.0, Mutiri 2.0, Abby Hansen 2.0 (1 solo)
Digs: Brooke Nuneviller 22, Georgia Murphy 14, Ferreira 10
7 Purdue 0, 2 Kentucky 3 (23-25, 20-25, 16-25)Turning pointThat point at 22-21 in the first set. If Purdue wins that point, they’re in control of the set, and if they take a set, maybe it plays out differently. UK kept them away in the two close sets and took care of business in the third.
LeadersPurdue
Kills: Newton 10 (.091)
Assists: Bush 23
Aces: Otec 2 (+2), Newton 1 (even)
Blocks: Trammell 3.0 (2 solo), Maddy Chinn 2.0 (1 solo), Johnson 1.0, Cleveland 1.0
Digs: Hornung 11
Kentucky
Kills: Alli Stumler 16 (.300), Avery Skinner 12 (.370)
Assists: Madison Lilley 38
Aces: Gabby Curry 2 (-1), Lilley 2 (+1), A. Skinner 1 (+1)
Blocks: Elise Goetzinger 2.0, Madi Skinner 1.5, Azhani Tealer 1.0, A. Skinner 1.0
Digs: Curry 16, Lilley 10, Stumler 10
Season recapThe reality of the volleyball tournament is that quality increases almost exponentially as you near the top, similar to WBB. It’s very difficult to break into the top eight and hold seed to the regional finals, even harder to break into the top four and make the Final Four, and still harder to get that elusive title (remember how Stanford destroyed everyone last season).
What that tends to mean is that a number of schools have their seasons ended in a way that doesn’t accurately show what they accomplished. Purdue is in that group. A fifth-place finish in the conference and a regional final appearance, the latter tying the best showing Purdue’s ever had in the tournament? Yes please! Dealing the Buckeyes two of their three conference losses, both in Columbus? Pushing Minnesota to five sets when Cleveland wasn’t yet back at full strength? Beating Penn State in four sets on the road? All good signs.
It wasn’t how we wanted the season to end, but when you get this far, very few schools end their season with a loss and walk away with a feeling of accomplishment. The three schools left who’ll do that will no doubt feel like they could have won if only …
All-AmericansAs is tradition, we got the list of AVCA All-Americans during Final Four week, and for the first time in Purdue history, four Boilers made the list:
OH Grace Cleveland, First Team
OH Caitlyn Newton, Third Team
S Hayley Bush, Honorable Mention
L Jena Otec, Honorable Mention
Bush is one of two Hayley Bushes to be named honorable mention this year. (Fortunately, the sophomore OH from Drake spells her first name Haley, less confusion that way.) For her and Otec, it’s their first appearance; it’s technically Newton’s second, but the AVCA doesn’t note honorable mention as a repeat appearance. Cleveland was third-team AA last season, so they do acknowledge this as her second (of three? or four?). Otec is also the only Purdue DS or libero ever to be selected as an AA.
Purdue’s last first-team AA was RS Sherridan Atkinson in 2018; they had three total in 2019 (MB Blake Mohler was also honorable mention), 2017 (MB/OH Danielle Cuttino first team, Atkinson third team, S Ashley Evans honorable mention), and 2015 (OH Annie Drews second team, MB Faye Adelaja and Cuttino honorable mention). As a side note, Honorable Mention was added in 2003 after a brief appearance in 1982 and 1983, Third Team was added in 2002, and Second Team was added in 1984.
A look ahead to … uh … fall 2021By now, everyone knows the story. Everyone gets an extra year of eligibility, super-seniors for 2021-22 do not count against scholarship caps. (As a quick reminder, FB, MBB, WBB and WVB are the four “head count” sports, where scholarships must be full scholarships. The limit for WVB is 12; as you’ll see by looking around, most teams have a significant number of athletes who are paying their own way.) Schools still have to pay for the scholarships, though, so there is a cost implication, and not every school will be willing to spend money on this.
Purdue, however, can likely afford to do so, since they have just two super-seniors for 2021-22 (Newton and Otec).
The following is assuming that nobody transfers. That would be pretty unusual, since a lot of players have extra eligibility now and there are going to be opportunities to play immediately elsewhere, plus there will be normal transfer reasons, especially once people are vaccinated and areas are safer and folks may want to play closer to home or whatever.
Also note that all eligibility is as of fall 2021.
Outside Hitter/OppositeMost likely, it’ll be All-Americans 1 and 2, with super senior Caitlyn Newton and senior Grace Cleveland keeping their current spots. I would guess Cleveland would stay as an opposite even if Newton doesn’t return, just because it’s a good fit for her and she has experience there.
The junior trio of Emma Ellis, Maddy Chinn and Maddie Koch will provide both solid depth and a possible replacement in case Newton does move on. Chinn’s performance in the NCAAs likely gives her an edge in the fall, but I would expect Shondell to continue to give all three players reps, especially during a normal season with a full slate of non-conference matches.
Incoming freshman Emily Rastovski will provide additional depth and could push for playing time - as is now customary, anyone part of a top recruiting class (PrepVolleyball currently has Purdue’s class #10) is going to be in the mix right away if it’s possible.
Middle BlockerThis is where it starts to get fun. Senior Jael Johnson and sophomore Taylor Trammell return; fellow sophs Molly Brown and Lourdes Myers should be ready to get some extended action, particularly in non-conference play. Shondell knows what he has in the returning starters, and will likely want to see the other two make a mark early in the season. Purdue was mostly injury-free this season, an amazing feat given COVID and everything else, but that isn’t a guarantee for next season. Better to have too many talented players than not enough … I bet they won’t need to have volunteer assistants suit up for practice in the fall!
Freshman Raven Colvin will be in an interesting position. Shondell typically redshirts a MB when he can, but I don’t know if it’s better to get someone of her caliber into the lineup as soon as possible, or to redshirt her and push her four seasons out by a year for less overlap with the returning MBs.
SetterRedshirt senior All-American Hayley Bush. There you go. In a 5-1 like Shondell runs, as Bush herself can tell you, if you’re not the starter, you’re taking notes and keeping yourself ready and probably not playing much. Redshirt sophomore Megan Renner will be ready, and I would expect incoming freshman Sydney Yim to redshirt.
Libero/Defensive SpecialistSuper senior All-American and reigning Big Tenteen Defensive Player of the Year Jena Otec will be the libero again. Senior Marissa Hornung will start at DS and be ready to back up Otec as needed; junior Maddie Schermerhorn will be the other DS.
Senior Emma Terwilliger will likely remain the serving specialist, with junior Ava Torrance, sophomore Savana Chacon, and incoming freshman Ali Hornung working their way into the rotation if possible. Hornung is the most likely to emerge from this group, since as we’ve seen with Cleveland, the most highly-touted recruits tend to have the best potential, and there’s nothing like court time to help them reach it.
SummaryPurdue has a fantastic mix of experience (Trammell was the only freshman to get significant playing time this season) and potential (Newton and Otec are the only super seniors; 10 current players have two or more seasons of non-COVID eligibility left, with four incoming freshmen to add to that list). It will be interesting to see how many pro-ready players leave contending Big Tenteen teams - that does include Newton and Otec, but it’d be easy to see how they’d decide to return for another shot at a long NCAA run with this group.
Wisconsin has two redshirt seniors and eight total; they aren’t all returning, and you can make a case why Haggerty, Barnes, Hilley, Rettke and Loberg would stay for a shot at a title or would leave for whatever is next. I don’t think UW will return all of them, and Wisconsin has their usual depth (8 freshmen this season), so it’s possible none will come back.
Minnesota has a smaller roster and just four seniors, with only Pittman and Samedy getting regular PT. They could easily return both, and would instantly be title contenders, especially considering their early NCAA exit.
Nebraska has four seniors, and the money is definitely there to pay for Sun, Sweet and Stivrins if they want to return. (Densberger is farther down the DS/L chart and I wouldn’t expect her for a fifth year.) The Huskers would also be a challenge again even if none of the super seniors stay around; if all three are back, the conference will be really interesting at the top.
An interesting part of Ohio State’s solid season is that they have only two seniors. Again, the money is there - OSU could pay for an extra year for every single player if there weren’t scholarship caps and not even blink - so if Jen Flynn Oldenburg can keep the Buckeyes playing well, they should be right around where they finished this year.
Want some bad news? Penn State has one grad student on their roster this season … and no seniors. As you may have noticed, plenty of women are more than happy to pay their way to be part of that program. I wouldn’t expect a double-digit seed from the Nittany Lions next season.
Six teams could finish in the top four in fall 2021, and I didn’t even get into Illinois or Michigan, teams who were better in 2019 and fell off a bit this year. (Uh, if you’re a fan of a team below them … fall 2021’s gonna be rough.) If we get to a point where it’s safe enough to attend VB matches in the fall - go! Doesn’t matter what school you’re rooting for or where you’re watching. If it’s a Big Tenteen match, it’ll be worth it.
Feature image courtesy of Purdue Sports
High Point had won its first-ever NCAA match the day before; on Thursday, they had just run off 6 of 7 points to earn six set points against the 7-seed Boilers. At best, this looked to be a repeat of the 2017 matchup, and at worst … well, I didn’t want to think about that just yet. Hopefully, the Good Gals would fight off at least one set point and get a little momentum heading into set two.
Eight points later, it was 26-24 Purdue - from that 18-24 deficit, they outscored the Panthers 58-37 in a sweep that was totally understandable prior to the match and almost unthinkable late in the first. The Boilers opened leads of 22-12 and 19-12 in the second and third sets, respectively, and at that point, we could start thinking about Oregon, even while the team was still taking care of business.
Turning pointObvious! Going from 18-24 to 26-24. High Point played well the rest of the way, but never really threatened.
LeadersPurdueKills: Caitlyn Newton 18 (.314), Grace Cleveland 10 (.207)
Assists: Hayley Bush 40
Aces: Newton 3 (even), Marissa Hornung 1 (even)
Blocks: Taylor Trammell 3.5, Cleveland 3.0
Digs: Jena Otec 17, Bush 10
High PointKills: Annie Sullivan 9 (.214)
Assists: Mackenzi Thornburg 16
Aces: Maria Miggins 1
Blocks: Gabrielle Idlebird 2.5 (1 solo), Kaley Rammelsberg 1.5 (1 solo)
Digs: Abby Bottomley 18
Other resultsWisconsin beat Weber State 3-0
Minnesota beat Georgia Tech 3-0
Nebraska beat Texas State 3-0
Ohio State beat Missouri 3-0
Penn State beat North Carolina A&T 3-0
Six sweeps for the conference - a fine performance. (I picked four of them, hedged on the Minnesota match but leaned toward 3-0, and thought Missouri would push OSU to four.)
Regional semis7 Purdue vs 10 Oregon, 8:30 PM Sunday, ESPNUNotre Dame gave the Ducks fits at times, but Oregon managed a 3-0 sweep of their own. Pac-12 teams are always dangerous, but that conference is having something of an off year (Washington and Oregon are the only remaining teams), and Purdue is on a roll after a big comeback. Boilers in 4. (Result: BOILERS IN 4)
1 Wisconsin vs 16 BYU, 8:00 PM Saturday, ESPN3One of those Pac-12 teams to lose this week was UCLA, who fell 3-0 to the 16-seed Cougars. Since they can’t play on Sundays, the NCAA moved the match to Saturday. Kelly Sheffield’s team won’t miss a beat - Badgers in 3. (Result: Badgers in 3)
3 Minnesota vs Pittsburgh, 1:00 PM Sunday, ESPN3The Panthers demolished 14-seed Utah, another Pac-12 team, in yet another 3-0 sweep; their “reward” is a Big Tenteen team on a roll, as they all seem to be right now. There’s an argument that Pitt should perhaps have been one of the lower seeds instead of the Utes, but the Gophers will render that moot: Minnesota in 4. (Result: Panthers in 5)
5 Nebraska vs 12 Baylor, 2:30 PM Sunday, ESPNUBaylor is down a bit after last season’s great run; they narrowly avoided an upset by Pepperdine, falling behind 1-2 then winning the last two sets 27-25 and 15-10. Nebraska has places to be and the Bears are in the way - Huskers in 3. (Result: Huskers in 3)
9 Ohio State vs 8 Florida, 7:30 PM Sunday, ESPN2Neither team was tested Thursday, as the Gators swept first-time winners Morehead State. This one should be a good match, as the top of the SEC can hang with just about anyone. I’m going to stick with the seed lines: Gators in five. (Result: Gators in 4)
13 Penn State vs 4 Texas, 5:00 PM Sunday, ESPNUThe Longhorns dispatched Wright State in three, but have a much tougher test in the Nittany Lions … however, Penn State isn’t as formidable as they’ve been in the past. Still, any Russ Rose team is one to be wary of, and I think PSU will show why. Penn State in five. (Result: Longhorns in 4)
2 Kentucky vs Western Kentucky, 10:00 PM Sunday, ESPN2The Hilltoppers bounced Washington State in five sets; does the committee know this bracket doesn’t have to be regional? This could easily have been a 64-team matchup in the Lexington Regional. It’s a rough break for Western Kentucky, although honestly any unseeded team would have a rough draw in the Sweet 16. Wildcats in three. (Result: Wildcats in 3)
6 Washington vs 11 Louisville, 3:30 PM Sunday, ESPN3The best team in the Pac-12 struggled mightily against Dayton, needing five sets to advance. Louisville also dropped a set to San Diego, but got their ship righted more quickly and won 3-1. I would normally be reluctant to go with a struggling high seed, but the ACC isn’t a power conference in VB yet, and Louisville hasn’t been tested enough to capitalize on the Huskies’ vulnerability. Washington in four. (Result: Huskies in 5)
Regional finalsPittsburgh vs 6 Washington, noon Monday, ESPN24 Texas vs 5 Nebraska, 2:30 PM Monday or 45 minutes after the first match ends, ESPN21 Wisconsin vs 8 Florida, 6:30 PM Monday, ESPNU2 Kentucky vs 7 Purdue, 9:00 PM Monday or 45 minutes after the first match ends, ESPNUYep, better get some sleep Sunday night. If the Boilers do advance, they have the late match on Monday, and if it is Kentucky, it’ll be a really good one. (Well, if it’s Western Kentucky, it’ll be either a great match because the Hilltoppers are rolling, or a quick one because WKU used all their mana against UK and are completely drained.)
Late-night picksWashington in five over Pitt. The Panthers are strong, but the Huskies had their scare Sunday and will keep an unseeded team out of the Final Four. (Result: Huskies in 5)
Texas in four over Nebraska. The Longhorns are better than I thought, and with Stivrins not 100%, the Huskers are probably just a little shy of what they need to reach yet another Final Four. (Result: Longhorns in 4)
Wisconsin in four over Florida. Can’t pick straight sets at this point, but Stanford was doing it last season. The Badgers may well be that good, but I think the Gators will slow them down just enough to earn an extra set. (Result: Badgers in 5)
Kentucky in five over Purdue. The Good Gals are going to get really close, and I’d love to say that this will be the season that pushes them over the hump … but I think it’ll be fall 2021 that does that. UK is really, really good, and I think it’ll be just enough for the Wildcats to make their first Final Four. (Result: Wildcats in 3)
Feature image from Purdue’s win over Indiana to retain the Monon Spike, courtesy of Purdue Sports. We do like to mention that trophy around here.
Here’s the season in a nutshell: when the 48-team NCAA tournament field was revealed, the announcers noted that the winner of a key Penn State-Purdue match at Penn State improved their seeding, and in fact may actually have earned that seed, with that win.
They were talking about Penn State.
Season recapThe Boilers were one of just five Big Tenteen schools to play 20 of 22 matches (nobody played a full schedule), and they took full advantage, posting a 14-6 record that turned out to be good for fifth in the toughest conference in the country. If there was a bad loss, it was the season finale, a 2-3 loss to a young Illinois squad that finished 7-11 overall. Their other losses were the season openers to unbeaten Wisconsin without Grace Cleveland, the five-set losses to Minnesota, and the 1-3 loss above at Penn State. They played a surprising 1-loss Ohio State team in Columbus and handed them a pair of 3-1 losses.
In addition to a number of weekly awards, the Boilers pulled in a number of postseason awards. All-American teams won’t be announced until right around the Final Four, but here’s what we’ve got so far.
- Senior libero Jena Otec made first-team all-conference and was also named Defensive Player of the Year, the first time a Purdue player has ever won that honor.
- Senior OH Caitlyn Newton, junior OH Grace Cleveland, and redshirt junior S Hayley Bush also were named first-team all-conference, the first time Purdue has had four players with that honor. Those four received All-Region honors as well.
- Freshman MB Taylor Trammell was named to the All-Freshman team, the first Boiler with that honor since MB/OH Danielle Cuttino in 2014, and was All-Region Honorable Mention.
- Junior DS Marissa Hornung was named the team’s Sportsmanship Award honoree.
- After the Ohio State wins, Cleveland was the AVCA National Player of the Week, only the fifth Boiler to receive that honor. (The others were Stephanie Lynch in 2006, Rachel Davis and Ariel Turner each in 2011, Turner again in 2012, and Sherridan Atkinson in 2018. Lynch, Turner and Atkinson also ended up as first-team All-Americans.)
- The Boilers also swept the weekly conference awards that week: Otec was Defensive Player of the Week, Bush was co-Setter of the Week, Trammell was Freshman of the Week, and Cleveland was Player of the Week.
On top of that, Purdue earned the 7 seed in this year’s NCAA tournament, the second-highest seed in program history. (The Boilers were the 5 seed in 2011, when they beat Morehead State and Louisville in West Lafayette before falling to 12-seed Florida State in the regional semis in Minneapolis.) While they don’t get to host again this season, all seeded teams get a first-round bye due to the limited field, so the Good Gals will wait for the winner of tomorrow’s Central Florida-High Point match.
Purdue is 3-0 overall against UCF, but hasn’t played them since 2009; they’re 1-0 against High Point, having won the only meeting between the schools in 2017, also in the NCAA tournament (in a first-round match in Salt Lake City). The Boilers dropped their opening set before rallying to a 3-1 win, 21-25, 25-14, 25-22, 25-12.
Should they advance, they’d likely face Oregon in the regional semis. The Good Gals are also unbeaten against the Ducks, winning a 3-2 match in 1984 and a 3-1 match in 2007, both on neutral courts (but not in postseason play). A win there would set up a regional final against 2-seed Kentucky, which would be the fourth NCAA meeting between the Wildcats and Boilers. Purdue holds a 2-1 advantage in the tournament part of the series, picking up wins as a seeded team in 2006 and 2010 and falling to the seeded Wildcats in 2018. Overall, Purdue holds a slight edge, 11-10, having won the last meeting, a 3-2 match at Kentucky.
Aside from that? I dunno, it’s a COVID year. Purdue is currently at full strength and seems to be running on all cylinders; Dave Shondell has said this is the best team he’s had at Purdue, and I don’t think that’s just standard coach hyperbole. But … things happen. On top of the vagaries of single-elimination play, there’s always the chance that something will go wrong. The Boilers have been snakebitten their last two deep runs; hopefully this year they can avoid that bad luck.
The bracket is here and should update with links to watch the matches. As you may have heard, first- and second-round matches will be on ESPN3 with actual commentary (the original plan was to have just a camera, for reasons only the worst PR people working for the NCAA can tell you), and matches in later rounds will be on … some ESPN network, somewhere, probably. But not unless they’re shamed into it, or something.
Conference teams in NCAA play - Updated for Round 2Note: I usually rely heavily on Massey ratings for analytics. This year, in volleyball moreso than other sports, those ratings are likely off in some places because there was so little interconference play, meaning it’s much harder than usual to judge the relative strengths of conferences. I’d expect strong teams in weaker conferences to perhaps be underrated, and weaker teams in traditionally strong conferences to be overrated.
1 Wisconsin vs Weber State, Thursday 7:00 PMThe #1 overall seed gets a slightly tougher draw than expected, with #37 Weber State or #42 Bowling Green up next, but Wisconsin shouldn’t have trouble with either one. BYU may be a bit underseeded as well, #11 in Massey but a 16 seed; the Badgers ran through the Big Tenteen without a loss, so I’d expect them to at least reach the Final Four this season, meaning they’ll get past 8-seed #10 Florida as well … or will it be Ohio State instead?
Weber State advanced with a 3-1 win over Bowling Green; I’d expect a Wisconsin sweep.
3 Minnesota vs Georgia Tech, Thursday 7:00 PMMinnesota will beat either team, but would have an easier time against #68 Lipscomb. #27 Georgia Tech swept Florida State twice but were swept by Notre Dame, Louisville, and Pitt, so I’d expect them to be 3-0 or 3-1 losers if they advance. Expect a tough challenge from #7 Utah, the 14 seed, in the regional semis. Minnesota is almost always playing at home in the tournament, so the lack of homecourt could be a factor there, although on the flip side Utah will not be playing at altitude. The Gophers would need to pass another Pac-12 team, #2 Washington, to reach the Final Four, as the 6-seed Huskies are another potentially underseeded team.
Georgia Tech also advanced 3-1; Minnesota could drop a set if the Yellow Jackets are on, but this is also more likely a 3-0 win for the conference.
5 Nebraska vs Texas State, Thursday 3:30 PMThe first-round matchup here is a coin flip between #54 Texas State and #55 Utah Valley. The Huskers will get #16 Baylor in the regional semis, as the Bears dropped a bit from last year’s 1 seed. Getting past them would pit Nebraska against #5 4-seed Texas, and that should be a really good match. Was the Big 12 strong enough to prepare Texas for this match, or will Big Tenteen play get Nebraska to yet another Final Four? But wait! What if it’s Nebraska and 13-seed Penn State?
Texas State advanced with a … yep, 3-1 win. Nebraska in 3.
7 Purdue vs High Point, Thursday 3:30 PM#24 Central Florida is a tough second-round opponent if they get there, with #14 Purdue possibly overseeded as well. #65 High Point isn’t likely to get past the Knights, and if the Good Gals beat UCF, the #8 Ducks would like a say as to who deserved that 7 seed. Pull off that win/upset and it’s #4 Kentucky as the 2-seed. Could this be the year Purdue finally makes it to the Final Four?
High Point picked up its first-ever NCAA win in a thrilling five-setter against UCF; it was a tough ask with full rest, but they were pushed to the limit and won’t be playing Purdue at altitude this time. Boilers in 3.
9 Ohio State vs Missouri, Thursday noon#12 Ohio State, the surprise of the conference, likely gets a tough Missouri squad. But the #29 Tigers didn’t beat a marquee opponent this year, either in the fall or the spring. They should have enough to see off #76 South Dakota, but the Buckeyes should advance. A win there puts OSU against 8-seed Florida and then probably 1-seed Wisconsin. I wouldn’t expect OSU to make it all the way there, but they’ve recorded some strong wins this season, and on a neutral floor, anything can happen.
Missouri swept South Dakota; I think they’ll take a set from the Buckeyes but OSU will prevail in four.
13 Penn State vs North Carolina A&T, Thursday 10:30 PMYes, you read that correctly. Penn State is a 13-seed and was likely still too high: the #17 Nittany Lions get #39 Rice or #199 North Carolina A&T. HBCUs typically struggle, so expect it to be the Owls, and then 4-seed Texas in the regional semis. Can PSU earn a matchup with Nebraska that COVID cancelled during the regular season? I hate to bet against a Russ Rose team, but if you’re going to do it, this is probably the year.
Speaking of COVID, it canceled the Owls, sending them home in a no-contest that sent the soon-to-be-Big-South members NC A&T to the second round. The Aggies could have used a warmup match, I think, although they likely wouldn’t have beaten Rice. Penn State will sweep.
NCAA Tournament Schedule* First-round matches Wednesday at noon, 3:30, 7, and 10:30 * Second-round matches Thursday at the same times * Regional semis Sunday 4/18 * Regional finals Monday 4/19 * National semis Thursday 4/22 * National championship Saturday 4/24
Why the rush? Probably because the faster they get the tournament done, the less likely it is that the NCAA will screw up yet again. It’s not a great position to put these teams in, but the year the NCAA puts the athletes and schools first will be the first time it’s ever happened, and given what’s going on right now, this isn’t the year. (Tents for “locker rooms”? please.)
Feature graphic courtesy of Purdue Sports. We won’t have any action shots from the tournament - COVID year, you know. I’ll improvise.
UM is the only B1G team left after nine teams from the conference were invited…no doubt something is broken. But what is it? I discuss my simple theory today.
No sense of urgency defined the last game of Purdue’s strange, surprisingly good 2020-2021 season.
It’s a real shame, as last memories of a team tend to be the lasting ones. Tonight’s memory was an overtime loss against, frankly, a sharpshooting 13-seed North Texas Mean Green team that looked hungrier and often better than the Boilermakers did all night.
Trevion Williams was a fierce post presence and Purdue’s bedrock all year, but both he and Zach Edey were invisible in the first half against an undersized North Texas frontcourt. Sharpshooters Sasha Stefanovic and Brandon Newman both took turns being excellent during the year, but neither were impactful at all tonight. Isaiah Thompson had a better night than expected, but his backcourt partner junior Eric Hunter looked hesitant and lost offensively. Mason Gillis was the only one crashing the glass hard all game, which should have been the clear point of advantage that Purdue rode to a victory, but instead the Mean Green drew basically even in the rebounding battle.
And then there was Jaden Ivey, Purdue’s budding superstar, who was the only player dragging Purdue’s lifeless offense along for most of the game, but (like the rest of the team) couldn’t find the basket during overtime.
We all expected a transition year for 2020-2021, particularly with the COVID-19 pandemic grinding everything around us to a halt, and this group of Boilermakers turned out to be a surprising, young, fun team. They made all of us proud to be part of the Purdue family, and in doing so they raised expectations for the postseason - expectations they gladly shouldered.
Don’t get me wrong - this team was so fun to watch all year, and this group will be much better after an offseason to grow (and stew on this loss). The backcourt gets a year older and wiser, the sharpshooters get more consistent, and the oversized frontcourt gets even more beefy with the additions of incoming freshmen forwards Trey Kaufman and Caleb Furst.
This will be a good, and borderline great team next year. But, it just makes things all the more frustrating when we saw them so lifeless for a half, and unable to get over the hump against a North Texas team that earned their school’s first tournament victory.
Boilerdowd’s got more thoughts on the Livecast stream below, and we’ll be back with some extended thoughts as we have more time to process this loss. But right now…it stings.
Feature image from @Boilerball
Happy St. Patrick’s Day…It’s almost NCAA Tournament time, thanks for spending a few minutes listening to me ramble.
Purdue got a #4 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, in a region that includes Baylor, Ohio State, Villanova, Arkansas, and Wisconsin.
We had March Madness thoughts, and decided to attempt a Livecast, with a nonzero amount of brown liquor and technological difficulties. Take a listen, and subscribe to our Youtube channel to get notified every time we make the mistake to broadcast live in the next month.
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During a recent Boilerdowd livecast recently, someone commented that we should do a bracket challenge. Bdowd let him know that we do.
“Oh,” he replied. “I’ve only been reading you guys for five years.”
(I’m paraphrasing.)
So hey. Reading comprehension issues are nothing to be ashamed of. But if you want to join the BS Bracketgasm, please join here. What might you win? Glad you didn’t ask!
AJ’s Burgers and Beer, a beloved sponsor, is giving away a gift card, we’re giving away some BS swag, Michael has offered to do you the favor of your choice, and Aneesh…well, Aneesh is really usually up for anything.
Anyway, join now. Top prize is a $10,000 Amazon Gift card and a trip for two to the Mau Invitational*.
*If you win the whole thing, not just ours.
(Photo credit: Purdue Athletics)
Ah, the Big Ten Tournament. That necessary evil that nobody cares at all about unless they a) need to care about it, or 2) win it.
Purdue came into this game seemingly a pretty strong 4-seed according to most projections. Ohio State came in only winning one game since February 18, that being yesterday’s squeaker over the long-ago-quit Golden Gophers.
Purdue swept the season series with OSU and everybody knows it’s hard to beat a team three times in a couple of months unless you’re Rutgers kicking around Indiana. And Ohio State seemed as ready for this game as they could have been, racing out to an 18 point halftime lead at 49-31. I’m not looking it up but I took a quick glance and I can’t remember Purdue giving up near 50 in a first half in a very long time.
I talked on our last pod about Matt Painter’s improved ability to make in-game adjustments – it’s why they’re a tournament threat now and why they came within seconds of the Final Four in the most recent NCAA tourney. That was shown again today as Purdue flipped the script and damn near ran the Bucks out of the gym in the second half. It didn’t hurt that OSU hit their last FG of regulation with 5:26 to go in the second half and went almost seven minutes overall (including OT) without a bucket from the floor.
Tre had a pedestrian first half, like the rest of his team, but went HAM in the second, winding up with 26 points and 14 rebounds. Jaden Ivey had 19 points, Edey had 11 and that was it for major contributors. Gillis, Hunter and Sasha went a combined 1/11 from the floor (woof), with Sasha having zero in the score column.
Another place that really killed Purdue today was the free throw line. Even with only making nine threes, if they went better than 56% from the FT line, this is a very different afternoon.
Let’s just hope that’s out of everyone’s system. Sometimes when you know a game really doesn’t mean that much, it’s hard to get up for it. Purdue came into today having won 11 of 14 to wrap the season and so this is what it is. It’s a loss that shouldn’t mean much in the overall scheme of things. In the end, they did eventually show up and put quite the scare into OSU. We’ve seen Purdue hurt in the seeding game by dog turd BTT performances and while this looked turdlike in the first half, it turned into a fun game that further underscored the facts that Purdue is a very good team and is truly never out of a game.
Bring on Selection Sunday.
See B-dowd’s quick reaction livecast below:
We’re gonna try this whole livestreamed postgame out. Join J Money, Aneesh, and a (hopeful) Boilerdowd cameo to talk about the IU game, Purdue’s 2020-2021 season, expectations going into the Big Ten Tournament (that we absolutely definitely care a lot about), and March Madness.
Feature image from @Boilerball
The Big Edey led all scorers with 21 points, Ivey chipped in 18 and Wheeler went 3-3 from deep to pour in 11. Sash added 8 assists, while Edey and Tre both grabbed 7 rebounds. Tre was in foul trouble most of the game, Sash and Newman didn’t shoot well…AND YET, Purdue had other guys step up and step in to clinch an important win.
Whether it’s Thompson and Ivey’s clutch free throws down the stretch, Hunter and Wheeler’s defense that closed out the game or Tre simply catching a rocket pass that looked destined for the tunnel, much of Purdue’s team made plays down the stretch. That said, this team still doesn’t have the killer instinct…It. Will Come.
Purdue is now fourth in the conference and in the driver’s seat for a double bye (if they handle their business v. IU. They improve to 17-8 on the season, 12-6 in the conference.
Photo Credit: Purdue Sports
(Audio begins at 1:04)
Purdue lost a legendary member of its family, last week…Here are some of my thoughts on this, the basketball team’s rhythm and football practice continuing.
One note: BSCR stands at 18.14…solid.
Feature image from @Boilerball
What Happened?
Purdue beat Penn State 71-52 in a no-nonsense, very calm and easy win in its final road game of the season.
What a relief, to have an entirely stress-free Friday night.
Penn State came into the game, like most of the Big Ten, much better than their 8-12 record would suggest, ranked 35th in KenPom under the interim coach Jim Ferry. Purdue (#20 in KenPom) actually came in as a 1.5 point underdog, and…well let’s just say it was a pretty easy bet for me to make when I saw.
But PSU has talented at wings and guards and play a mean full court pressure defensively. With a weaker front line, Purdue was looking for Trevion Williams and just one of its shooters to have a big game.
Enter: Sasha Stefanovic and Jaden Ivey.
Purdue started inside, with Trevion having no trouble in the post against Penn State’s light frontcourt. That gave Purdue’s wings plenty of room to work, and while their defending wasn’t too well the offense was rolling early. Jaden’s 9 points and Sasha’s 11 points led Purdue to a 15 point halftime lead, with Purdue pulling away at the 6 minute mark.
A few quick second half turnovers cut Purdue’s lead into single digits, but, again, Jaden Ivey is a superhero. A Jaden steal, a made three, a pair of free throws, and suddenly Purdue was on its own 10-0 run and the game was effectively out of reach.
The lead would only grow, and for once there wasn’t a late-game heart attack or an ill-timed scoring drought to induce heart attacks in black-and-gold faithful. Purdue was entirely in control for the final 26 minutes of gameplay, and that was that. We should win like this more often.
It’s weird to think of 16 wins as a shoo-in for March Madness, but in this strange season that paired with 11 conference wins in one of the best years the Big Ten has ever seen is more than enough to guarantee a spot in the dance. Penn State on the road is another quad-1 win, and Purdue’s ticket should be stamped.
While expectations for the season undeniably rose once we saw how good this freshman class was, it’s worth reflecting on the fact that our preseason expectations were simply being on the right side of the Tourney bubble, and seeing just one of the freshman pop.
I think it’s safe to say, it’s been a great season so far. Time to finish out strong.
The Good
- Drama free games. Excitement is overrated. I like boring, clinical, well-earned wins. This team will be the Bama of basketball, is what I’m trying to say.
- Jaden Ivey’s casually athletic freak moments. The way he casually gathered and slammed this first-half dunk, jumping from a place it never occurred to me for a dunk, just shows that these next-level athlete dudes are absolutely nothing like us jabronis watching. 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 steals. Jaden is a superhero.
Was the steal or dunk easier for Jaden Ivey on this one? @BoilerBall pic.twitter.com/08RfyJZ68a
— Purdue On BTN (@PurdueOnBTN) February 27, 2021
- Young Matt Painter pictures every time Steve Lavin calls a Purdue game. I enjoy it every time, along with Keady’s impossible hair.
- Eric Hunter’s defense. Switched between PSU leading scorer Myreon Jones, Myles Dread, and Jamari Wheeler, and put them all in the torture chamber. It’s been unexpected to see Hunter develop into this kind of a lockdown defender, and pairing that with his crafty unique midrange game and he gives Purdue a dimension nobody else brings.
- Sasha Stefanovic is back. This team is so much more potent when Marksman Sasha is drilling from deep. 16 points, 4-5 from three, constant nightmares for Penn State fans. With Sasha rolling, this team becomes a dangerous Tourney out.
- AARON WHEELER. I’ve been waiting so long to write a postgame and put Wheeler in The Good. Crashed the glass furiously all night, disrupted with his length on defense, hit a corner three and didn’t force any shots up. Loved what he gave today.
- Tre’s quiet confidence. He didn’t post huge numbers (11 points, 4-8 shooting, 5 rebounds, 4 assists), but he was Purdue’s rock and facilitated a ton of the offensive actions tonight. I love nights like this, where he excels and Purdue dominates without relying on him putting up eye-popping numbers.
- Dominant rebounding against a relatively undersized PSU team. Purdue won the rebounding battle 38-24, which is always a good sign.
The Bad
- Rumors of Micah Shrewsberry as Penn State’s next head coach. He’s done wonders for Purdue’s offensive creativity this year, particularly noticeable during out-of-bounds plays, and would be a wonderful hire for any high-major school. But…no I don’t want to let him go just yet. Give Shrew just one more year with this bunch, with Tre and Sasha as seniors and a full year of experience under this talented freshman class’ collective belt, and woo buddy.
- The “ev-ery-bo-dy-clap-your-hands” chant, especially in an empty stadium, please all sports teams retire this forever.
The Ugly
- Love Brandon Newman and he will be a star at Purdue…but tonight wasn’t a great one for him. Looked a little off, and with Hunter/Sasha/Wheeler clicking saw his minutes dip tonight.
Another Reminder That Jaden Is A Superhero:
🚫 What a block by @iveyjaden!
The @BoilerBall freshman spike the shot away to make up for his turnover pic.twitter.com/KGKCuh577r
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 27, 2021
Live Lunchtime Snack!!!
Today’s QuickCast is brought to you by our friends at Martin Vintage GridIron Metal Works and of course, AJ’s. Mason Gillis, Mike Bobinski and Jeff Brohm inspired today’s impromptu live show!!
(Photo credit: Purdue Basketball)
Purdue headed out to corn country to take on the cellar-dwellar but still playing hard Nebraska Cornhuskers tonight. Purdue jumped out to a quick 12-4 lead and they were looking full of energy and it felt like it could be a laugher for the Boilers. However, this Purdue team is determined to keep every game edge-of-your-seat interesting for us and I, for one, appreciate the gesture.
Nebraska then went on something like a 11-2 run and took the lead back. Bummer. During that stretch – and others – Purdue did their ongoing baby-deer-learning-to-walk routine that is totally fine because this is a young team learning to do a lot and they’re super fun more often than they’re frustrating. The good thing is even when they’re bricking things around like that, you know the turn is coming.
And come it did. Jaden Ivey did Jaden Ivey things and Purdue raced out to a double-digit lead. As we inched towards halftime, Purdue looked like they were poised to put the boot to the Husker throat. And then, stop me if you’ve heard this before, they frittered away the lead.
By halftime it was only three, at 40-37. Then in the second half they continued to look a bit befuddled, only scoring six points in the first seven minutes of the half. They trailed with a little over 12 minutes to go and I began wondering if they might have a truly bad loss on the schedule.
And then the Boilermakers ripped off a 29-9 run to finish the game. Yeah, it went from 49-46 NU to the final of 75-58, Purdue in about 13 minutes. Can a 17 point road win over a 5-15 team feel like a close win? I don’t know how and yet….
Purdue had three guys in double figures. Ivey played a great game and had 15 pts, 7 rebs, and 3 assists to go with some super-fun plays:
Anyone need another @IveyJaden poster for the bedroom wall?
Here you go! pic.twitter.com/gP7tjyhNoa
— Purdue On BTN (@PurdueOnBTN) February 21, 2021
Our very own Wayne Night (AKA Newman) had ten points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. And Sasha began to look like himself again, putting up 14 points, including 12 on 4/8 shooting from three.
Purdue shot 47% from the field (fine), 31% from deep (not great) and only 50% from the line (yikes). Good thing it was Nebraska.
Purdue has just three games remaining in the regular season, one at Penn State and two at home vs Wisconsin and Indiana. At 10-6 and just 2 ½ games out of the lead in the conference, Matt Painter continues to pad his resume as a coach of the year candidate. The Boilers could obviously win all three of those remaining games but let’s say they go 2-1. That would put them at 12-7 in conference, 17-9 overall and in position to nab the four seed and the ol’ coveted double-bye. And, I mean, if we need to have a conference tournament, why not play as few games in it as possible?
Thanks for reading this far. Go in peace.
Reaction to Day 1 Spring football pressers, and a few basketball thoughts before they play in Lincoln, NE.
BDowd and Paul Sadler sat down to talk about Purdue sports, graphic design, family and photography and, of course, the fear of heights.
Well it was a game only a blind mother could love. Purdue took care of the ball, so despite some very clear struggles on offense (and at times, defense) they were able remain in control of the game for most of the 40 minutes. MSU is still MSU, despite this being a down year for the program, so this was an important win for the young Boilers. Special shouts to Tre Williams for being a beast and devouring MSU’s thin front line. All that and more on tonight’s audio recap!
Feature image from @Boilerball
So it turns out that, as many of you already know, simply being at home more often does not necessarily mean you have more time for things, and in particular, the world goes on whether or not you’re keeping up on things. Purdue’s volleyball team has been playing Friday and Saturday matches the last three weeks and will continue to do so* for the rest of the season, but I haven’t yet posted either a preseason forecast or a weekly update.
The former wasn’t done because let’s be honest - we don’t even know if the season will come to a normal end, and as we’ve already seen, an outbreak can shut down multiple programs for weeks. April is the target date for a scaled-down 48-team tournament, but I’ll believe it’s happening once it actually starts. (All matches will be played in Omaha.) But I should have been keeping up on the latter … instead, you’ll be getting compressed updates this season, I think.
Let’s get to it!
*see note in the Next Up section
Big Tenteen Player of the Week Jael Johnson with the block, as Hayley Bush supports on defense
Past action: 2-4, #22Someone said Purdue might be the best 2-4 team in volleyball history, and they might be right. Normally, most teams start their season slowly, playing some easier (and usually local) non-conference opponents before they get into a couple of more challenging matches. There are some exceptions - elite teams frequently have at least one tough opponent or tournament - but you don’t usually get them back-to-back. The Boilers opened on the road at #1 Wisconsin and had to do so without All-American OPP Grace Cleveland, who was out with a non-COVID illness.
After understandably being swept twice, they came back to Holloway and returned the favor to Iowa, a young team that’s trying to build under Vicki Brown, who’s in her second season in Iowa City. Last weekend, Cleveland returned and was a key performer in a pair of thrilling 2-3 losses to #5 Minnesota. It’s not often you have 4 top-5 losses at this point in the season!
Fri 1/22 - Purdue 0, Wisconsin 3 (14-25, 15-25, 16-25)With Cleveland out, the Purdue offense never really got going; Wisconsin was rolling from the start and was never really challenged.
Turning pointNone. The Badgers won each set by at least nine points.
LeadersPurdueKills: Newton 11 (.079), Jael Johnson 10 (.438)
Assists: Hayley Bush 26
Aces: Newton 1 (+1), Jena Otec 1 (even)
Blocks: Taylor Trammell 1.0 (1 solo), Bush and Johnson 0.5
Digs: Otec 8
WisconsinKills: Dana Rettke 11 (.733)
Assists: Sydney Hilley 33
Aces: Grace Loberg 2 (+2), Lauren Barnes 1 (-1)
Blocks: Rettke 3.5 (3 solo), Devyn Robinson 0.5
Digs: Barnes 11
Sat 1/23 - Purdue 0, Wisconsin 3 (18-25, 21-25, 19-25)Purdue reined in the Wisconsin attack a bit, but continued to struggle against the defending national runners-up and weren’t able to win a set this time either.
Turning pointAfter a strong first set, the Boilers played a great second set, leading by five as late as 19-14. After a Loberg kill gave the serve back to the home team, Wisconsin went on a 2-11 run to close the set, only losing points on an attack error and a service error. The Good Gals were competitive in the third set as well, but never got closer to a set win than that.
LeadersPurdueKills: Newton 9 (.022)
Assists: Bush 25
Aces: Newton 4 (+4), Otec 1 (+1), Johnson 1 (+1)
Blocks: Johnson and Madeline Koch 0.5
Digs: Marissa Hornung 10
WisconsinKills: Rettke 14 (.414), Molly Haggerty 12 (.409)
Assists: Hilley 36
Aces: Georgia Civita 1 (-3), Izzy Ashburn 1 (even)
Blocks: Rettke 5.5 (4 solo), Robinson 2.0, Danielle Hart 1.5, Hilley 1.0
Digs: Civita 11, Haggerty 10
Fri 1/29 - Purdue 3, Iowa 0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-17)Cleveland would miss this match and the next, but with the Boilers back in Holloway and facing much different competition, they didn’t need her. Shondell cleared the bench in this one, with Ava Torrance and Megan Renner seeing their first action of 2021.
Turning pointWith the opening set tied at 18, Emma Ellis put down a Bush set, then joined Trammell to block an Emma Grunkemeyer attack. Four more Iowa errors (three attack and one service) plus a Trammell/Maddy Chinn block highlighted a 7-1 Purdue run to close the set, and the Good Gals cruised the rest of the match.
LeadersPurdueKills: Newton 12 (.211)
Assists: Bush 26
Aces: Newton 2 (even), Otec 1 (even), Maddie Schermerhorn 1 (even)
Blocks: Trammell 4.0, Ellis 2.5 (1 solo), Chinn 2.0, Johnson 0.5, Bush 0.5, Koch 0.5
Digs: Bush 11, Otec 11
IowaKills: Audrey Black 9 (.030)
Assists: Bailey Ortega 15, Courtney Buzzerio 10
Aces: Joslyn Boyer 1 (even), Blythe Rients 1 (even)
Blocks: Rients 2.5 (1 solo), Buzzerio 1.5 (1 solo), Black 1.0, Hannah Clayton 0.5, Grunkemeyer 0.5
Digs: Buzzerio 7
Sat 1/30 - Purdue 3, Iowa 0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-21)Purdue swept the Hawkeyes again, hitting .423 for the match and .615 in an opening set that featured no Boiler attack errors. Savana Chacon and Molly Brown made their debuts in this match. Jael Johnson’s outstanding effort made her the conference Player of the Week.
Turning pointUp 1-0 and 9-8 in the second set, a 6-1 Purdue run put the Boilers ahead comfortably, and an 0-3 Iowa run was answered by a 5-0 Purdue run. The visitors would not be that close again, although a late rally in set 3 looked like it might force a fourth set.
LeadersPurdueKills: Johnson 13 (.684), Ellis 11 (.409)
Assists: Bush 42
Aces: Newton 2 (+2), Otec 2 (+1), Hornung 1 (+1)
Blocks: Ellis 2.0 (1 solo), Trammell 1.5, Johnson 1.0, Chinn 1.0, Bush 0.5, Newton 0.5
Digs: Otec 16, Schermerhorn 10
Iowa
Kills: Black 10 (.161)
Assists: Ortega 18, Buzzerio 12
Aces: Boyer 1 (+1), Ortega 1 (even)
Blocks: Clayton 0.5, Rients 0.5, Edina Schimdt 0.5, Black 0.5
Digs: Leanne Lowry 13, Buzzerio 10
Fri 2/5 - #16 Purdue 2, #4 Minnesota 3 (25-20, 23-25, 26-24, 21-25, 7-15)Cleveland’s return proved to be a key, as the Good Gals took sets 1 and 3 from Minnesota and looked to have a shot at closing it out in four; the Gophers fought back to take that set and closed out the fifth in decisive fashion. Purdue didn’t get the W, but they came close because of their fantastic efforts at the service line, recording 13 aces and only 8 service errors, while the Gophers had 3 and 5 respectively.
Turning pointsUp 2-1 but down 19-22, Purdue closed within one on kills by Bush and Koch. Minnesota slammed the door, getting kills from Stephanie Samedy and Taylor Landfair to earn set point, then finishing it with a Melani Shaffmaster ace.
At 4-5 in the final set, Minnesota got a 1-5 run to open a 5-10 lead; Purdue would get just two more points as the visitors won the match.
LeadersPurdueKills: Newton 24 (.190), Cleveland 17 (.204)
Assists: Bush 51
Aces: Hornung 5 (+3), Otec 3 (+2), Johnson 2 (+2), Newton 2 (+1), Bush 1 (-1)
Blocks: Johnson 1.5, Bush 0.5, Cleveland 0.5, Trammell 0.5, Koch 0.5, Ellis 0.5
Digs: Otec 31, Bush 16, Hornung 16, Newton 14
MinnesotaKills: Samedy 28 (.371), Adanna Rollins 17 (.300), Landfair 14 (.143)
Assists: Shaffmaster 60
Aces: Regan Pittman 2 (-1), Shaffmaster 1 (even)
Blocks: Pittman 4.5 (2 solo), Samedy 2.0, Shea Rubright 1.5, Shaffmaster 1.0 (1 solo), Rollins 0.5, Landfair 0.5
Digs: Rollins 27, Samedy 26, Rachel Kilkelly 15, Shaffmaster 12, CC McGraw 11, Pittman 10
Sat 2/6 - #16 Purdue 2, #4 Minnesota 3 (18-25, 25-17, 25-17, 21-25, 9-15)Different day, same result as the Boilers once again took a 2-1 lead, but dropped the fourth set 21-25 and couldn’t make it happen in the fifth.
Turning pointsUp 21-18 in set four, Purdue looked ready to pull the upset but could not stop the Gopher attack, as kills from Shaffmaster, Samedy, Landfair and Pittman keyed an 0-7 run to finish the set.
At 7-7 in the fifth, Minnesota used a 1-7 run to blow it open; a double-hit call on Pittman ended the first match point, but a Pittman kill on the next one was good, and the visitors once again had a narrow win, leaving Purdue fans to wonder what might have been.
LeadersPurdueKills: Newton 29 (.267), Cleveland 13 (.178)
Assists: Bush 51
Aces: Johnson 3 (+2), Newton 1 (even), Cleveland 1 (even)
Blocks: Johnson 3.5 (1 solo), Trammell 3.0, Cleveland 2.5, Newton 1.5, Bush 0.5, Ellis 0.5, Koch 0.5
Digs: Bush 22, Otec 21, Hornung 12
MinnesotaKills: Samedy 20 (.240), Landfair 17 (.268), Rollins 10 (.212)
Assists: Shaffmaster 53
Aces: Jenna Wenaas 2 (even), Rollins 1 (even)
Blocks: Rubright 2.5, Pittman 2.0, Shaffmaster 2.0 (1 solo), Samedy 1.5, Rollins 1.5, Landfair 1.0, Katie Myers 0.5
Digs: Rollins 22, Kilkelly 16, Shaffmaster 15, Samedy 10
Taylor Trammell with a middle attack against Iowa, as Bush, Maddy Chinn, and Jena Otec watch her swing
Overall thoughtsWisconsin and Minnesota are really good again, so 2-4 isn’t what you might think it is. Grace Cleveland is really good, and as much as Purdue has improved as a team, if you take away one of their best players, they don’t yet have the depth to make up for her. On the other hand, with Cleveland in the lineup, Newton closing in on full health, and Taylor Trammell rapidly adjusting to Big Tenteen volleyball, the Boilers might still be a force to reckon with this season, and even if they somehow miss out on a truncated tournament, the fall 2021 season should be really good, especially if both Otec and Newton are invited back and choose to return.
Possibly next upThe Good Gals are scheduled to face Michigan on Saturday and Sunday. However, the Wolverines have been idle since the start of the season due to an outbreak that swept across the entire athletic department. These matches may or may not take place as scheduled. After that, it’s Northwestern … who hasn’t played since 1/23 due to their own COVID outbreak.
The Big Tenteen has been pretty good at juggling opponents - for example, when Michigan and Penn State missed the first two weeks, their Week 2 opponents, Ohio State and Michigan State, ended up playing each other, since they weren’t going to play later in the season. It’s possible Purdue could find a new opponent or two if either of these weeks doesn’t play out as scheduled.
If they do, well, I’d guess the Boilers would have an advantage in Ann Arbor since UM hasn’t played at all, but it’s hard to say. Homecourt advantage should be depressed a little due to the lack of fans in the building, but COVID-era travel can wear on you, especially given restrictions on how conference teams can do it (I think they’re being asked to bus whenever possible). Northwestern’s at #14 right now, but Massey really doesn’t have much to go on - two 3-0 sweeps of Rutgers and that’s it. The Boilers should have a couple of easy wins against the Wildcats in Holloway, I would think? I dunno.
2021 class finalizedIn the fall, I mentioned that Purdue expected to sign four seniors to arrive in 2021. As is frequently the case, two signed right away, with two more projected to sign in the spring. That happened as expected, with 6’1” OH Emily Rastovski (Morgan Township, IN) and 6’0” S Sydney Yim (Newburyport, MA) joining Ali Hornung and Raven Colvin in the class.
Rastovski, like Colvin, has a Boiler background in football, as her father David played for the Boilers in 1978 and 1979 (yes, that was before my time, believe it or not). She hit .496 as a junior during a full season and .433 during her limited senior season. With Newton potentially departing, the Boilers can always use another solid arm on the outside.
Yim committed in 2019 but had to wait another year to make it official. She averaged a little over 1 ace per set as a senior; while high school numbers generally drop in college due to the level of competition, adding a setter who can serve well is always a bonus. Also, as we’ve seen in the past, setters are like quarterbacks, both because they run your offense and because you can never have too many of them - having Bush, Renner and Yim for 2021 sounds like a good deal to me.
Athletes Unlimited season approachingThe first-ever AU Volleyball season will hopefully start late this month, with one change: the bubble will be in Dallas instead of Nashville. That’s … maybe not the state I’d choose, but I trust the league to make the best decision available. (Remember that in AU, the players have a significant say in what’s going on, partly because there are no franchises and thus no individual owners to make the kind of decisions we’ve been seeing lately, particularly in men’s sports.)
Preseason is one week, with drafts on the 19th and 21st, then matches on the 20th and 21st (from draft 1) and the 22nd (from draft 2). No word on where or if those will be shown; they’ll be showing regular-season matches on CBSSN, FS1, FS2, and the usual streaming outlets (Twitch for me).
As a quick refresher, one of the unique things about AU play is that they use basically a fantasy-sports point system for individual standings; placement in the standings determines the amount of bonus money the players earn at the end of the year. The scoring system is up now, and it works as follows:
- Match/set scoring: 40 per match, 30 per set for each player on the winning team
- MVP voting: 60/40/20 for the top three finishers per match, voted on by players and by Unlimited Club members
- Serving: 12 for an ace, -8 for an error
- Attacking: 8 for a kill, -12 for an error
- Setting: 1 for an assist, -12 for an error
- Digging: 5 for a dig
- Passing: 2 for a pass, -12 for an error
- Blocking: 12 for a block
The passing is interesting, because that’s not something typically tracked in box scores, at least not at the NCAA level. I think you can find it in total, but not necessarily with each match.
Note that all matches will be three sets, not best-of-three, so that all players have a reasonable amount of opportunities per week. Sets are still win-by-two, so in theory you could get more points by playing a really long set, just like how you could get more points (except for pitchers) in softball from a high-scoring game. Also, the match winner will be the team with the most team points (i.e. not these individual points), not the team that wins the most sets.
The first week, captains are chosen at random. After that, at the end of every week, the top four players in the standings become captains and teams are redrafted.
There are 44 players in total, which seems to make for smaller rosters than I’d expect, since the NCAA allows 12 scholarship players per school. We’ll see how it goes - they may decide to expand rosters a bit, or maybe it’ll just stay like this.
In addition to Val and Sherridan, you’ll see a number of other familiar names if you’ve been watching Big Tenteen volleyball over the years. It shouldn’t take long to become familiar with the rest, especially if DraftKings does fantasy games for VB - they did for softball, and for some reason I never played. I mean, this setup is almost literally made for gambling, how could you not?
Images courtesy of Purdue Athletics, as per usual, taken during the Iowa matches by Charles Jischke and Chris Johnson.
(Photo Credit @BoilerBall Purdue Athletics)
For the second time in three games, Purdue snatches defeat out of the clutches of victory…this time in Minneapolis.
Tre Williams scored 24 and grabbed 10 boards, Eric Hunter was rock solid 14pts (6 for 8 from the field) and Edey was nearly impossible for a few stretches while scoring 13 points. Atop of that, Purdue had a 15-2 run in the first half that was a lot like the way they closed out Minnesota in Mackey a few weeks ago…but they finished very poorly and fell to 13-8 (8-6) on the season.
Following the game, I recorded some live reaction with a few questions…here’s how that went:
A few thoughts about Sasha’s quarantine, the game versus Minnesota and the tourney in God’s Country.