Boilermaker Breakdown (Michigan – Jan. 31)

Purdue 67 – Michigan 49

I absolutely love my DVR.

When I got home from Mackey, I immediately pulled up the recording of the game and re-watched the drama unfold. This game had plenty of it. 

There was a pool of blood, an ejection, a technical when no players were on the court, and enough booing to last the rest of the season.

The DVR also allows me the opportunity to watch the game from two totally different angles. I needed that today.  During live play, I was unable to see Chris Kramer, Purdue’s most energetic player, take an elbow to the bridge of his nose. I was looking directly at the back of Kramer’s head from my seat. 

Manny Harris swung his elbows in order to clear space against the always close-defending Kramer.  As he swung, the left elbow of Harris caught Kramer near the top of his nose, leading to Kramer blacking out and bleeding profusely on the court.  Harris was charged with a flagrant technical foul and ejected from the game. This caused Michigan head coach Jim Beilein to question the officials for several minutes—with good reason.

Harris should not have been ejected. If his elbow had hit Kramer in the shoulder, it would have just been a foul and nothing else. He was not intending to hit Kramer in the face, and contact during the game is going to happen.

A player should understand that he can do serious harm to other players with his body, and reckless play should be punished. However, intent should be required for immediate ejection. A flagrant foul was warranted, but Harris should have just been warned and allowed to stay in the game.

What the Boilers did well:

1. Defense – Purdue held Michigan to 36 percent shooting, including 26 percent from behind the arc. They also forced 18 turnovers with 11 steals. Any time you hold a team under 50 points, it is a good day.  The staple of this Purdue team was its best asset once again.
2. Rebounding – When you force a team to shoot poorly, there are going to be multiple loose balls up for grabs. Purdue had more intensity than Michigan on the glass, and it helped them out-rebound the Wolverines by eight. Marcus Green did an excellent job off the bench grabbing seven boards in only 24 minutes. 
3. Possessing Killer Instinct – This was a weakness against Wisconsin.  Against Michigan, the Boilers smelled blood and took advantage. The Wolverines seemed to play tentative and scared once Harris went out, and Purdue responded by changing a two-point deficit to an 18-point lead over the next 10 minutes of play.

Where the Boilers struggled:

1. Offense vs. 1-3-1 Zone – This category is a struggle to write about after wins, but I’ll just mention this one thing as there weren’t too many overall issues.  The 1-3-1 stymied Purdue for 35 minutes against Northwestern and it was a bit of an issue against Michigan as well. There were several good things the Boilers did. They penetrated well to pull the defense in and kicked for open threes. However, many times they tried to throw over the zone, causing the ball to be tipped and ultimately turned over.  The bounce pass is one of the most fundamental plays in basketball and they seemed reluctant to use it at times. Purdue did a better job in the second half, though.

Player of the Game

Chris Kramer – If I just looked at the stat line, I would probably give this to Moore. But for a guy to get knocked out, break his nose, and return to the game in a protective face mask, I’ve got to give it to him. Kramer only had seven points, but shot 3-4 from the floor and had five steals, two assists, and one rebound. He still played 33 minutes, and held Manny Harris to only five points before the ejection.

Questions for the Future

Health – This section may just be an injury report for a while, as the only question seems to be if the Boilers can get healthy. The Big Ten title seems within reach if all the pieces to the puzzle are there. Here is the status of the guys from what I can gather from interviews and observations.

• Robbie Hummel – He seemed to be in more discomfort during this game than many of the previous ones.  He did start for the first time in a while, but struggled to get up on several occasions after hitting the floor.  He left for the locker room once and was on a bike trying to get loose during the beginning of the second half.  My brother had a back brace almost identical to his once due to a cracked vertebrae.  It makes me wonder if the injury is worse than they are letting on.
• Keaton Grant – His shoulder seems to be better, but he was very sick during the game on Saturday. I’m sure he will get over it soon with rest and fluids, but hopefully the flu bug will leave the team soon.
• JaJuan Johnson – I didn’t hear anything about JJ being sick anymore, and he played well so I think he is okay.
• Chris Kramer – Chris also started for the first time in a while, perhaps due to Lewis being out.  His foot injury at least seems to be getting close to being healed.  However, he is going to have to deal with this nose that is broken in two places.  He would try to play if he was missing a leg, so I don’t expect him to miss any time.  He will probably be wearing a mask for a while though.
• Lewis Jackson – Lewis is apparently not fine.  They said he failed to pass a concussion test the morning of the game so he was held out.  Amazing that he came back in and played in the Wisconsin game. It sounds like he was close to going Saturday, so let’s hope he is okay for Ohio State.

Where They Stand

I waited to write this part until after the Sunday afternoon games and I am glad I did.  Michigan State lost another huge game at home, this time to Penn State. Talor Battle was just sick, and would probably be a first team all-Big Ten player right now. This loss by MSU along with the Illinois loss at Minnesota on Thursday leaves Purdue atop the conference in the loss column. They are still a half game back to MSU as MSU has seven wins to Purdue’s six.

Things sure have changed from three weeks ago. It is too early to talk about a team controlling its own destiny, but that is essentially the position Purdue is in. After starting 0-2 in the conference, they now are back on top and playing better than any team in the league. Look out Big Ten.

Up Next and Prediction

Purdue travels to Ohio State on Tuesday night to face a young Buckeye team that doesn’t have a senior on its roster. Their top three scorers are two sophomores and a freshman.  6-7 guard/forward Evan Turner is their best scorer and is a tough match-up as he can play all over the court. B.J. Mullens is a 7-0, 275 pound center who will definitely be difficult for Johnson to handle inside.

If the Boilers have their full complement of players, they should be able to win this one on the road. They are playing so well together, making extra passes, and playing the trademark defense Purdue is known for. Ohio State had to work hard on Saturday to put away Indiana, the worst team in the league. Purdue should be able to frustrate OSU’s offense and get some points in transition.

Purdue 72 – Ohio State 66