Boilermaker Breakdown (at Illinois, Feb. 8)

Illinois 66, Purdue 48

How things can change in only a week.

This time last week, Purdue was fresh off a dominating victory over Michigan and only a half-game out of first place in the conference.

A week later, they are reeling after back-to-back losses — both without the services of their best player, Robbie Hummel.

The Boilers put together a good showing in an overtime loss at Ohio State earlier in the week, but the Illinois game was the worst outing they have had since the Duke game, and maybe worse.

They managed only 48 points, could not seem to get open, and looked visibly fatigued late in the game playing with only a seven-man rotation. They kept the game close until late in the second half, when they just could not match the energy of the Illini.

It’s hard to find positives in this loss, but I’ll try.

What the Boilers did well:

Rebounding — Purdue out-rebounded Illinois by three. They actually had 11 offensive rebounds, something very rare for this team.

Where the Boilers struggled:

Offense — This was just ugly to watch.  Purdue could not seem to find a decent shot the whole game.  The only offense they had was throwing the ball into JaJuan Johnson for a lay-up or short jumper and Lewis Jackson occasionally beating his man to the rim for a lay-up. Those two were the only players to score more than six points. Purdue seemed to play more individually than the team that pride’s itself on moving the ball and making the extra pass.

3-Point Shooting — This trend continued from the Ohio State game, as the Boilers connected on only 2-of-15 from the arc. A strength of last year’s team has been a struggle much of this season.

Player of the Game

JaJuan Johnson – 17 points and 11 rebounds make this an easy call, although Lewis Jackson had a decent game. Johnson might be a first-team all-conference player if the season ended today.

Questions for the Future

Can the Boilers tread water without Hummel?

They are clearly a weaker team without him. He has sat out three games and all have been Purdue losses. 

It has become obvious that whether Hummel can play or not will be a guessing game for the foreseeable future. Painter may have some master plan on how to use him most effectively for the rest of the season, but he is not letting anyone know it.

Hummel could be saved for only big games, held out until the Big Ten tournament, or rest all the way to the NCAAs. Only Painter, the training staff, and Hummel know the type of pain he is going through, so hopefully they are making the right decision.

One thing remains certain: if Purdue wants to win the Big Ten title, they need Hummel back soon.

How will Purdue respond after their worst loss of the season?

The beatdown from Illinois could not have helped the Boilers sleep well at night.  It was an embarrassment for a team of their caliber to only score 48 points. 

Will they regroup and go on another winning streak or sulk about not having Hummel and keep playing like they did Sunday?  I think Painter is too good of a coach to let the latter happen and he will use the sluggish performance to motivate the team for the rest of the year.

Up Next and Prediction

All of Purdue’s six losses have come in pairs.  Both of the previous sets of losses have been followed by six-game winning streaks.

Penn State comes to West Lafayette Wednesday and the Boilers will be looking to exact revenge for the loss in State College earlier this year.  Hummel did not play in that game, and Purdue will probably be without him for this one.

However, Kramer is much healthier this time around, and should be able to play his trademark defense against one of the best players in the conference in Talor Battle.  Purdue will want to let the rest of the league know they are better than the team that lost by 18 points on Sunday.  Purdue comes out hot and hopefully starts another long winning streak.

Purdue 73, Penn State 63