Boilermaker Breakdown (Penn State – Feb. 11)

Purdue 61 – Penn State 47

Bobby Buckets stole the show in this game.

Seldom used senior Bobby Riddell came off the bench and sparked the Boilers to a big home victory.

Riddell scored 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 3-for-4 from three-point range. The 5-9 guard also dished out four assists, grabbed two rebounds, and had his first career block in 24 minutes of play.

For one day at least, Boiler fans were able to forget about star Robbie Hummel’s back and enjoy the energy Bobby Buckets brought to the floor.

What the Boilers did well:

Playing Team Ball – This team looked completely different than the one that lost Sunday at Illinois.  The Illini deserve much of the credit, but the Boilers played better team basketball in all facets of the game. They made the extra pass, leading to their 48 percent shooting. They also played good team defense, giving help from the weak side and giving the Lions little room to maneuver.

Guard Defense – The Big Ten’s leading scorer, Talor Battle walked out of Mackey Arena with zero points next to his name. Battlewent 0-for-7, and his back-court mate Stanley Pringle was not much better with only five points on 2-for-9 shooting.

All the guards had a hand in limiting these two, but Lewis Jackson really was the man.  He spent most of the day on Battle and gave him no room to breath.  His quickness is such an advantage and he gets better and better at defense every game.

Ball Security – Only five turnovers when they average over 12. Enough said.

Where the Boilers struggled:

Three-point shooting– They shot 6-of-17 from deep and four of those were from reserves Riddell and Nemanja Calasan. The starters only made two of the 11 they took. This has been a lingering problem the last few games and needs to improve quickly.

Player of the Game

Bobby Riddell – Jackson and JaJuan Johnson are also very deserving, but Buckets came in and played about 20 more minutes than his average and was a huge lift. He was ready when his number was called and played with great confidence.

Questions for the Future

When will Hummel return?

Hummel went through shoot-around and the pre-game warm-ups, and Painter said he is looking much better.  However he has also said that he will not play again until he is able to practice with the team.

I think that he sits out again against a struggling Iowa team that Purdue handled easily at home.  If Hummel is near 100 percent next Tuesday, I think he makes his return against Michigan State in a game the Boilers must have if they still want to win the Big Ten title.

Can E’Twaun get out of his second slump?

Moore scored 10 points in the Penn State game, but missed all of his three point attempts.  The last three games, he has averaged 7.7 points and is only 1-of-10 from deep.

His scoring is much needed in Hummel’s absence and he needs to start knocking down the deep shots for Purdue to stay in the league title race.

Up Next and Prediction

Purdue takes on Iowa Saturday afternoon in Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.  The Boilers dominated the Hawkeyes in Mackey earlier this year, beating the visitors by 22. 

Although Purdue had Hummel in the previous game, they should be fine without him here.  Iowa has only won one of its last six games, and Purdue should have good thoughts from the earlier game this season.

I see another big game from JaJuan Johnson as Purdue tries to establish him early.  Great perimeter defense will keep the guard oriented Hawks from getting many good looks and the Boilers roll for their second straight double-digit win.

Purdue 70 – Iowa 57