The day didn’t start well for Purdue and it certainly didn’t end well.
Due to miserable winter weather including snow and frigid temperatures, the Boilermakers trekked to East Lansing via bus and didn’t arrive until 5:00 AM on the morning of the game. That was unfortunate because the Boilermakers day got worse thereafter. The day ended with the Spartans beating-down Purdue 83-58 for a 25 point victory but the 25 point margin didn’t tell the hopelessness of Purdue’s day in East Lansing.
In a game reminiscent of the Spartan ‘blow out’ at Iowa City on January 10, when the Spartans beat-down Iowa 95-61 for a 34 point victory, the Spartans stifled the beleaguered Bolermakers at every step. In addition to pounding the Boilermakers on the court…as a side note, the Boilermakers took a worse beating by the overly enthusiastic Izzone! In fact, when Coach Painter realized the game was out of control…he took to arguing with the Izzone while the game spun out of control on the floor.
How bad was Purdue’s day?
The shooting statistics provide the Cliffs Notes. At approximately the 15 minute mark of the second half, the Stat board at Breslin read:
· Spartans FG = 67% 3P% = 70%
· Boilermakers FG% =23% 3P% = 8%
What? I’m a Spartan and I view the world thru slightly tinted ‘Green & White’ lenses…but can that be right? The Spartans were shooting 67% from the field…and 70% from beyond the Arc? Yes indeed. No misprint! To finish the day, the Spartans were 30 of 50 (60%) from the Field…and 7 of 13 (54%) from beyond the Arc. Meanwhile the Spartan ‘D’ was resolute and relentless.
The Spartan ‘D’ held Purdue to 4-21 in the first half…and finished the day 18 of 62 (29%) from the field…and 3 of 20 (15%) from beyond the Arc. To underscore the Boilermakers miserable day…Robbie Hummel had two points for the day (no misprint). Hummel, the #5 scorer in the Big Ten was held to ‘two’ points on 0 for 11 from the field (as in Zero)…and 0 for 6 from beyond the Arc. Hummel collected a mere two points on 2 for 2 from the stripe. That’s it. I haven’t checked historical stats but this was arguably Hummel’s lowest point production of his career. Bad travel day, yes…but credit the Spartan ‘D’!
Hummel played 22 minutes overall but every time Hummel went to the bench for a ‘breather’…the Izzone relentlessly chanted: We want Robbeee…We want Robbeee…We want Robbeee…
With respect to the Boilermakers and their travel drama…and the attendant fatigue related to their unfortunate travel day…I acknowledge, the Boilermakers may have been suffering ‘bus lag’…but you have to give credit to where credit is due. The usually good Spartan ‘D’…was extraordinarily relentless on this day. There literally were ‘no’ open shots!
The Spartan D was fast to the ball…they anticipated and Defended ahead of the ball…they closed the lane…they contested points at the Arc…they contested drives at the Baseline…and they were not about to lose the ‘street fight’ under the basket. At about the 10 minute mark of the second half…the Purdue players and coaches looked as if they wanted to throw in the Towel…take a hot shower…and prepare for a pleasant bus ride back to West Lafayette!
About the only highlight for the Boilermakers was 19 of 24 (79%) from the stripe. You could also say, the Boilermakers got a fair number of rebounds (34) but a little analysis is due. Most of their rebounds came off of long caroms as the result of twenty futile 3 point attempts that resulted in long rebounds ‘right back’ to the shooter. Rebounds yes…hustle rebounds…NO!
In the end, the Spartans atoned for two losses in the past week with a ‘break out’ day versus Purdue who was 14-5 overall and 4-2 Big Ten and tied with the Spartans to start the day. In all, 16 Spartan players saw action…8 players logged ‘double digit’ minutes…11 players scored…4 players scored in double figures…and there was incredible scoring efficiency because no player took more than 8 shots. Meanwhile, the shooting percentage was off the charts…and the Spartans got 34 Rebounds…6 Steals and 5 Blocks.
And how about 6’9” & 270# Derrick Nix? He has been much maligned during his career but, I’m defending Derrick Nix because I’m taking the Derrick Nix bus all the way thru the Tournaments…hopefully to something Special. As a friendly reminder, Nix recommitted himself to Spartan Basketball last summer. He lost ‘more’ than 30 pounds…stayed in East Lansing over the summer and holidays to work out and stay on mission…and last Tuesday Nix was 6 of 9 (66%) from the field…1 of 1 from the stripe…3 Rebounds and 1 steal and 13 points in a mere 24 minutes.
Today, Nix was 5 of 7 (71%) from the field…2 of 4 from the stripe…4 Rebounds…2 Assists and 12 points in a mere 17 minutes. Nix is a magician with the ball down low…he doesn’t miss and his defensive footwork is extraordinary for a Big Man. On the other hand, his partners in the middle…specifically 6’10”…long & lean…Adreian Payne (18 min…3 Rebounds and 9 Points) and 6’9”…sturdy…Alex Gauna (5 min…2 Rebounds and 2 points) means the Spartan ‘BIGS’ contributed 9 Rebounds…2 Assists…1 Block and 23 Points for the day. All in all…a pretty fair day for the BIGS and arguably a position group unmatched (in my opinion) in college Basketball.
With 7 games into the 18 game Big Ten season…Ohio State, Michigan & Michigan State are tied at 5-2!
As it relates to the balance of the season…road games will continue to make Big Ten teams pay a painful price but team depth (just like football) will be the difference maker…and in my opinion, no team has more depth than the Spartans. There is an enormous amount of talent on this Spartan team and the Spartan ‘BIGS’ really make this team special.
Will Derrick Nix continue to improve and lead the way to something special?
I think so…we’ll see…stay tuned!
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