Interesting Purdue Tidbit

[John_dromo1]

I've spent a lot of time in Cleveland.

That’s bad.

 

[JC CATS]

These kinds of threads are like the analyses when someone wins the $500 million lottery:

"The key is to live in a trailer park in Oklahoma and buy your ticket at 7pm on a Thursday after drinking six beers on your way home from work. You can't argue with success, and that's exactly how Delbert did it."

Four teams go to the Final Four every year, and when it isn't your team you can always look at them and say 'gee why aren't we getting a 7'4'' guy who stuck around four years, lost to a #16 seed, but with the help of favorable officiating is unstoppable (so far) this year?" Or maybe "why can't we go 9-11 in conference but then get on some bizarre hot streak and ride a guy who was a total unknown to the Final Four like NC State?" Or maybe, "What we need was a transfer like Grant Nelson who can have a fairly underwhelming year, but take over the most important game of the year and help us beat a #1 seed?"

It's always easy to see what succeeded after it does. And the same thing won't work next year, just like having the best freshmen in the country worked for a while (four FFs in five years) then didn't work as well.

Work, that guy ain't coming home from work, the Govt and his common law wife support him

 

[JC CATS]

2 UK players were ill that night. Kentucky fans are rational. They wouldn't have been that upset.

UK fans are rational? Wait, what? Dicke V said he was in town to do a game once, the Cats were ranked in the top 10,;had like an 12-2 record. AbUK fan was talking to Vitale in the cab, he said, I haven't given up on them yet

 

[Mike-D]

Every player joined the team as Freshman, with the exception of senior transfer Lance Jones. Matt Painter has taken a total of 2 transfers in the past 4 years.

In the age of the portal, NIL (and OADs for a certain program) how thrilling it must be to get to know the players, watch them develop and progress, and see success for the TEAM your coach built; rather than have a band of "basketball mercenaries".

Not saying anything else about it, just that Purdue fans must be loving it and I'm honestly jealous

Yeah, we are Kentucky, and it's never gonna work like that with the portal, and us recruiting 5 star Freshman. Congrats to Purdue though. We just need to find a healthy balance of returnees, elite Freshman, and portal kids. That's the bottom line.

 

[Fox2monk]

People forget or choose to ignore that Painter was a fluke shot away from making the FF in 2019. Their elite 8 loss to VA is still crazy to think about. And that was a completely different team and style of play with Carsen Edwards being the dynamic player on that roster. A 5-10 guard. And the Sweet 16 team from 2 years ago relied on Jaden Ivey not Edey.

It’s taken time to get to the FF but his approach has kept the Boilers consistently strong. And I think he keeps them in the top 10 range for the foreseeable future.

Plus he’s a solid coach. You don’t recruit to Purdue and build teams winning the B1G every other year, and making E8’s and now a final four without some coaching.

 

[preacherfan]

He scored 2 points in the 2nd half against Utah State and the rest of Purdue scored 55. Against Gonzaga he had 27 of their 80 points but other guys hit 9 3s.

2 years before he got to Purdue they played in the Elite 8 and were a fluke possession away from beating VA. They were a 3 seed and made the Sweet 16 2 years ago when he was still very raw.

Purdue will be fine after he’s gone.

You may be right but there is another angle. Because of his presence in the paint, it draws the defense away from the guards. After he is gone, teams can guard differently. His value to the team goes way beyond how many points he scores.

 

[preacherfan]

Plus he’s a solid coach. You don’t recruit to Purdue and build teams winning the B1G every other year, and making E8’s and now a final four without some coaching.

In his previous 18 years, he has ONLY one E8. He has managed a number of S16's.

 

[JRS_OH_Cat]

Another tidbit...neither the school nor the coach has won a championship.

And he averages 10 losses a season over 19 seasons.

 

[Fox2monk]

In his previous 18 years, he has ONLY one E8. He has managed a number of S16's.

I know but he’s also at Purdue, he’s constantly fielded good teams once he got his system established. S16 isn’t the best for us but it would be nice to get there again. It’s been awhile.

 

[MathUK]

Yep, good 'ol Tom Duncan.

He was Irish wasn’t he?

 

[Caveman Catfan]

Just a hunch, but I bet the fans of all of the Final Four teams are loving it.