...fill in the blank.
Even Sex Panther only works 80 % of 60% of the time.
...because Purdue is the next opponent on our schedule.
And S*x Panther: 60% of the time it works every time.
Thry must be pretty good.
They played in a tough conference.
SoCal
It's the tournament and anything can happen.
And it's the tournament. When are you not supposed to be worried?
Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill
President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club
...Purdue is our opponent in the Sweet 16, the round we have advanced beyond just twice since 1999.
...Purdue is seeded fourth, and we haven't beaten any team seeded better than fifth since 2001.
...Purdue can defend us well, has the muscle to push us around in certain spots and has absolutely nothing to lose.
...Purdue is the team many of us "preferred" to see in this round, setting up a perfect "be careful what you wish for" situation.
Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill
President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club
Kansas
Michigan State
LSU
VCU
West Virginia
Villanova
This game has given me nightmares all week. Honest to God, I woke up on Monday morning with an undeniable sickness in my stomach, believing that we had lost to Purdue after St. Mary's had taken out Baylor and cast a blue light over the Indy skyline. It took me two or three minutes to realize I didn't need to cut myself.
That last part is obviously exaggeration, but I have dreamt of a loss twice since beating Cal. Once we get this round of 16 off of our backs (and it is on our backs), I will know what it feels like to be released from prison.
...we're quickly approaching Bobby Cox/Chicago Cubs territory with these Sweet 16 faceplants.
Purdue will play like an underdog with absolutely nothing to lose: too small, too slow, too thin, and too injured. And the Boilermakers will be too loose to be a comfortable opponent. This team is really dangerous.
I mean it. Cal thought it was as good as Duke. When it discovered it wasn't, it was devastating. Also, it was helpful of Jon to sideline one of the Bears' two best players in the first minute.
Purdue knows it has huge weaknesses. It will come out smoking. Duke needs to take the punch and fight back really hard if it gets behind.
sagegrouse
Yep. We can take a tiny bit of solace in the fact that we get to the Sweet 16 more regularly than everyone else, but not much. This needs to stop now. Frankly, it's already our identity in a lot of ways.
Purdue is a formidable opponent, absolutely. But I am far more concerned about our guys' mental approach to this game, especially if we do fall into an early hole.
There really isn't anything particularly special or mystifying about the round of 16 game, but each regional semifinal loss makes it seem more and more like there is.
Heck I was worried about Arkansas-PB!
Its foolish to go into any game not worried in a 1-and-done tourney!
But specific to Purdue:
1) they are pissed about the spanking Duke gave them last year
2) they are pissed since they now receive diddly squat respect from analysts and opposing fans in terms of their potential post-Hummell
3) they have senior leadership
4) they are well-coached
5) they are coming off a tough gritty win that could only mean more confidence
6) they play great D --- If we cannot feed the ball inside, and have to rely more on the outside shot, that could be devastating if the big 3 have an off-night from the field
7) they do not rely on the 3 (we have one of the best, if not the best, 3-point defenses in the league)
8) E-twaun Moore - 6'4'' guard with driving ability thats a tougher matchup than 5'8'' Randle (we have difficulty against tall guards on occasion, ie, Vasquez).
9) JaJuan Johnson - potential dominant big man that cannot only score, but suck up rebounds.
Two main reasons for me:
1.) Even without Hummel, they do have some top-flight talent left in Johnson and Moore. Both guys might eventually find themselves in the NBA.
2.) The one most have mentioned: Duke's woes in the Sweet Sixteen. For whatever reason this round has been a real obstacle for Duke this decade.
They definitely remember last year's beatdown. They had a clip of a Perdue player in on of those montages after Sunday's game and the kid was quick to point out they were looking for some payback.
These are all very good reasons to worry about Purdue, along with the fact that, well, it's March.
I'm less concerned about the past Sweet 16 losses because it's so hard to find a common thread between those losses other than timing. What does losing to an talent-stuffed Florida team in 2000 or a superior Kansas team in 2003 have to with Friday's matchup?
Not worried about
I was really pretty sure that Georgetown would beat Nova