My Boilers ought to be in for the Big Dance now, having played a good game against Iowa. No Big 10 team has ever had 21 or more wins and a winning conference record and not made the show. Our RPI is now #35. Now tomorrow we'll see if we can knock those darn evil Buckeye's off their #1 seed! :lol:
Stu, Congrtulations on that win over Iowa. I must admit I was surprised by the margin of victory. I had made the comment earlier that Purdue was a team to watch come tournment time. Now you really would not want to spoil our @1 seed would you? :cry: Don
Purdue has historically done very poorly in the B10 tourney...do you realize that Iowa has won more B10 tourney games than Purdue has even played? :shock: :shock:
Stu, No, I was not aware that Purdue was that far behind Iowa. When Keady was coaching, they were always pretty strong contenders. Now you are going to make me feel guilty if we win tomorrow! :cry: Don
Congrats on the win Stu! I'm surprised at what you say is Purdue's record in the B10 Tourney. I always think of Purdue as sort of a traditional basketball power in the B10.
Keady teams have had great conference records and plenty of B10 championships. The B10 tourney started up late in his career. I don't think Gene ever liked playing in the B10 tourney, and I don't know if that had anything to do with our poor performance in the tourney. His teams, with the execption of a couple making the Elite 8, often were a bit disappointing in the NCAA tourney as well...the "conventional wisdom" was that it had a lot to do with Purdue not getting the exceptional NBA type athletes (with one big exception) and Gene molding them into a hard playing unit that won a lot in the regular season...but that come tournament time athletic ability comes more into play and thus Purdue was at a disadvantage. We got some horrible draws over the years as well, playing LSU in Baton Rouge, playing UNC in Charlotte, etc. He took us to the NCAA 18 times in 25 years...five times to the Sweet Sixteen and twice to the Elite Eight. But Gene is the only B10 coach with a winning record against Bobby Knight. He was four times national COY and seven times B10 COY.
"He took us to the NCAA 18 times in 25 years...five times to the Sweet Sixteen and twice to the Elite Eight." Having lived up in Big Ten country since 1980 it seems to me like Purdue has done much more in the NCAA than you list above. Perception is everything I guess. Florida has been to two Final games, won one and been to numerous Sweet Sixteens and another Final Four in 1994. Makes me wonder if UF has truly shed the "football school" moniker yet.
The Big Dog? Keady's legacy is truly admirable. I always liked him. Still do. He was a bulldog on the sidelines. He did not have the inflated ego that Knight has.....although here in Indiana you'll hear a lot of IU fans speak of him in negative terms. I guess it's no different from intrastate archrivalries elsewhere.
Stu, I thought Purdue gave us all we wanted up until the last ten minutes. Oden had a terrific day, setting a Big Ten Tournament record for rebounds. (19) I think Purdue will be in the Big Dance. Don
Don, thanks...I missed the game 'cause I had to work at a fund-raiser. I'm hoping we go, but regardless am proud of the work that Painter has done and am confident that he will have us back as a factor real soon...got a top recruiting class coming in next year. MCG, again, I think that Keady was good at doing a lot with "journeyman" kids...getting them to play at their full potential...making us a real factor...but other than the "Big Dog" Glenn Robinson we have had no NBA superstars. Sid, Keady is and always was a class act...he is a great representative of the University and even though he always carried that "bulldog" look and was so intense he was loved by his players and respected and liked by the referees. Not so sure that all those detractors from IU can say the same thing. Now if they want to criticize the combover, I've got no defense. :shock:
I think that this season life was breathed back into the Purdue-IU rivalry. IMO it had become somewhat irrelevent during the Davis years which also were Keady's final years - not his best run. With Painter and Sampson on board the intensity has returned. Plus...the Indiana Big 3 apparently now is the Big 4 with Butler's rise.