Express Thoughts: Football's Progress, Hoops and more

Gold and Black Express Thoughts from the Weekend column, with analysis of Purdue football, Boilermaker men’s basketball, recruiting, or whatever else comes to mind.

ON PURDUE BASKETBALL

With Tuesday night’s opener vs. Evansville looming on Day 2 of the college basketball season, the discovery period of Purdue’s season really begins. The most known team in college basketball — continuity, I mean — does have things to figure out in November and into December.

A few of them …

How does the puzzle come together?
Who plays best with who? Who complements the stars the best? What combinations are most effective? What’s your best defensive lineup and can that lineup score? What’s Omer Mayer‘s best fit as he presumably takes on minutes stew in a variety of different spots and lineups.

Who’s going to be most trustworthy?
It’s Trust Season. Coaches play the guys they trust. Some of these non-conference games will be suspense-free, but the people who show they digested their scouting report and are trying to do what’s needed from them will find their coaches’ favor. Those who don’t, won’t. There may not be any of the latter …

How quick can they boil down the rotation?
Purdue can’t play more than nine, if you ask me, but the start of this season will tell the tale. Normally, you could reasonably expect a player or two to screw up enough to take themselves out of the rotation. Not sure will be the case this season.

ON PURDUE BASKETBALL AND REDSHIRTING

I don’t know yet if Purdue freshman guard Antione West is redshirting or not, but have no problem opining that he really ought to, dare I say needs to. It’s always up to the player, but this is a situation worthy of coaches strongly encouraging it.

There are not just obstacles between West and a truly worthwhile, every-game role this season, but rather brick walls. Don’t know if you’ve noticed or not yet but CJ Cox and Gicarri Harris are very good and need big minutes. This is not a training-wheels season for freshmen as it was for Cox and Harris last season. Incubation can’t be a game-day consideration for a team that doesn’t have time to play through inevitable rookie mistakes. Yes, Omer Mayer is the exception because of what he could mean right this moment.

West is a major piece of Purdue’s future and redshirting has been one of the elements that has made it strong. Honestly, one of this team’s few perils is the temptation to play too many guys. West’s time to maybe star at Purdue will come in time. For the time being, stepping aside, then busting peoples’ you-know-whats all season on the scout team might represent more of an impact than could be made on game nights.

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ON PURDUE FOOTBALL

At this point in the season, as much as it stinks for Purdue, progress isn’t quantifiable in wins, because there aren’t wins there to be gotten. Coaches and players can’t look at things that way, but reasonable observers sure can.

That said, for a season that appears headed toward another winless Big Ten record, Saturday night was a highlight, or at least as much a highlight as you can get from a seventh-consecutive loss.

Purdue’s gotten back to competence, but competence alone only gives you a chance to have a chance. When you’re the underdog, it’s the swings that matter, the rope-a-dope sequences that tilt a game one way or the other.

At Michigan, Purdue’s weekly critical error in scoring territory was atoned for by Michigan committing its own, courtesy of the Worst Rule In Sports (TM).

It was the punt, though.

It was that swing that cooked Purdue, the late-half touchdown the Wolverines stole off a special teams gaffe. Most close football games are decided not just by two or three mistakes, but rather what happens right after them. Coaches have known this forever, and so they attack off quick-change situations.

Purdue should have two Big Ten wins right now, in my opinion, but both those opportunities got away because of turnovers that led to game-deciding scores. This Michigan game was an unexpected opportunity, but an opportunity nonetheless. Purdue was good enough to win but didn’t win the swings, and so it didn’t win the games. It was a punt this time, not a turnover.

Competence is a step forward. But also kind of a backhanded compliment in the context of where Purdue would much rather be right now, and realistically could be.