Thoughts on a 97-60 win against Purdue:
I. There was talk of the Hoosiers seeing beyond this one to their College Gameday matchup with the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, that the Boilermakers may be overlooked. But such speculation was put to rest early tonight inside Mackey Arena. Indiana asserted itself as the agressor, as the better team. And there was little doubt the Boliermakers were in trouble from the tip. Cody Zeller went to work early on A.J. Hammons, saddling him with foul trouble. Will Sheehey got a a steal and a dunk. Victor Oladipo hit a corner 3 off a Sheehey offensive rebound. The lead was 10. And it would build from there. Sixteen after a Christian Watford 3-pointer. All the way to 20 by the time the halftime buzzer sounded.
We’ve seen the Hoosiers play a crisp first 20 in some Big Ten games, only to watch the opponent slow them down and outscore them in the second half. But not tonight. Not against this rival. The Hoosiers were not done. The lead continued to balloon. Twenty-five after a Yogi Ferrell 3-pointer. Up to 27 and then 28 after a Sheehey and-1, the theatrics were on full display as Sheehey flexed his right bicep to the Purdue crowd. The Hoosiers were smiling and having fun all the way to the bank tonight, and ended this one with a 37-point slaughter of this younger, inexperienced, little brother Purdue team after Derek Elston and Maurice Creek joined in the 3-parade late.
97-60, the statement made loud and clear: We’re ready. Bring on the Wolverines.
II. This was a balanced attack; the Hoosiers had five players in double figures — Zeller (19 points), Watford (17 points), Oladipo (17 points), Ferrell (11 points) and Hulls (10 points). Sheehey added seven to go along with a career-high seven assists. Watford (4-of-5) and Ferrell (3-of-4) were hot from beyond the arc. The Hoosiers, after struggling at times from the line this season, were absolutely money in that department as well tonight, going 19-of-20 (95.0 percent). After Sunday’s Michigan State game, Indiana was turning the ball over second most in the conference with only Minnesota being more careless with the ball. Tonight, Indiana excelled in that department, turning the ball over on just 12.3 percent of its possessions, while Purdue had some serious issues there (27.0 TO%), leading to 20 points for IU.
First, the good things about tonight (or last night depending on when you read this.)
This is weird. Isn’t it? Isn’t it strange to be in this position right now? To gather, as I did last night, with friends at a bar, to celebrate another game with a Fat Tire and a sandwich, and to know all along that no matter what happens, your team’s coach is going down? He can beat your most hated rival (who just so happens to be the Big Ten’s top team) and still, against his will, it will be the last win of his tenure.
