Penn State has been competitive but not winning any games since their victory over American on 12/21/09.  Penn State has eight Big Ten losses but is actually playing better on the road with their last road loss to Wisconsin in OT, a game they should have won. 

Last year these teams faced off twice and both outcomes had the Boilers covering with 14 point wins…one under the number and the Big Ten tourney game going over.

I do not think Penn State will win this game however they will be road warriors and cover the 15 since only one of their Big Ten losses was by more then this line and again they have played much better when they are away from State College.  This is still a proud team which has really under achived with all the hype following the NIT run of last year.

Trends:

Purdue is 0-9 ATS against a team with a losing straight up record.

PSU is 6-0 ATS in their last 6 road games as a dog.

Under is 9-2 in the last 11 meetings.

Take Penn State +15.5

Take Under 134

LocksvilleUSA

Source: Tom Campbell from GBI

Purdue nearly let another late game lead slip away, but was able to hold on to beat No. 16 Wisconsin Thursday night in Mackey Arena. The scene was all too familiar for the Boilermakers – a hard fought 38 minutes nearly given away by a sloppy finish.

The game followed the traditional Purdue-Wisconsin script. Both teams struggled, for the most part, to get any kind of offensive flow or scoring consistency. The first stanza saw a back-and-forth battle with the Boilers clinging to a 27-25 advantage at the break.

The final stanza began with a quick Wisconsin run, giving them a 7-point lead early in the second half. But a 17-2 Purdue run quickly turned the tide and put the Boilers in control…until late.

With just minutes to play, fans experienced a nightmarish case of deja vu.

The clock showed 2:28 remaining, when E’Twaun Moore hit a layup and was fouled on the play, giving Purdue a 56-49 lead. But Moore missed the ensuing free throw and Wisconsin junior forward Keaton Nankivil drilled his sixth three pointer of the game to inch the Badgers closer. That was followed by a Purdue turnover, which led to a Jordan Taylor layup. Causing groans of discontent from the 14,123 sweaty-palmed Purdue faithful who rose to their feet only to witness Nankivil stuff a Chris Kramer shot.  In transition, Nankivil nailed a trey to give Wisconsin the lead with 43 seconds remaining.

An 8-0 run in less than a minute and a half setup by a missed free throw, turnover and a poor possession pushed Wisconsin out front, while entrenching Boiler fans into their, recently, recurring nightmare.

The Boilermakers had success in the second half when the ball was in E’Twaun Moore’s hands, coming off the pick and rolls with JaJuan Johnson, while Hummel circled on the same side of the floor. The junior trio wreaked havoc for a normally stubborn Badgers defense.

They went back to that success in their final possession when E’twaun sunk a runner in the lane that seemed so be destined to find the bottom of the net.  This shot brought the tentatively elated fans to their feet.

With 20 seconds left, the Boilers hunkered down on defense and kept the ball out of the hot-handed Nankivil, forcing Hughes to take an unbalanced shot.  Thanks, in part to the schizophrenic officiating, no foul was called, but the ball was off E’twaun and the ball remained in Wisconsin’s possession with 6 seconds remaining. 

On the in bounce, a Hughes’ shot hit high off the backboard and fell into the hands of JaJuan Johnson, who was subsequently fouled.  He hit both of his free throws with 1 second left to seal the Boilermaker win, vaulting fans out of their nightmare into a celebratory state of ecstasy.

Extra Points: Last, but certainly not least, welcome back Lewis Jackson! The sophomore point guard made his season debut Thursday night after injuring his foot just before the season started.  Although contributing very little to the stat sheet, his presence was certainly felt.  His conditioning and feel for the game will come with more playing time, but we are all glad to have you back LewJack!

Robbie Hummel beats Marcus Landry off the dribble in the second half of the Boilermakers' 65-52 victory at Mackey on 1/11/2009. Michael Conroy/AP

ll the way to -9.5.  64% public loves the badgers in this contest and from a casual fans perspective I cannot blame them.  However most fans don’t know that Jon Leuer is out with a wrist injury and although he did not have a huge scoring game in the matchup earlier this year he still dominated the glass ending the game with 10 rebounds.  Purdue will be fired up for this primetime game and has improved on their rebounding after struggling during their losing streak. 

One other key that I love to bet with college hoops is a team coming off a couple close wins is usually due for a loss.  Yea I don’t have any stats for this but look at West Virginia earlier this year.  Wisconsin has trailed in the second half at home in their past two games including barely squeaking out an overtime game at home against PSU on Sunday. 

Another key to this game will be foul shooting…there is no chance Wisconsin will get the favorable whistles tonight and end up taking even close to 27 free throws as they were able to do in Madison.  Also the Boilers won’t shoot 20 percentage points below their 74% season average from the line.  The free throw disparity was 9 last game so I am going to flip that, add a few more because Purdue will shoot better and add in a couple more JJ put backs we have the recipe for a Boilermaker cover.

Trends:

- Wisconsin is 1-7 ATS in the last 8 meetings against Purdue with that win occurring this year.

- Wisconsin has 1 win at Mackey since 1972…that compiles to a 1-31 record with the one win coming in 2005 against a Purdue team that would not only have lost to this years New Jersey Nets but also the 2005 Purdue Intramural Basketball Delta Sigma Phi D Team…

Look for Purdue to lock down defensively, get to the line, and control that paint.

Lock up the Boilers and the under.

Purdue – 9.5

Under 128

Season:

Sides: 6-5-1

Totals: 5-5-2

LocksvilleUSA

For all you people that don’t already know (probably none since no one reads this blog except my friends), I have two younger brothers who went to other Big Ten schools.  Actually my little brother Pete H, a.k.a . “The Future”, is currently a sophomore at Iowa and my other brother George H, who is 15 months younger than me, graduated from Wisconsin.  My dad (Tom H) loves the fact that all his sons went or go to Big Ten schools.  He always is taking Purdue, Iowa or Wisconsin when he bets.  Sometimes its not that great of an idea, but I really don’t think he cares.  I also have a sister but she graduated from DePaul and no one really cares about the Big East. Plus, my sister wouldn’t be able to tell you who Ray Meyer was even though Ray Meyer’s son was my high school basketball coach and also her guidance counselor.

The third best Greek American Family in the Chicagoland area.

Enough rambling about the third best Greek American family in the Chicago-land area.  I’m here to talk to all of you about how awesome it is to go to sporting events with your brother.  Last year I made a visit to Iowa City to go check out the Boilers play and “The Future” was able to score some awesome seats a few rows behind the team benches.  I think he actually got the seats from a local barber in town that gives him the uptown fade once a month.  Or is it the famous Iowa crew cut?  I’m not quite sure.

Pete H and Nick H view at Carver Hawkeye Arena for the Purdue vs Iowa game in Feb 2009

Etwaun Moore is tied with Usher in scoring this year for the team high. Keep it up Etwaun!

Edwards takes down Quinn

With the 127^th pick in the 2006 NFL draft, the Minnesota Vikings select… Ray Edwards, defensive end from Purdue.

Ray Edwards was a standout, all state linebacker in his native Ohio. After recording 12 sacks, 110 tackles and 7 forced fumbles, Edwards turned his attention to where he would play his college ball. These numbers got the attention of Wake Forest, Tennessee, Ohio State, South Carolina, Boston College and Purdue. Originally choosing to head to the SEC sporting orange and white, he eventually came to his senses and committed to play for Joe Tiller in West Lafayette.

As a true freshman, Edwards saw action in all 13 games and was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team. He eventually became a full time starter during his sophomore season, recording 45 tackles, 11 for a loss and 8 sacks. He opted to declare for the NFL draft after his junior season, but after his 3-year career at Purdue he ended up tied for 7^th on Purdue’s career sack list with 16 and 15^th in tackles for loss with 24.5. It has been said by numerous sources that Edwards had issues with a lot of the Purdue coaching staff which ultimately led to him leaving the team after his junior year for the NFL.

Ray Edwards has had somewhat of a tumultuous NFL career. After being drafted in the 4^th round by the Vikings, he played in 15 games his first season and recorded 10 tackles and 3 sacks. In 2007 against division rival Detroit, Edwards recovered a fumble and returned it for his first NFL touchdown. It seemed like 2007 would be a good year for Edwards after that touchdown, but on December 5, he was suspended for the final 4 games of the season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Through the end of this past NFL regular season, Edwards has amassed 145 tackles with 111 of them solo, 21.5 sacks and 6 forced fumbles.

Edwards is part of one of the most feared defensive front 4 in the entire league. Over the past couple years, those 4 have disrupted opposing offenses reeking havoc for quarterbacks and offensive coordinators alike. As a Bears fan, I hope the Vikings get absolutely crushed by the Saints. I don’t think that will happen, but I do think the game will be close and that the Saints will emerge victorious.

With the 30^th pick in the 2008 NFL draft, the New York Jets select… Dustin Keller, tight end from Purdue.

Recently, I wrote about Drew Brees and his outstanding chartable work while tying that in with this weekend’s upcoming NFL playoff games. In keeping with highlighting some of the notable NFL athletes from Purdue, the next logical step was to showcase arguably the best tight end to ever come out of our school.

Dustin Keller is not only a Purdue grad, but also a Lafayette native. He played his high school ball at Jefferson High where he was the leading receiver in the state. While in high school, Keller also was 2^nd team all state in basketball, and the high jump state champion. Coming out of high school, Keller was actually expected to sign with the University of Toledo but after a Purdue recruit decommitted, Keller was offered a scholarship from the university towering in his backyard. After a redshirt freshman year, Keller switched from wide receiver to tight end and never looked back. His senior season, he helped the Boilermakers reach the motor city bowl where he was honored with the MVP award for that game. That same year, his teammates voted him as Purdue’s MVP.

At draft time, Keller was completely focused on the combine to help his chances of landing in the second round. His 40 yard dash time of 4.53, 26 reps on the bench and unreal 41 inch vertical were the talk of the event and received the attention of nearly every NFL team. The Jets were so enamored with him, they traded up into the first round to get him with the 30^th pick, and he hasn’t disappointed.

Dustin Keller has been called Mark Sanchez’s favorite target this post season and it’s easy to see why. Over 2 games, Keller has 118 yards receiving and 2 scores. Keller is only in his second NFL season and it’s true he has a lot of growing to do. This Sunday, I don’t see any way the Jets pull it out against one of the best quarterbacks of all time. My hope, for Keller’s sake, is that the Jets defense shuts down Manning and his arm so that Rex Ryan and his #1 rushing attack can put some pressure on the Colts defense, leading to some down field plays for Keller to make.

After another chaotic Saturday where three top 10 teams went down, the Boilermakers got back on track and took care of business at home with another victory against Michigan.  Texas has just dropped two conference games in a row and are about to be dethroned of their top ranking by Kentucky who is the last undefeated team remaining.

At this point in the season, Purdue is probably looking at a 3 or 4 seed in the NCAA tournament considering their #13 ranking in the AP poll (#15 Coaches Poll) with an unblemished non-conference schedule.  While many people wrote off Purdue of getting a #1 or #2 seed during the three game losing streak, I continued to preach that their is a lot of basketball left to be played.

After doing a little research I found out that their are still 18 games left between teams that are ranked ahead of Purdue in the AP poll.  Two of those games are between Purdue and Michigan State.  Which means that between all the teams in front of Purdue their will be a combined 16 losses amongst those teams.  That’s a 100% guarantee, considering their are no ties in college basketball.  D-U-H !

If  Purdue has actually righted the ship, they may be in line to grab at least a #2 seed for the NCAA tournament.  The games against Michigan State are very crucial, because those are the only games left against top 10 teams on our schedule.  I think we have a better chance of grabbing #2 seed than we do wining the Big Ten Regular Season. But who knows, Michigan State still has to play at Wisconsin (93% home winning percentage under Bo Ryan) and two games versus Purdue.  Anything can happen.

Here is a look at the remaining games left between teams ranked ahead of Purdue:

Kansas @ Texas

Kansas @ Kansas State

Kansas State @ Kansas

Kentucky @ Tennessee

Tennessee @ Kentucky

Villanova @ Georgetown

Villanova @ West Virginia

Villanova @ Pittsburgh

Villanova @ Syracuse

West Virginia @ Villanova

Georgetown @ Syracuse

Syracuse @ Georgetown

Pittsburgh @ West Virginia

West Virginia @ Pittsburgh

Duke @ Georgetown

Georgetown @ West Virginia

Michigan State @ Purdue

Purdue @ Michigan State

First off Purdue has played to the over in 5 of their last 6 games and the one that was not a winner was a push.  Last year @ Purdue these teams play a defensive battle and Kramer took a stiff bow to the grill however the rematch was an offensive affair…very nice.  What I love about this total and why Purdue has been hitting so many overs is second half scoring.

People rant and rave about Purdue’s D but Ray Edwards and Rob Ninkovich are in the NFL and not playing spot minutes for Robbie I make free throws Hummel.  Purdue comes out with tough defense but as they open up the run and gun offense for the second half they lose the defensive focus and games sail over the number.  Vegas has set yet again another low total for this big 10 battle and as long as JJ stays on the court and Bade fills the Gatorade bottles that will be free money all day…better then that noise Obama promised.  Michigan has hit the under in their last 5 as well…and both teams have a much higher percentage of winning the jump ball then going kaboom from beyond the arc. The total is based of season averages for this game and inflated.  If one was to take the numbers the final score of this game should be 68-61…so why is the total at 132…because it’s going over…pay this man his money

Now for the spread…I get the feeling that we are playing a team that is possessed.  The game today is similar to the Ohio State game because Michigan needs the win…Michigan almost won at the Kohl Center…they were up 17 against the Wildcats and they lost without the excuse of a C Web timeout.

The Desmond Howards have been playing well but they have the same success at closing the deal as that one buddy everybody has who complains about the friend zone all the time.  He tries hard and gets close…I bet if you gave him 12 chances he would close the deal once…and cover the spread on 7 of the others.

LocksvilleUSA

Picks:

Michigan +12

Over 132

First Team:
C Carl Landry *
F Brian Cardinal *
F Robbie Hummel *
G Willie Deane
G E’Twaun Moore

Second Team:
C JaJuan Johnson
F Matt Kiefer
F David Teague
G Chris Kramer
G Kenneth Lowe

Honorable Mention: Mike Robinson, Rodney Smith, Jaraan Cornell, Brett Buscher, Chris Booker

* Notes unanimous selection

PurdueOutsider.com’s All Decade Team was selected by a committee of PurdueOutsider bloggers that attended and graduated from Purdue in the past decade. Our team of voters attended college in the year range of 2000-2008. The votes were tabulated with a scoring system of 2 points for a player on the first team and 1 point for second team.

Reminiscing the past ten years brought up interesting “what if” scenarios in all of our heads. How amazing would it be if we had Carl Laundry or Brian Cardinal on this year’s team? The lineup above would be a simply amazing squad.

Will the 2010s All-Decade team include Robbie Hummel, JaJuan Johnson, E’Twaun Moore, and Chris Kramer on the first team or will a new crop of PurdueOutsider.com’s All-Decade first teamers emerge?

Boiler up!