Purdue Boilermakers Schedule
Saturday
9/4/2010
3:30 PM
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Purdue Boilermakers
Saturday
9/11/2010
TBA
Purdue Boilermakers vs Western Illinois
Saturday
9/18/2010
TBA
Purdue Boilermakers vs Ball State
NEWS
By Bud L. Ellis
The preseason accolades keep rolling in for Ryan Kerrigan.
The Purdue standout defensive end has landed on another watch list for postseason awards, the latest being the Chuck Bednarik Award. Kerrigan is one of 60 players named to the watch list for the award that goes to the top defensive player in the nation. (Read More…)
Wednesday, August 18, 2010 at 6:56 pm by bud
Tags: Big Ten Conference, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, Lombardi Award, Lott Trophy, Notre Dame, Purdue Boilermakers news, Purdue Boilermakers schedule, Purdue Boilermakers tickets, Ryan Kerrigan, Ted Hendricks Award
By Bud L. Ellis
Having won 15 times in their past 17 games, the Purdue Boilermakers believed they belonged in the Sweet 16.
For 30 minutes Friday night in the South Regional semifinals in Houston, the Boilermakers showed their belief had validity. But in the end, top seed Duke had too much power inside, too much rebounding prowess, and that was enough for the Blue Devils to knock the Boilermakers out of the NCAA Tournament, 70-57.
JaJuan Johnson led Purdue (29-6) with 23 points and also pulled down a team-best five rebounds. The Boilermakers, who played well in the season’s final weeks despite not having injured scorer Robbie Hummel, could’ve used Hummel against the powerful Blue Devils.
Purdue kept it close, the game being very tight for the first 30 minutes. But with Purdue within three points at the midpoint of the second half, Duke then pulled away with a 28-18 run to close the contest.
Purdue shot just 37 percent from the field and had trouble with Duke’s physical frontcourt throughout the contest.
—30—
Friday, March 26, 2010 at 10:44 pm by bud
Tags: Duke, JaJuan Johnson, NCAA Tournament, Purdue Boilermakers, Robbie Hummel
By Bud L. Ellis
It’s been 30 years since the Purdue Boilermakers have played in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.
Should Purdue win Friday night, it will post victory No. 30 of the season, and will move one win away from a long-awaited return to the Final Four.
Purdue takes on Duke in the South Regional semifinals in Houston. Many across the nation will give the nod to the Blue Devils, the champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference who perennially are in the hunt for a Final Four berth each season. But Purdue has proven this season it belongs in the conversation when talk turns to best teams in the nation.
The Boilermakers have won 15 of their past 17 games. Since a three-game losing streak in mid-January, Purdue has lost just to Michigan State and Minnesota. In the NCAA Tournament, Purdue has grinded out tough wins over Siena and, in overtime, Texas A&M.
The key would appear to be holding Duke’s offense in check. The Blue Devils average 77.6 points per game on offense. Purdue, by comparison, has not allowed more than 70 points in a game in its past 13 games.
—30—
Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 10:02 pm by bud
Tags: Atlantic Coast Conference, Duke, Final Four, Michigan State, Minnesota, NCAA Tournament, Purdue Boilermakers, Siena, Texas A&M
By Bud L. Ellis
It marked the 15th time in the past 17 games the Purdue Boilermakers walked off the court with a victory. But this one wasn’t easy.
Still, the Boilermakers found a way to get it done in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday in Spokane, Wash. Chris Kramer drove for the winning basket with 4.2 seconds left in overtime, Purdue holding off Texas A&M 63-61 to advance to the Sweet 16.
The Boilermakers (29-5) take on Duke in the Midwest Regional semifinals on Friday in Houston. Purdue can use the time to heal after a physical contest with the Aggies, one that needed an extra five minutes to settle things.
Purdue trailed by 11 points in the second half but had a late-game surge, helped in part by its defense (holding the Aggies to just 35.4 percent shooting). Kramer scored a team-high 17 points and led the Boilermakers in rebounds with seven.
JaJuan Johnson scored 11 points and D.J. Byrd added 10. B.J. Holmes had a chance to win the game for the Aggies at the end of regulation and again at the close of overtime, but could not convert the potential game-winning jump shots.
—30—
Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 6:44 pm by bud
Tags: B.J. Holmes, Chris Kramer, D.J. Byrd, Duke, JaJuan Johnson, NCAA Tournament, Purdue Boilermakers, Texas A&M
Without Robbie Hummel and limping heading into it, the Purdue Boilermakers were a popular pick to get knocked out of the NCAA Tournament early. But the pundits apparently underestimated this team’s heart.
Don’t count on that mistake being made again.
After falling behind by double digits in the second half, the Boilermakers came back to win a thrilling second round game over the Texas A&M Aggies, 63-61 in overtime on Sunday on a layup by senior Chris Kramer with just seconds remaining. The win puts Purdue into the Sweet 16, where it will face No. 1-seeded Duke.
Kramer, who is little-used on offense and one of the nation’s best defenders, sparked the rally with a team-high 17 points. E’Twan Moore and JaJuan Johnson added 15 and 11 points, respectively.
Texas A&M had multiple opportunities to seal the game in regulation and overtime, but the resilient Boilermakers wouldn’t relent. As a result, they’ve now won two more games in this tournament than most expected.
Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 7:01 pm by Raj Sethi
The Purdue Boilermakers are hoping to avoid becoming the victim of Cinderella on Friday, when it squares off against the 13th-seeded Siena Saints in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The problem is, a win by the MAAC champions wouldn’t really qualify as an upset anymore. Oddsmakers have made Purdue barely a point-favorite in this contest, but Siena is easily the trendiest high seed pick to advance to the round of 32.
Even if the Boilermakers weren’t without star forward Robbie Hummel, whose torn ACL contributed to their poor finish to the regular season and subsequent 4-seed (for a team competing for a No. 1 just weeks earlier), they’re going up against a Saints team that has not only qualified for the Big Dance in each of the past two seasons, but also won its first round game in both years, once as a 13-seed. This year’s edition lacks star power, but is the only team in college basketball that has four players averaging at least 13 points per game. Siena is deep, athletic, experienced, and talented.
Purdue, meanwhile, has stumbled to the finish line, culimating in an 11-point first-half showing in the Big Ten semifinals against Minnesota. Without Hummel, the Boilermakers are offensively-challenged, relying far too heavily on guard E’Twaun Moore and big man JaJuan Johnson to carry them. And with Lewis Jackson hobbled, if one of them has an off-night, count on the Saints spring the not-so-upsetting upset.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 7:48 am by Raj Sethi
