I sometimes will remind gloating fans — because I get a kick out of stealing peoples' joy, apparently — that they should take nothing for granted with Indiana despite Purdue's domination of the series the past many seasons, including those most recently, when the two programs theoretically ought to be on even footing.
Things have historically been pretty cyclical in that series, at least in modern years, and can turn at any time.
That said, all of Purdue's indicators right now are pointing up and all of Indiana's are pointing down. And Purdue's won the last eight games in the series. IU's bottomed out to end the season, costing itself a spot in the NCAA Tournament barring a miracle, and Purdue seems to be surging at the ideal time. The Boilermakers were decidedly better in the first meeting in Bloomington.
Take nothing for granted Saturday, but ...
Odds are, Purdue will win its ninth in a row over IU, and it's not outside the realm of possibility this could be its last meeting with Archie Miller, who'd leave Indiana winless against the Boilermakers should IU want to pony up that $10 mil and go find its sixth coach since Bob Knight (Dakich included).
Right now, Purdue's results against Indiana are easily explained: The past two seasons, the Boilermakers have simply had better players. They run better stuff. They're more skilled, tougher and just better.
All that might be true again next year, too, for all we know. I don't know. Again, things can turn quick.
The disparity in results, to me, reflects a disparity in cultures and a disparity in leadership.
Purdue recruits with a message of selflessness and toughness and work ethic and such things. Do they always get perfect fits? No, but their batting average has spiked in recent years. They try to recruit basketball IQ and competitive spirit.
Kids who go to Indiana, sometimes the rock-star element plays into that, the magnitude of the fan base, the brightness of the lights all that stuff. When a guy like Trey Kaufman-Renn turns that down, it's not because he's shying away from it, but because he doesn't give a damn about it because all he wants to do is improve, win and get good grades. He was always drawn more to substance than style, and that made his recruitment a perfect encapsulation of the difference between these two programs at the moment.
When you recruit a kid to be BOMC, you are appealing to his inner vanity, and as I have said more than once over the years about players who went to Indiana, windmill dunks don't win Big Ten games.
When I cover Purdue, I see competitive dudes; when I watch Indiana from afar, I don't see what I saw when Victor Oladipo and Yogi Ferrell were there: That will.
When I look at the coaches, I see a Purdue program led by one of most liked and respected coaches in the game, a guy who's comfortable in his own skin, who follows the rules, who runs good offense, does right by people and stands for the right things from a basketball perspective. That he's a Purdue guy hardly matters in light of all that other stuff. People like him, most importantly. I see a coach with an able, accomplished and empowered staff around him and players who more often than not maximize their abilities when they genuinely try to.
Do you see all that stuff on the other side of the rivalry?
Look, this can turn on Purdue. Whether it can happen under Miller, I don't know, but one day, Indiana fans may stop worrying about finding their next Bob Knight and happen upon their Matt Painter.
And when that happens, one of college basketball's great rivalries can be just that again.
In the meantime, well, let's see what happens Saturday before saying anything too definitive.
Things have historically been pretty cyclical in that series, at least in modern years, and can turn at any time.
That said, all of Purdue's indicators right now are pointing up and all of Indiana's are pointing down. And Purdue's won the last eight games in the series. IU's bottomed out to end the season, costing itself a spot in the NCAA Tournament barring a miracle, and Purdue seems to be surging at the ideal time. The Boilermakers were decidedly better in the first meeting in Bloomington.
Take nothing for granted Saturday, but ...
Odds are, Purdue will win its ninth in a row over IU, and it's not outside the realm of possibility this could be its last meeting with Archie Miller, who'd leave Indiana winless against the Boilermakers should IU want to pony up that $10 mil and go find its sixth coach since Bob Knight (Dakich included).
Right now, Purdue's results against Indiana are easily explained: The past two seasons, the Boilermakers have simply had better players. They run better stuff. They're more skilled, tougher and just better.
All that might be true again next year, too, for all we know. I don't know. Again, things can turn quick.
The disparity in results, to me, reflects a disparity in cultures and a disparity in leadership.
Purdue recruits with a message of selflessness and toughness and work ethic and such things. Do they always get perfect fits? No, but their batting average has spiked in recent years. They try to recruit basketball IQ and competitive spirit.
Kids who go to Indiana, sometimes the rock-star element plays into that, the magnitude of the fan base, the brightness of the lights all that stuff. When a guy like Trey Kaufman-Renn turns that down, it's not because he's shying away from it, but because he doesn't give a damn about it because all he wants to do is improve, win and get good grades. He was always drawn more to substance than style, and that made his recruitment a perfect encapsulation of the difference between these two programs at the moment.
When you recruit a kid to be BOMC, you are appealing to his inner vanity, and as I have said more than once over the years about players who went to Indiana, windmill dunks don't win Big Ten games.
When I cover Purdue, I see competitive dudes; when I watch Indiana from afar, I don't see what I saw when Victor Oladipo and Yogi Ferrell were there: That will.
When I look at the coaches, I see a Purdue program led by one of most liked and respected coaches in the game, a guy who's comfortable in his own skin, who follows the rules, who runs good offense, does right by people and stands for the right things from a basketball perspective. That he's a Purdue guy hardly matters in light of all that other stuff. People like him, most importantly. I see a coach with an able, accomplished and empowered staff around him and players who more often than not maximize their abilities when they genuinely try to.
Do you see all that stuff on the other side of the rivalry?
Look, this can turn on Purdue. Whether it can happen under Miller, I don't know, but one day, Indiana fans may stop worrying about finding their next Bob Knight and happen upon their Matt Painter.
And when that happens, one of college basketball's great rivalries can be just that again.
In the meantime, well, let's see what happens Saturday before saying anything too definitive.
