Winning is more fun than losing...and it cures all types of ailments.
If Purdue had lost to Penn State, The Forces of Good would be in a world of hurt right now...and might already be looking at must-win games in the very near future. Instead, by scraping by, things don't look horrible right now.
Purdue has skyrocketed (kinda) in the RPI rankings...reaching their highest mark of the season at 66 (Kenpom 95, Sagarin 70- CCR 77)...as the adage goes, keep winning and everything else solves itself. But Purdue simply must win the games it should from here out and pick up a few surprises along the way to make the real post season.
Northwestern is kinda streaking...and in the last three games, even in the loss at the hands of Sparty, they've shown that they are becoming more dangerous. If Purdue plays as they did versus Penn State, this one will be a 7-10 point loss...and the RPI computer, the same that gave Purdue a lil' respect, thinks Purdue is entering their worst portion of the season. It predicts Purdue will lose the next four games...that would surely be the nail in the coffin for Purdue's tourney hopes.
Our on-staff MIT adjunct professor believes this next one is a win...but there is definite reason for concern when the Boilers; check that, ANY Purdue team faces Northwestern. The 'Cats always seem to give Purdue a game; tomorrow night should be no different.
This one kicks off an interesting, dare we say critical, stretch- @NU, v. Wisconsin, @UM, and @PSU. The computers could be right...but, I could also see Purdue going 3-1...and I don't think that's looking at the schedule with gold-colored glasses. Regardless, it is an important stretch...and like everything else for this particular Purdue team, the level of motivation Purdue plays with will define their level of success.
