Purdue Sails By Chicago State, 111-42
Feature image from @Boilerball.
Starters: PJ Thompson, Carsen Edwards, Dakota Mathias, Vince(nt) Edwards, Isaac Haas
Finishers: Tommy Luce aka Magic Johnson, Grady Eifert, Eden Ewing, Jacquil Taylor, Matt Haarms
Purdue’s first real-life televised basketball game (shoutout to not being on BTN+) was a squeaker, a barn-burner, a down-to-the wire contest that had all of us nervous for…
*presses earpiece*
Oh sorry Purdue dominated Chicago State 111-42 and it was super fun and Purdue has a fantastic team that could go deep into March and will compete for the Big Ten title and legit might have 4 NBA players on its roster even after losing the reigning B10 Player of the Year and NPOY runner-up Caleb Swanigan.
How big of a blowout was it? Matt Painter never got up from his chair. Not a single “MOVE”. What a time.
Our very own Boilerdowd was at the game, and will have a more in-depth breakdown posted later today. For now, here are some takeaways from the Boilers’ dominant win:
The Good:
- Carsen Edwards finished with a career high 25 points on 10/13 shooting (4/6 from deep)/3 assists/4 rebounds, and [z e r o] turnovers in 19 minutes. He’s going to be a national revelation for college basketball pundits everywhere, and is an absolute terror in the fast break. Three straight first-half possessions ended with a Carsen assist for a Mathias three, an and-one circus layup, and a transition three. Carsen is Purdue's ceiling -- if he's a superstar, Purdue's going far.
- Vince is still Purdue’s best all around player. He finished with 15 points/12 rebounds/3 assists on 6/15 shooting, and was crashing the glass like a maniac and driving to the basket on nearly every possession. If we get Aggressive Vince, and not Settle For Contested Jumpers Vince, for the entire season we’ve got a B10 POY on our hands. Vince is the other side of the Edwards coin -- he's Purdue's floor, and most accurate bellwether of the Boilermakers' 2017-2018.
- Dakota Mathias is better this year than he was last year, and he was fantastic last year. 18 points/6 assists/3 rebounds on 6/8 shooting, with great perimeter defense and a newfound off-the-dribble game. Vince might be the Swiss Army Knife, but Dakota ain’t that far behind.
- Chicago State’s jerseys say “Chi-State” and they’re gorgeous.
- I’ve gone far too long without mentioning Matt Haarms. We all knew he would be really fluid with the ball, quick on his feet, and a danger on fast breaks…but his rim protection two games into his college career is amazing. 4 blocks in 19 minutes of play, to go along with 9 points/7 rebounds? He’s perfect.
- TOMMY LUCE WITH 2 POINTS, 3 ASSISTS, 1 REBOUND, AND LIKE 400 NO-LOOK PASSES. Being a walk-on and having a night like that is the dream.
- Robbie Hummel on the call. Shoutout to the GOAT.
- Purdue shot 43% from three point range (12/28), and somehow might be a better shooting team than last year (40%, seventh best in the country). PJ-Carsen-Dakota-Vince are gonna be lights-out from distance, and that’s with Ryan Cline on the bench.
The Bad:
- The seven turnovers by Nojel Eastern. He’s not afraid to take chances, which is good. But that means Michigan State might force ~59 Nojel turnovers.
The Ugly:
- It was very nice of the Big Ten Network to put the #20 team in the country, and one of the two best teams in the conference, on real life TV for all of us commoners with regular cable to see. Purdue has one more BTN+ game this year, and it will never cease to get under Boiled Sports’ skin.
Video of the Night:
It’s a two way tie, Haarms blocking a dunk and the Luce Show. You can’t choose between your children.
Tweet of the Night
