The Boilermakers retreat to the friendly confines of Mackey Arena tomorrow afternoon (4 PM, Eastern, ESPN) to take on the OSU Buckeyes (18-8, 8-7), the second straight Big Ten semi-bubble team they'll have played.
I don't think anyone can figure out the Buckeyes, but as the title of this post intimates, we here at BS think Thad Motta is just a lousy coach. He gets amazing talent and there have been games where that's veyr evident, but for whatever reason, the Buckeyes just can't seem to keep things on the upswing.
They just beat PSU at home in their last game (pictured -- Jeremie Simmons, whose mom didn't know how to spell Jeremie, elevates over PSU's Taylor Battle, who was simply looking for a high five) but had previously lost three in a row -- but only by a total of ten points. That's frustrating.
As you also may recall, the Boilermakers lost a tough game at the Auto Parts Center or whatever the hell it's called, when JJ went bonkers and scored 30 but Hummel did not play. In that game, Purdue had the ball in a tie game with under 30 seconds left and LewJack made a poor decision and the Boilermakers lost in overtime. Losing focus and straying from your effecitve game plan even once like that can be the difference in the Big Ten. Let's hope the Boilers play more focused at home, despite feeling as though they've blown their shot at the regular season Big Ten title. This is a beatable team and it's a game the Boilermakers should win, not just one they should hope to win. At home, favored, better team.... there's no excuse not to finish strong.
The thinking here, if we must put forth a prediction, is that the Boilers come to play and win by 8, 75-67.
Hey, it's Friday, after all, and what's better than a meat bikini?