Many Purdue Alums & media pundits alike thought it would take 3-4 years for Painter to get Purdue back to the tournament. Coach Painter has exceeded many expectations, with the help of his two Seniors, and gotten our Boilermakers back to the NCAA tournament in his second year at the helm.
Big Stage, Big Hair
In my opinion, Purdue's success in the NCAA tournament clearly lies in or on David Teague's fro. If he plays like he did on Senior night v. Northwestern, the Boilers may get past the second round by upsetting the over-rated Florida. But, if we don't see the fro, expect no more than one win for the Cornfield Sailors.
In order for Purdue to avoid being one & done
Lutz must contribute, both offensively (double-digit points) and defensively, Landry must stay out of foul trouble, Kramer must have more steals than turnovers and Teague must not disappear (as he did v. tOSU in the second half).
I don't mean to toot my own horn...well maybe I do
In November, during a discussion with Lang & J on this very board, I predicted a 20-win season and a trip to the NCAA tournament. Since I'm hardly ever correct when I prognosticate, I'll take credit for this rarity. Well lightning has struck twice in the same place, as last week, in preparation for a Deadspin Purdue capsule, I predicted Purdue would get a 9 seed in the NCAA tourney after beating Iowa in the BT tournament. Since there is no precedent for this type of sports prediction from me, I'll will now go back to acting like a mere mortal and predicting everything incorrectly (ala Joe Lunardi of ESPN).
Gut Feeling
Purdue's Seniors will be too much for the Mildcats to handle down the stretch as Purdue beats higher-seeded Arizona in the first round. In round two, Joakim Noah's girl hair will force Purdue into violent fits of laughter...that and Florida's depth will be too much for our Boilers to overcome as they bow out to the overall #1-seeded Gators. Florida will not repeat as national champs this year...but Noah will have a lot of success in the WNBA next year.
