Well, the dust has settled on the first weekend of the NCAA Tourney and Purdue is on their way home. However, we have good reason to be extremely proud of our boys as they gave the defending champs everything they could handle, eventually falling by seven.
Carl Landry, our horse, did his best to keep his senior season going but some timely shooting and rebounding by Florida in the closing minutes sealed the Boilermakers' fate in this one.
From the above-linked story:
Al Horford flexed his biceps and offered an imposing stare as he posed for television cameras.
Florida's most physical player had reason to show off a little bit.
Horford had 17 points and nine rebounds and helped the defending national champions withstand a game effort by plucky Purdue in a 74-67 victory Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
"I guess they felt like they were going to make Al score one on one," teammate Corey Brewer said. "They made a bad decision."
Yes, Florida. Flex your muscles and talk all big and bad. Except that Purdue didn't "make a mistake" -- they controlled the tempo and turned this game into a Big Ten-style match. Sure, it's wasn't especially pretty, but it almost resulted in a massive upset. Mr. Corey Brewer, you guys just squeaked out a win over a Purdue team that shot 29% from 3-range and just 46% from the line. 46%!! If either of those were even average, you'd be headed home now and your obnoxious leader wouldn't be dancing anymore.
Also from the article:
Horford stared toward the Purdue fans after a late dunk and pounded his chest.
I hate the late staredowns. It's so pointless. Yes, very brave, Horford, very brave. Showing the class and sportsmanship that all universities from Florida are world-renowned for. Well done.
But enough about that. Florida is, after all, a very talented squad and deserved to move on. They're going to be tested by the Butler team they'll face next and then most likely will have their toughest opponent yet in Oregon (who will beat them).
As for Purdue, this season was a HUGE step forward, in my opinion, for the program and provides a great foundation for what is clearly now the Matt Painter era.
By the way, is it me, or does it look like Noah is about to cold-cock Landry in the back of the head in this photo?