Klemet: Purdue might need fitting for glass slipper
By SAM KLEMET
ISL Correspondent
Purdue is a different basketball team now that it was when it beat Nebraska 65-56 in January. Even though its record may not reflect improvement, the game film tells a different story.
The Boilers are playing their best hoops of the season and should be heading into Thursday’s Big Ten Tournament opener against the Huskers with a boatload of confidence. Matt Painter’s team has won two of its last three and pushed Michigan to the brink.
Part of it has to do with the more consistent play of upperclassmen like D.J Byrd, Terone Johnson and Sandi Marcius, but the emergence of the younger Boilers has fueled the recent hot streak.
Rapheal Davis appears to be more comfortable with his role as a high energy, do it all-type. He brings an enthusiasm to the floor that is hard not to feed off of. He’s averaged 12 points and six rebounds in the last three games. Couple that with point guard Ronnie Johnson’s nine points and nearly seven assists per contest in that stretch and A.J. Hammons’ 14-point, six-rebound effort in the regular season finale against Minnesota, and it’s easy to understand why Painter continued to show faith in his freshmen despite some ups and downs throughout the year.
The Boilers should beat the 14-17 Cornhuskers. Should.
If they do, it’ll put more steam behind an little engine that suddenly can. That would set up a match up with the tournament’s two-seed, Ohio State. The Boilers would undoubtedly be the underdog in that matchup.
But, this is March – the month of miracles – and while Purdue shouldn’t get fitted for any glass slipper just yet, the Boilermakers have shown life and progress recently. At this time of year, sometimes, that is the perfect formula for a Cinderella-type run.
