The scrappy Purdue Boilermakers forced the top-seeded Connecticut Huskies to slow down and play a defensive-oriented game Thursday night in the Sweet 16. In the process, though, they learned a couple things. First of all, you can't spot a team of UConn's caliber an 8-0 lead. Secondly, they don't have a Hasheem Thabeet in the Big Ten. The 7'3" Tanzanian behemoth stuffed the stat sheet as much as he affected Purdue's game with his presence. Thabeet put together a sparkling 15-point, 15-rebound, 4-block effort, while also putting the handcuffs on Purdue's post-scoring.
With the inability to score from the inside, Purdue was forced to launch 23 three-pointers, and they shot a paltry 37 percent from the floor for the game. UConn outrebounded the Boilers 39 to 28.
The Huskies stormed out of the gates to an early 8-0 lead, but Purdue -- behind the hot shooting of Robbie Hummel -- crawled back into the game. The Boilermakers hung close for the rest of the first half. Early in the second half, the game turned into a defensive battle, which should have favored the Big Ten Boilers. UConn, however, never allowed them to get within three, and eventually pulled away.
Craig Austrie, who only averages a touch over seven points per game, led the Huskies with 17 points. He hit a few big threes in the second half, which had to have demoralized Purdue as they attempted to get over that three-point hump.
Still, the player of the game was easily Thabeet. He disrupted any offense Purdue tried to run through JaJuan Johnson, their post scorer who was first-team All-Big Ten this season. The sophomore ended up with 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting, but he was forced to fire outside jumpers for much of the contest.
Hummel led Purdue with 17 points, but he only scored two of those points in the second half -- on a wide-open layup. He hit only one shot in six attempts after halftime, and could've used some help from either Keaton Grant or E'Twaun Moore -- the two combined for 4-of-17 shooting. You can't expect to beat a team of UConn's stature with only two players scoring. Either way, they'll be a tough team again next year; of those players who saw significant minutes, only Nemanja Calasan will be lost. The experience on this stage was a good one for the young Boilers.
Connecticut will play the winner of Thursday night's Memphis vs. Missouri game Saturday afternoon in Glendale, Arizona in the Elite Eight -- in a game that figures to be extremely exciting. The winner gets a trip to the Final Four in Detroit, as the champion of the West Region.
Also on FanHouse: Dan Graziano's Postgame Thoughts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-26-2009 @ 10:16PM
dave said...
UConn played a horrible game and still won easily-they were never challenged. I am a Big Ten alum but will be the first to admit that our talent level in the conference is way below what is out east.
Purdue was no better this year than last; aside from JJohnson, these guys have peaked. MState and Illinois will still be the teams to beat next year, only to get pole axed in the tournament.
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