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Does Kelsey Barlow's choke sign reignite rivalry? (And other game notes)

(Thanks to Boiled Sports for the picture)

Kelsey Barlow's choke gesture was not the usual 'take care of business' ho-hum attitude we're used to seeing from the Purdue team. I don't think I am alone when I say that it's nice to see a little bit of color and emotion on the court.

Despite whatever gaff he gets from the media, IU, or even Matt Painter's inevitable public statement on the incident, I think it was well worth it.

If the gesture was made towards any other 9-12 team, I probably wouldn't feel the same way. But it wasn't towards just any team; it was towards IU.

It's about time someone throws the first punch to kick start something that resembles a rivalry. I think a combination of Barlow's gesture and the fact that we won in the Hall of Calls should do the trick...

As expected, IU is already using it as a motivational tool to assist in fostering the delusion that they have a shot at beating Purdue in Mackey Arena.

After the game, Verdell Jones III had this articulate threat...(I think?)

"See, the great thing is that we've got to play them again, so we'll see him again. We'll see what he has to say when we play them again"

Jones II is currently enrolled in IU's prestigious redundancy school of redundancy.

Purdue will be ready for round 2. They will also be ready for round 2. Purdue will be ready.

Unsolicited Observations

- John Hart is the man! Not that he needs any further validation at this point, but he's Purdue's 6th man at this point in the season. Obviously injury's are a factor, but I think he is performing better than Jackson and Grant right now.

His performance is something that I will never cease to appreciate. Looking back at my notes prior to the season, I would have placed the odds of this happening to be about 1:1,000,000,000,000.

Looking at the roster, no (scholarship) player entered the season more buried in the depth chart. You have to give credit to Hart for continuing to play hard when all seemed lost. Likewise Painter deserves credit for giving Hart the opportunity to play. Actually, you can go one further and credit to Painter for giving Hart the opportunity to play D-1 ball altogether since Purdue was his only scholarship. Painter clearly has one of the best eyes for talent in the nation. If you don't believe me, watch Hart and Barlow play.

- Lewis Jackson only played 12 minutes, but dished out 4 assists and grabbed 2 rebounds in the game. He is still slowly coming along, but just having him someone in the rotation helps Purdue out tremendously. While his points will always seem modest, he is the definition of synergy. I can already see him making Keaton Grant better. The offense is going through an adjustment period, but I suspect we'll start seeing some great things coming from his end sometime in the near future. Definitely by March...

- Purdue needs to do something to stop the dribble penetration, it's KILLING us!Credit to Jones for exploiting Purdue's weakness. He's a tough kid.

- I have to insert a commenter's account of Keady's reception in Assembly Hall:

When Bobby Knight showed up at Mackey Arena to comment on the Purdue/Minnesota game, the student section as well as most everyone else gave him a standing ovation - sort of a thank you for promoting the gift of rivalry in college basketball. In return, Gene Keady gets placed on the big screen at A-Hall and the place erupts with "boo's". Classless (fans), cheating (coaches), hill-jacks...HOOOOOSIERS!

Well put sir!

- In the last 5 games, JaJuan Johnson is averaging under 2 fouls a game. That's huge! Johnson is key to Purdue's success. (Yes, I say that every week.) When Johnson gets over 20 points and 10 rebs, Purdue is in great shape.

On the other side of the coin, Tom Prichard should not be getting more than 10 points!

- Barlow had yet another impressive game. He's responding well as a starter. It's going to be difficult to convince Painter to make the Barlow/Jackson switch. I'll take 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 points, and zero TO's from him every night!

- Chris Kramer needs a vacation. I hope he's sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber this weekend in preparation for the Michigan State game. He has a consistent look of pain and exhaustion.


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Purdue wins in the Hall of Calls

Purdue survive a scare in Bloomington, beating Indiana 78-75.

It was Purdue's first win in the Hall since February 1999.

The Boilermakers never seemed to pull away to a comfortable lead, but Robbie Hummel's free-throw shooting kept the game out of reach.

Hummel finished with 21 points and 7 rebounds and JaJuan Johnson added 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks.

We'll have move coverage on Thursday night's win against Indiana.

Boiler Up!

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Game Time: Still waiting...

Game Facts

Opponent: Indiana Hoosiers

Time: 7:00

TV: ESPN

Opponent Blog: IndyStar

Admittedly, I have many friends, family, and coworkers who went to college in Bloomington.

Naturally I've enjoyed the energy and success that Matt Painter has brought to the Purdue Nation. It's been something that I've been waiting for a long time and I can say that I've enjoyed every second of Purdue's rise to being a top-10 program.

But in all honesty, I am tired of waiting for this "epic rivalry" that is taking place in some hypothetical future.

I have squeezed every once of enjoyment out of Purdue's current success against IU. Finding new and creative ways to casually bring up college basketball during any conversation with a Hoosier just doesn't have the same appeal as it used to. (Its made for some awkward funerals though...)

I was saddened to learn that my vision of a college basketball rivalry was not as black and white as I imagined.

I thought if you were a Purdue or IU fan your options were clear: you either win and feel great or lose and feel bad...or if you're a Ball State fan, you're the little brother sitting on the sideline praying someone gets hurt so you can take their place...But I digress...

I thought that's what each and every IU vs Purdue basketball game was all about. The fans of the winning team go to work (or class or whatever it is that you do) the next day and hunt out the fans of the losing team and rub it in all of their faces.

It wasn't always fair, but it's tradition.

I thought thats how rivalries worked. I thought it was a give-and-take and the tide always shifts back and forth. That's why everyone enjoys rivalries.

You are a winner, or you are a loser. Black and white and simple.

I regret to inform you that there is, in fact, a little known 3rd option. The grey area that I was completely unaware of. A rivalry defense mechanism of sorts and IU fans are beginning to shelter behind it...

Via a clever yet cowardly ropa dopa technique, IU fans are throwing out their parachutes and resorting to the one thing that repels and masks the shame and embarrassment of their program: Apathy

That's right, IU fans are using apathy as a way of avoiding the mental anguish that's associated with being an IU fan.

After all the time I put in on the losing end, IU fans remove the weight and merit of being the winner.

As a result, many Boilermakers are morally forced to move on past the usual 'point and laugh' approach and simply offer kind words of encouragement. "You guys...uh...try..really...hard..."

This must have been how the judge felt like as he watched Rod Blogojevich insist his innocence. After a while, you just feel sorry their pathetic situation....it's...uncomfortable...

The apathy first started to show in very settle ways. Small things like diminishing eye contact, or changing the subject instead of the usual company line: 'Blah blah blah banners blah blah blah.'

Am I giving them too much credit to assume that they collectively Googled the phrase "Red Herring Fallacy???"

The signs of IU apathy can also be observed in the cyber world as well.

For starters, the IndyStar comment threads have experienced a huge change. Following any Purdue related articles, the usual "Purdue sucks," "banners," and (my favorite) "In XY years...," comments have been pushed down to the third or fourth position instead of the usual first comment positioning.

Clearly their confidence in the assertion that 'Purdue sucks' is diminishing exponentially!

Their apathy in their program has also spread to their messages boards and fan sites.

On Peeg's (IU Rivals Site) message board, this post perfectly illustrates the shift in the attitudes.

Instead of the typical immature, illogical, and irrelevant jab at Purdue, they have resorted to less time-consuming methods such as copying and pasting articles and lazily adding "Purdue."

This could, however, just be a side effect from just discovering the the use of the 'copy and paste' option. It could just be a trend, but if it's not, it's truly sad to see the state of their program is affecting their creativity.

What better way to illustrate the commitment of their fans than the efforts put forth by their own student sections. Boiled Sports points out that the leadership of IU's student section (typically the heart of any program's fan base) is clearly not designating enough time (or english majors) in-to their plans for the game.

The Crimson Guard itself pulled this choice quote: (Thanks by the way)

“Not satisfied with letting Michigan's students steal their thunder, Indiana's fans stormed the court after -- get this -- a home win over Minnesota. A home win over Minnesota! Minnesota! Who is not ranked! Who is not a particularly impressive opponent, presently or historically! Minnesota! MINNESOTA! This might be the single worst court-storm in the history of storming the court. There has never been anything quite so bad. So stop storming the court for dumb reasons. Enough is enough. Find better ways to express your communal pride. Don't you kids have parties?“

-Eamonn Brennan, ESPN.com

What Brennan completely overlooked is the fact that the smartass IU fans were sarcastically storming-the-court to further mock their own team.

One of the reasons this apathy is growing is because they are realizing that the hard work mantra is bullshit! It has become a tired cliche' that has spread like a virus amongst the media and fans. But honestly, what the hell does it mean?

You can't find more than a couple D-1 conference coaches that can say that don't expect their kids to play hard at all times. In this day and age, coaches are fired for .500 seasons. Do Likewise, athletes are ATHLETES. All athletes work their butts off, it's uh, kinda why the school is paying for their education. Sure there are outliers, but athletes who aren't working hard don't last too long.

Working hard is not an added bonus in the equation towards college basketball success; it's a necessity. And it's a necessity that everyone team demands. The variables are the functions that separate each program and really drives wins and losses. And the variables are coaching and (most importantly) athletes.

You can't make chicken soup out of chicken shit.

IU clearly enjoyed having the upper hand while Purdue was on the losing end. Like a modern martyr, I put in my time as a loser. I endured countless insults, I defended Linc Darner, Brian Cardinal, Gene Keady, and Carson Cunningham's hair, I supported Mat Ten Dam even after he shot the ball clear over the back-board. I even told a group of IU fans to 'laugh now because Hartley and Keefer are going to turn Purdue's fortunes around.' (Okay, that one was a lie...)

And now that I have my opportunity to return the favor, I don't have their attention!

It's always greener on the other side of the fence...

Wait...no, it sucks to lose.

All and all, I am impatiently waiting for IU's program to rise to where they were long (long, long) ago. This rivalry just isn't as fun if IU isn't willing to fight back. I hope IU sees some success so I don't feel like I am the only one who cares about this relationship.

Maybe we just need to go out for some coffee and talk about it.

I feel like I'm beating up a defenseless toddler and t's quite uncomfortable.

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Worst...student...section...ever...

Okay fine, the headline is a bit of an exagerration, but not by much based on the musings found on the Crimson Guard's website...

I recomment checking out the game print-out.

In preparation for tomorrow's game in Bloomington, you must read Cheering 101 by the Crimson Guard detailing the Crimson Guard's (IU's student section) preparation for their game against Purdue.(via Boiled Sports)

J Money stumbled upon a gold-mine filled with hilarity and delusion and I invite you to join in the fun!
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