Pregame Thoughts - Purdue vs. Iowa - Big Ten Tournament

I had a pretty good day considering that I went to the opening round action of the Big Ten tournament instead of going to work. I attended the opening day since I had projected Purdue to be in the lower half (6-11) of the seeds. However, the best laid plans of mice and men go awry. Purdue earned the five seed and now plays on Friday. So now I find myself anxiously anticipating a Friday afternoon matchup between my beloved Boilermakers and the Iowa Hawkeyes.

First, let's examine the backdrop for this matchup. After many frustrating seasons (at least the past four), Purdue has turned in a good effort this year. They find themselves 20-10 with a Big Ten regular season record of 9-7. In the preseason there were some good wins over Oklahoma, Depaul, Virginia, and Missouri. In the Big Ten, we creamed Michigan State and Illinois, had a nice win over hated arch rival Indiana, and split the series with Michigan. This is a marked improvement from the past. David Teague and Carl Landry have been outstanding for Purdue this season coming off of major knee injuries. For once, I think the ship is righting its course. Not only has Purdue had an awesome year relative to the recent past, but they bring in a nationally ranked (top 10) recruiting class for next year. So naturally, I am optimistic about the future of Purdue basketball.

With that said, tomorrow's game is pretty important. Lose and Purdue is looking at the NIT. This is an improvement, but why settle for less? At this moment, Purdue finds itself on the bubble in regards to NCAA tournament consideration. If Purdue can pull out this victory, I think they have earned a berth in the NCAA tournament. A victory won't be easy. Iowa killed Purdue a few weeks back in Iowa City. Plus we all know Steve Alford's Big Ten tournament record and the fact that Iowa needs to win the tournament to get in.

Despite all this, I remain positive about the game. It's on a neutral court and I don't think Iowa can hold Landry and Teague to bad games twice in a row. If Purdue wins, this will be a major accelerator in terms of momentum for next year. It would also be a date that many Purdue fans could look back upon and see as a turning point in our basketball fortunes.

Go Purdue.