Do you pull for the B10 @ the final 4
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Of Course. I want Purdue to win it so we can say that we beat the Nation Champion! 
I will definitely root for Purdue to reach the championship game so we can see Purdue vs UConn. After that I’m legitimately torn because I’d like to see the Big Ten win one and for the Cats to have that feather added to our resume, but I also know the already obnoxious Purdue fans are going to be even more insufferable over it.
I was rooting against em today but that was purely a bracket fiscal interest
I was rooting against em today but that was purely a bracket fiscal interest
There’s not a chance in hell I want Purdue and that miserable fan base to win.
It's not conference pride, it's NU pride that causes me to root for Purdue. I want to be able to say that we beat the national champs.
Well, they haven't been to the Final Four in 40 years and their fans show up and cheer like crazy for them. They have a good coach and he's always given our team and our coach full credit when we've beaten them, so I'm going to have to disagree.
I would be thrilled to see a UConn-Purdue final because
a. It would be an interesting basketball matchup
b. It would cement NU’s claim as the third-best team in the country
What’s apparent when you watch Purdue is how the guys around him really aren’t that good, and how Edey *never* looks to pass when he gets the ball. I don’t think Purdue would be able to handle UConn defensively, if it came to it.
Defensively, Tennessee absolutely feared Edey, sometimes with good reason. It would be interesting to see Edey have to bang with someone with a similar post game. Edey exceeded three fouls only four times this season, none since Feb 15.
The NC State story is amazing, but can it really continue for a fourth straight week.
a. It would be an interesting basketball matchup
b. It would cement NU’s claim as the third-best team in the country
What’s apparent when you watch Purdue is how the guys around him really aren’t that good, and how Edey *never* looks to pass when he gets the ball. I don’t think Purdue would be able to handle UConn defensively, if it came to it.
Defensively, Tennessee absolutely feared Edey, sometimes with good reason. It would be interesting to see Edey have to bang with someone with a similar post game. Edey exceeded three fouls only four times this season, none since Feb 15.
The NC State story is amazing, but can it really continue for a fourth straight week.
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At this point, I think I want UConn vs Purdue in the championship game, and then I want UConn to just obliterate Purdue, because a) we'll have been knocked out of the tourney by the champions, and b) I'm petty and I don't want that fanbase to ever be happy about anything, even if it means not being able to say that we beat the national champs.
I don't know that Edey has the skilset to compete against Clingan. They are about the same height, but Edey is a lot more sluggish and Clingdan definitely has a lot better hops. I could be wrong, but I don't think Edey will have much success against him and will likely get called for all of his fouling when it comes to that matchup.
So I'm rooting for Purdue to get to the championship because: a) I want Painter to finally not choke in the tourney too early. b) It looks good for the conference. c) I think Edey will get embarrassed and won't have the kind of ref protection he's come to expect.
So I'm rooting for Purdue to get to the championship because: a) I want Painter to finally not choke in the tourney too early. b) It looks good for the conference. c) I think Edey will get embarrassed and won't have the kind of ref protection he's come to expect.
Edey went to the FT line 20 times yesterday, so he's still getting the ref protection. He airballed a FT in the 4th quarter, which was awesome.
I agree that he will struggle against Clingan, and I think Purdue loses by 20 (assuming both teams get by their first games).
Zach Edey drops F-bomb on TV in emotional March Madness moment after Purdue reaches Final Four
The Purdue big man couldn’t contain the excitement over the Boilermaker’s first trip to the Final Four since 1980 after they defeated Tennessee 72-66.
nypost.com
This seems right. Purdue fanbase is weird. Been to football game there and the fans are quite welcoming and not obnoxious at all. When it comes to basketball they are like Ohio State Football fans.
I'm a UConn fan, so while I was hoping NU could pull off the miracle, I have been otherwise pulling for UConn to destroy everybody!!
On the one hand, if Purdue beats UConn in the final, I'll win the Wildcat Report bracket pool. On the other hand: those guys are annoying.
On the third hand, how insane would an NC State championship be? They're already talking about 1983 a lot, and that was fantastic. If they beat a juggernaut like UConn in the final, it'll be basically 1983 part II. Jim Valvano will rise from his grave and run around the court.
On the fourth hand, what are we supposed to do with Alabama?
On the third hand, how insane would an NC State championship be? They're already talking about 1983 a lot, and that was fantastic. If they beat a juggernaut like UConn in the final, it'll be basically 1983 part II. Jim Valvano will rise from his grave and run around the court.
On the fourth hand, what are we supposed to do with Alabama?
That is a hell of a statement.
Folks underestimate how good Edey is beyond just being freakishly tall. His work off the ball is elite. His shielding of his opponents behind him is elite. The few moves he has mastered have been mastered to an incredible level.
Clingan is much better equipped to slow him down than others. But make no mistake, Edey is very, very good. Also consider he makes Clingan more prone to foul trouble than anyone else.
Without Edey Purdue is just Penn State. And that's just because I believe Kaufman Renn or whatever his name is, has a decent upside.
Edey has really great footwork for someone that big. He also has the body control that we all wish Big Matt could develop. I think Clingan is way more mobile and athletic, but the thing that scares me to death as a UConn fan is Clingan getting two early fouls against Edey, because they are a different team without Clingan on the floor and they have nobody who can guard Edey if Clingan is on the bench. Of course, where I feel confident is that UConn's perimeter players should be able to dominate Purdue's unathletic guards. Their on-ball pressure is going to give PU fits.
This. Having watched St. Anthony HS plenty over the years (that would be where Hurley grew up and received a master class in the sport from his father), I feel like UCONN would make life a living hell on Purdue's guards and make it so tough to get Edey the ball. I'd love to see the matchup though, because it's really intriguing to me. No hatred to either team, and I think both coaches have been incredibly respectful to our program.
That's true but, IMO, his greatest skill is working without the ball. It's incredibly good. Testament to him and the people who have worked with him while at Purdue. And they run plays to have said work set him up down low. I am still to see someone able to push him off from the areas where he's comfortable.
Like you I am also interested in seeing the Purdue guards, or 1-3, in that game. Those guards are the reason we gave them fits. They are weaker athletically than a lot of teams. And UConn is a different level.
The closing of St. Anthony's was a tremendous blow to Jersey City. Jersey City before its' recent revival was not a great place to live. St. Anthony's offered a quality education to many disadvantaged kids, similar to what St. Peter's University continues to do.
My grandmother was a charwoman for infamous Mayor Hague. When she died, his successor, Mayor Kenney, provided a ceremonial police escort to the cemetery, overlooking the Statue of Liberty. Political bosses take care of their constituents. Mayor Hague was a lesser known version of Chicago's Mayor Daley. He did a lot of good things for Jersey City but he accumulated a fortune including a grand mansion and other assets on a meager salary
I completely agree. The great footwork and body control are what allow him to get such great position before receiving the ball. This is why I am not enamored with Brady Smith. All he has to do is dump the ball into the monster in the middle who already established himself two feet from the basket with his defender completely out of position. Edey is a really great player even if he does get an overly favorable whistle.
I don’t think anybody really matches up with Edey such that you’re going to shut him down. If you can keep him from dropping 39 and cause some turnovers when the ball is coming in on him, that’s win. You beat Purdue by killing their extremely not elite guards and creating a bunch of turnovers that way.
Of course, that’s what Tennessee tried to do, and while the shut the non-Edey scoring and shooting down well when Edey gets 39 it’s still not great. Plus they had three long scoring droughts themselves which is just pretty brutal
What I've seen is that he is really good at knocking opponents around and turning his fouls into him shooting free throws. That might still happen against Clingan because Edey has a serious weight advantage. If Clingan tries to bang with him, he'll like foul out as Edey runs him over and elbows him out of the way as he travels for a dunk and one. But it might turn out that Edey has more trouble shooting over Clingan than anyone he's played so far.
I agree that Purdue's guards, so much better than they were last year, still aren't up to this level of play. So we'll see how it goes.
He sounds like Buddy Cianci, former mayor of Providence. Rhose Island does not get the fame of NJ, but it's arguably weirder.
I actually lived in the area through this:
R.I. Official Resigns, Accused Of Dressing Man As Elderly Woman For Photo-Op
A city official who wanted to include an elderly woman in a photo op about a snow shoveling program persuaded a middle-aged man to dress up in a wig, earrings, lipstick and a dress.
www.cbsnews.com
That's going to be real interesting. Burns will be the first Center Edey faced that he doesn't outweigh. Will be more of challenge for Edey to back Burns down as well.
I will cheer for Purdue. I want to see UConn vs Purdue just as a basketball fan, feels like they are on a collision course they we know that anything can happen in a 40 minute game in the semis.
Will cheer for Purdue to get the B1G monkey off our back - been >20 years since MSU Mateen Cleaves won one and feel like the other conferences love to throw that stat back at us. We've had 7 different finalists* since then and not gotten a win. I don't believe in being "due", but it would be nice to end that drought. I realize that the Purdue BB fanbase is annoying, but I like Painter and Edey, would like to see them get the W. Edey is an exceptional college basketball player, I admire how he's developed over his time and college and think it would be cool if he can lead them to a title (who cares if he's not a good NBA prospect).
* 2002 Indiana (lost to MD), 2005 Illinois (lost to UNC), 2007 OSU (lost to Florida), 2009 MSU (lost to UNC), 2013 Michigan (lost to Louisville), 2015 Wisconsin (lost to Duke after beating the unbeatable UK team in the semis), and 2019 Michigan (lost to Villanova).
Burns has exceptional touch. But I do seem him struggling mightily and not being able to finish at the basket.
I understand what you are saying about block/charge calls. It seems like they are calling almost everything a block now. But Burns' charges are not exactly the typical you are there, set or not, type of call. Burns' charges come from close range, he is not on a penetration, he's pushing.
In theory Edey would just let him push and then not let him get his shot up.
Coach Painter is one of the good guys in men's college hoops, and his comments about our Cats were gracious and excellent. Unfortunately his center when he opens his mouth does not take after him. Plus the refs improve his performance by never calling fouls against him. Edey will most likely have a lengthy career as a G league player or bench warmer in the NBA. Maybe he can land a big contract in Turkey, which would be a great spot for him to shoot off his mouth.
You know more about UConn basketball than the rest of us, but isn't there an injury concern with Clingan? I thought I heard that he missed some of the season with injuries, and he played only about 10 minutes of the first half against Illinois (when the game was still close). Edey play 39 minutes yesterday against Tennessee. Can Clingan hang with him physically, even if he does stay out of foul trouble?
Edey’s a pretty interesting character. He doesn’t play with a lot of joy, and he definitely was angry post-game yesterday. Dudes are built differently.
It’s really remarkable how good he’s gotten at Purdue. He had very few D1 offers out of IMG Academy, where I think he hardly played — Purdue, Tulane, Minnesota, WKU, maybe a handful more. To go from lightly recruited to the undisputed most dominant player in the country — even with that size advantage — is remarkable.
I do hope he’s enjoyed this run, because it’s been impressive. Lameass psychology here, but I imagine that he was always viewed as ‘freak’ and not as ‘friend’ by his classmates, and that probably plays into some of his anger.
Cutting down the net is a great hoops tradition, and it was neat to see Keady get a piece.
Very thoughtful points and his success was not expected. But his mean spiritedness is unusual and probably every college center gets unwanted stares and lame comments from classmates ("how's the weather up there," etc). Clingan, Burns, Big Matt and others appear to handle it far better.
Yeah, he did miss significant time earlier in the year I think to a foot injury. He came back gradually at first, but has been pretty full-go since February I think. I know when interviewers ask Coach Hurley about why Clingan has been so dominant lately, Hurley's answer is that he's finally healthy, so I take that as a good sign. I think he sat out the first half against Illinois after he got his first foul, and then tried to re-enter at one point, but the play was extended for a bit so he didn't get back in right away. I can't remember if he picked up a second foul in that half, but that probably relegated him to the bench, especially since UConn was leading most of the way.
Clingan is not as strong, but he is still pretty strong. He also is a lot quicker and can jump a lot higher than Edey, so it would be fascinating to see that match-up.
If Clingan can even slow Edey enough to make his scoring efficiency merely very good instead of absurd it’s a massive swing. Just keeping him to 50% shooting is worth like 5-6 points. A couple less foul shots and 1-2 extra turnovers and it’s drastic and it seems questionable if Purdue’s other players can pick up the slack against the nationally elite athletic defenses.
To those who think PU’s fans are insufferable: what would be worse:
1) they win it all and the world will never stop hearing about it
2) they lose to UConn, but they whine about the refs (earned or not) like they always do.
There’s a certain schadenfreude with option 2, but I’m not sure it’s worth it. I prefer option 1, as at least their crowing would be because Purdue actually did the thing, and you’d have to respect that.
1) they win it all and the world will never stop hearing about it
2) they lose to UConn, but they whine about the refs (earned or not) like they always do.
There’s a certain schadenfreude with option 2, but I’m not sure it’s worth it. I prefer option 1, as at least their crowing would be because Purdue actually did the thing, and you’d have to respect that.
A few of things to consider.
1) I'm not sure that Purdue gets past NC State given how Burns is playing.
2) If Purdue faces UConn, I don't think Edey will get away bringing the ball down as he often does when pivoting.
3) A lot will depend on how many minutes Clingan plays. Fouls or just limited minutes will give Purdue a significant advantage. Still, I don't think they can hang with the Huskies.
4) Before we count chickens, what's the deal with Alabama? Do they have a reasonable chance versus UConn?
1) I'm not sure that Purdue gets past NC State given how Burns is playing.
2) If Purdue faces UConn, I don't think Edey will get away bringing the ball down as he often does when pivoting.
3) A lot will depend on how many minutes Clingan plays. Fouls or just limited minutes will give Purdue a significant advantage. Still, I don't think they can hang with the Huskies.
4) Before we count chickens, what's the deal with Alabama? Do they have a reasonable chance versus UConn?
Bama is a good mention. They can light it up at such a high level that they absolutely can beat anybody. Even still, they’re 11.5 point dogs, nearly as big a spread as we had. I’d take the over, but I wouldn’t be interested in betting UConn +500, similar to how I felt vs Illinois.
