Written by BTN.com staffCatch up on our live blog in this post. The panel included BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart, BTN.com web editor Brent Yarina and Josh Reed, one half of the Big Ten Geeks.
Well, it’s the “going out of bounds” thing. That’s a specific change in the rule. Either way, the sliding might be a travel, too.
No diff from diving on the floor on your belly for a ball and calling a TO, is it?
That, ladies and gentlemen, is why Lawson shouldn’t have even been in the game….
Was he falling out of bounds? If so, is that an allowed timeout?
Honest question: Shouldn’t that have been a travel?
Or he can just miss and have Byrd get the board.
Lawson really needs this FT. Like real bad.
Can now set up the press easily.
Huge break for Illinois here. They were out of timeouts, so this is a free one.
Terone, that is.
Look at that–when Illinois makes Johnson stay left, he throws up an airball.
Yes, I don’t think we will see Jacob Lawson on the court the rest of the game….
Normally I’d agree, but it seems like once Terone gets a couple FTs to go down, he’s money. 6 of 9 today. But I don’t think Illinois will try and foul here down 3 with almost 2 minutes left.
Tip for Purdue Never–and I mean NEVER–pass the ball to Jacob Lawson. The guy is barely a basketball player. No need to guard him. And I mean EVER.
Not a good sign for Purdue here. This team isn’t very good from the FT line, and may have to hit them to win this one.
Geez, Paul finally shows up, and Illinois making a game of it again.
Not the same ballhandling team of last year, for sure.
How many turnovers has Purdue had in the last 2 minutes?
Purdue is famous for its late-game collapses!!! You thinking what I am thinking????
Thanks, Tom. Blind squirrel at work here.
A “regular man’s Northwestern/” That, my friend, is epic.
I love your analysis, Josh!!! You are spot on with stuff!!
Now I’m starting to wonder if Illinois isn’t worse than a poor man’s IU from last year. Maybe a regular man’s Northwestern from last year.
Not as bad as that game at Nebraska, but similar theme.
Let’s be honest, this is the same kind of performance we saw from Illinois late last year.
I am amazed how short Purdue’s bench is. There must be 3-4 who basically are non-factors–and probably always will. Painter has about 6-7 guys. That’s it……
Purdue has grabbed over 40% of their misses on the glass.
They’re trying to hit 8-pointers right now.
Illinois takes too many quick shots from WAY out….
Illinois is just terrible on the defensive glass, and it starts from their inability to control dribble penetration. Everyone collapses on the driver, and no one is left to clean up the mess.
Hammons pushed off McLaurin to get that ball. Had to rewind the DVR–it seemed strange that he was able to go get that uncontested. McLaurin then fouled him after he caught it.
Terone Johnson has totally taken Paul out of the game. MVP of the game so far.
Maybe someday that will be the case, but he still seems a little raw. More of a guy who gets buckets off misses and easy dunks.
I don’t know why Purdue couldn’t throw the ball into Hammons EVERY time down the court vs. Illinois’ big guys. He can turn, shoot– or kick it out. Am I missing something????
Big sequence for Purdue. They’re just playing a lot harder than Illinois.
Yeah, IU’s offense was much better. Bertrand could end up being close to Hulls’ % however. Not as good a shooter, though, because he’s pickier about his 3s.
Yep. Emphasis on the poor. Illinois lacks a big man anything near Zeller and a shooter anything close to Hulls.
I love the orange blazer. I think coaches should wear their school color more often. Great look.
Just like that, Purdue closes the gap again. This Illinois defense is going to prevent them from being great this year. Kind of like a poor man’s Indiana from last season.
I think it’s criminal for any Illinois coach to wear the orange sport coat but Lou Henson. They should have retired it when Lou-Do left.
That is Gary area/Region area. Purdue usually owns that area. But, alas, it whiffed on Branden Dawson. Also on Glenn Robinson III.
Well, E’Twaun Moore was from East Chicago, about 20 miles from the Loop. But he was the exception. It’s kind of like Illinois and high school players from Indiana. Just seems to be a 50-foot wall on the border.
it’s pretty obvious which team has more talent. This is where Illinois begins to build some distance and show why it’s Illinois and Purdue begins to show why it is, well, Purdue….
It’s this simple, Josh: Anthony Johnson isn’t a Big Ten player. Belongs at Loyola. Purdue hardly EVER gets players from the Chicago area. If AJ was good, he never would have picked up the phone the first time Purdue called.
It’s amazing to me how many players in college basketball don’t get to the free throw line extended to make a post entry pass.
You and me both, Tom. He can play PG in a pinch, but he’s been pretty bad this year.
A teardrop every now and then.
I’m still trying to figure out what exactly Anthony Johnson brings to the table……
Yep, Illinois desperately needed that.
Wow, that’s a great shot by Abrams. He hardly even had ball in his hands before putting it up.
Ronnie goes left. Terone goes right. Illinois hasn’t figured that out.
Give him time. Still early. The guy can score, and get to the line.
If Brandon Paul is the Big Ten Player of the Year kinda guy, doesn’t he begin to assert himself at some point? You know, take over the game, like stars do?
Illinois is lucky to be tied right now. They can’t guard their shadow right now, and sloppy on offense.
Typical Purdue play.
Purdue’s guards are all over Illinois right now. Illini clearly out of sync.
Terone Johnson having himself a game, huh?
And his offense is really just triggered by Purdue missing a shot.
Well, Hammons did sit most of the first half with foul trouble.
How many times have people harped on Illinois’ bad frontcourt? I have lost count. Now, how many times has big A.J. Hammons touched the ball or been involved in the offense? Exactly.
Agree that Illinois is better offensively. But they are a bad defensive team.
I mean, look at the legit offensive options for Illinois Paul, Richardson, Abrams, Bertrand, Griffey. Now, compare that to Purdue…..
First-half recap:
A close first half that saw the lead switch hands five times ended with No. 14 Illinois on top of Purdue, 33-31.
The Fighting Illini led 21-15 when the Boilermakers went on a 7-0 run to take a one-point lead.
Seven Purdue players scored in the half, led by Terone Johnson’s 13 points. The junior also added four rebounds.
Illinois’ Joseph Bertrand already has 12 points and four rebounds. Brandon Paul scored seven points despite battling foul trouble.
Scoring calmed down a lot. Both teams hit 1.0 PPP, but not by much (31 possessions in the half).
Probably right, Tom. Too bad that one didn’t count.
I figure Purdue will keep most games close at home. Will likely get smoked in every road game.
Even so, Brent, both teams leaving points on the floor. Combined 10-21 on layups.
Groce is from Danville, IL?? Nice. Home of Robin Yount and the Van Dykes.
Didn’t see this one being this competitive or this high scoring.
And now he calls a timeout. I bet we’ll see Paul come back in.
Nice move by Groce. Brings Paul in for offense, sits him for defense.
I would still error on the side of caution–especially vs. Purdue. Illinois can hang with this team w/o Paul for an extended stretch.
Exactly. I’d rather have my best player on the floor than force him out of the game. You never know, he may not commit another foul.
The problem with it is that every coach benches every player once they get 2 fouls in the first half, but every player does not foul at the same rate. Some players are better at not fouling than others. You wouldn’t tell every player to stop shooting 3s after they miss 2. You’ll let a guy like Jordan Hulls miss 15 before telling him to stop.
He had him back in there for a couple of minutes, but I agree. The autobench is a terrible thing.
Groce has to bring Paul back at some point in first half, right? I mean, if he gets to 3 fouls, then it’;s real trouble. Two, not so much. You’re on the road.
Purdue with just 1 turnover so far. That, plus the rebounding, has given them 9 more shot attempts than Illinois.
Yeah, nothing against Ferrell, but he’s got the easiest job in college basketball.
Biggest difference between Ferrell and Johnson, though, is that the former has weapons at his disposal. Who wouldn’t want to be the PG for Indiana?
Well, Tom, Illinois’ zone isn’t exactly imposing. Leaky, is how I would describe it.
Paul with 2 fouls and he gets an Autobench. I hate the autobench.
Zone alert! Who is gonna bust it for Purdue? I would zone these guys…
I think Ronnie Johnson is key for Purdue. The frosh PG must be smarty with the ball and be a creator. He could be a lesser version of Yogi Ferrell.
Purdue already dominating on the glass early. Getting half their misses back.
What was that, a six point swing?
Yeah, he is just not comfortable with all this defensive attention. He’s a great complementary player, but he’s not a centerpiece. What a terrible play by Abrams. Needs to go hard at the rim there.
Man, we might need to check the backboard after D.J. Byrd’s last two shots.
I like Illinois going after Purdue on a backscreen. They have to stop Purdue from closing out so hard on shooters.
ANOTHER horrible foul call…
That didn’t look like a foul either. Let’s see it.
The first Travis Carroll sighting….. uh-oh
My point is the ratio, Josh. Is there any sport with a ratio like 3:10????? The court isn’t that big. These guys get paid $1,500 a game. And you make THAT call? Just inexcusable…
Hey, it’s not easy, Tom. I umpired exactly one Little League game, and had parents booing at me after 2 innings. And that was over 10-year olds playing baseball.
3 refs and just 10 players …. and they still miss stuff. Amazing.
What a joke foul…
Uh, oh, Brandon Paul hits a wacky shot. This is usually a precursor to him going off.
That’s not a foul.
Was just thinking same thing, Tom.
If Illinois is legit, it HAS to win this game.
Illinois’ 3-point attempts have come from well off the line. Good sign for Purdue, who guards the arc very well.
D.J. Byrd has shown his true colors this year. He isn’t a No. 1 option. Teams have him figured out. He’s just a shooter, 2-3 option.
Looking at you, D.J. Byrd.
I don’t mind it in the non-conference. That’s the time to experiment. But you have to get consistency now.
6 different starting lineups so far for Purdue!? There comes a time when then tinkering has to stop, right?
Interesting to see Lawson get the start over Anthony Johnson. Can’t say I disagree, Anthony has really struggled with his shot at Purdue. He was once regarded as one of the best, if not the best, outside shooters in Chicago.
Looks like this is mercifully coming to an end. A 26-point win for Ohio State, and it wasn’t that close.
So, Rodney Williams no longer is the Big Ten’s “Sky King”?
I repeat, I love Sam Thompson!
Can only help, right Tom? Wisconsin went from bad program to good one, so maybe it will happen in Lincoln. It’ll be tough, though.
I wonder what impact the new arena will have on Nebraska. Such a big hill to climb in the Big Ten.
So we witness a bit of history, Josh?
I love Sam Thompson. Old school peeps will say keep it in bounds, but he was going for effect.
Nebraska still below 0.70 points per possession. This might be the worst offensive Big Ten effort we’ll see all season. Nice to get it out of the way, I guess.
Me too. He’s so exciting, and you knew at some point he’d become smarter and more careful with the ball. The shooting, that must be all about his time in Cook Hall that we hear so much about.
You know I’ve always loved his game, since early in his freshman year. It’s nice when those predictions work out.
Ask IU watchers, and they will tell you Oladipo has been the Hoosiers’ best player.
The fact that he has a jumper this year is scary.
Agree, Josh, Oladipo might be ahead of Zeller right now. Victor is playing out of his mind.
Right now, Burke has played the best. But Zeller isn’t far behind. Neither are Paul or Oladipo. Even someone like Berggren has a chance, if he keeps it up.
I like Burke for Player of the Year. His award to lose. Yes, even over Zeller.
Absolutely, people like scoring. It’s Trey Burke’s award, right?
Can DeShaun Thomas win Player of the Year while playing mediocre (charitably) defense?
Yes, they beat Butler, too. I failed to mention that. I’m just not sold on a team with little to no inside game. We’ve seen Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson for three years, and we know they aren’t consistent shooters.
Illinois has also needed last second threes to beat Gardner Webb and Hawaii. Those are bad teams. If those shots miss, it’s still basically the same team, but no way are they in the top 25.
Illinois beat Butler.
I think Ohio State is overrated…
Agree, Brent. Illinois has a really bad frontcourt, and the Big Ten figures to expose that.
I think Illinois is overrated. The Gonzaga win was terrific, but teams that rely on jump shots are going to be inconsistent, especially in rugged Big Ten.
Illinois OWES Purdue, which has had the upperhand for a while in the series. Groce will remind them. And the crowds at Mackey are, um, bad…
They lost a lot off a team that wasn’t exactly dominant last year. They’re also relying on a lot of freshmen. I don’t think this is too unexpected.
Do you know how bad Eastern Michigan is? Oregon State? Almost lost to William and Mary and Ball State, too……
Purdue isn’t at their best, but I think they defend well enough to get 6-7 wins in conference, which would put them in the NIT, without the bad non-conference losses. I like Illinois, but I think it will be close. Purdue matches up very well with the Illini.
I said ONE of the worst. And the program was at an entirely different point than it is now. NO excuse for this stuff.
There is NO excuse for Purdue being THIS bad in Year Eight under Matt Painter. He has ALL his resources,no key injuries. How can you lose to Eastern Michigan, bad Villanova and Oregon State teams? Xavier is average. Bucknell….. C’mon. This team may be lucky to win 4 Big Ten games.
You don’t think they’re worse than the year where Landry was hurt, do you? I think they went 9-19 then, in Painter’s 1st year.
Got to like Illinois. Purdue looks bad. Then again, Purdue always plays hard and it’s never easy to win at Mackey.
I like Illinois. It may be close for a while. But this is one of the worst Purdue teams of the past 25 years. Other than the fact Purdue can’t shoot or dribble, they are great…..
Well, with this one all but over already, who do you guys like for the second game–Purdue or Illinois?
Nebraska now 0 for 9 on two point jumpers, and just 6-16 on layups.
Getting ugly in Columbus, but this isn't a surprise. Ohio State up 46-23 at the first media timeout of second half.—
Brian Rosenthal (@HuskerExtraBR) January 03, 2013
No, Josh: A long, long, LONG … and cold … year ahead in Lincoln. The countdown to spring football has begun, I’m guessing.
This is about the time the guys at the end of the Buckeye bench start looking at each other, wondering when they will get in.
Too much of Nebraska’s offense has been long two-point jumpers. Long, long year ahead in Lincoln.
Funny, Josh: If Ohio State isn’t even playing well and is doing this to Nebraska, …. I’m not even gonna go there.
We have ourselves a football score, 41-17.
Huskers need to work ever possession, extend the possessions. Defense? Maybe a box-and-one on Thomas?
Huskers not even on a point-a-minute pace. Can this game get uglier? Hmmm.
Here’s Tim Miles laying into his team:
Overall, Nebraska at about half a point per possession. That’s pretty terrible.
First half recap, courtesy of Narrative Science:
Deshaun Thomas scored 18 points and grabbed three rebounds for No. 8 Ohio State in the first half to carry the Buckeyes to a 36-17 lead over Nebraska. Lenzelle Smith Jr. added eight points and five rebounds for the Buckeyes, who held Nebraska to 26 percent from the field.
Leading 11-7, the Buckeyes went on a 7-0 run to open up a 11-point advantage.
Ohio State hit four threes in the first half, shooting 44 percent from deep. After already giving up eight offensive rebounds to the Buckeyes, Nebraska will have to keep Ohio State off the boards in the second half. The Buckeyes shared the ball, finishing with nine assists on 15 field goals in the first half.
Dylan Talley and Ray Gallegos carried the Cornhuskers in the first half with 13 of their team’s 17 total points. Talley has scored seven and Gallegos has added six.
Nebraska’s Brandon Ubel had four points and three rebounds.
Nebraska shooting under 25% on two-pointers.
Well, I guess this was the expected result. But Ohio State isn’t even playing very well.
16-2 run to end the half for OSU….
I think they will be lucky to combine for 3 wins.
I would put the O/U at 3.5 wins combined.
20-15, I mean.
OK, here’s a question for you guys: How many wins will Nebraska and Penn State account for, not counting games against each other?
This was 25-20 not long ago..
Six-point swing right there. Talley misses three freebies, Thomas drains 3.
I think Aaron Craft just needs to gain his confidence back with his shot. Right now, something is just not right.—
Ari Wasserman (@AriWassermanBSB) January 03, 2013
This zone is really confusing Ohio State. I think getting Thomas the ball in the middle of the zone will help them out.
Guy looks like he was pulled from some factory league that plays on Tuesday nights.
But yes, it always hurts when a team loses a big body.
I don’t know, he’s really struggled since that Wake game. Not so sure he’d be able to do much in Big Ten play.
This is a terrible turn if Almeida is seriously hurt. One of the few Huskers that can score.
I really had higher hopes for Amir Williams. He can be a defensive beast, but he’s just too raw right now.
What I liked more than Miles fire in that huddle was how Talley also spoke up.—
Brian Rosenthal (@HuskerExtraBR) January 02, 2013
Tim Miles is getting AFTER it. Fran McCaffrey would be impressed….
Um, Tim Miles is not happy. Not at all.
How this is a 5-point game is beyond me.
They have a lot of talent, but it doesn’t fit that well together. But I still think it’s hard to give them anything less than 11 wins.
Josh, where would you put the Buckeyes in the Big Ten? Just seems like they have some big issues that will be hard to overcome in loaded top of B1G.
He does not much care for my thoughts on Craft 
.
And here we go…. Where’s Decourcy so we can talk Craft’s defense?
Agreed, Tom. Craft has been struggling on offense lately.
That Andre Almeida reminds me of ex-Atlanta Braves pitcher Terry Forster.
He reminds me of the fat teammate from Teen Wolf.
Of all the Buckeyes, I think Craft has been most impacted by Sullinger’s departure. Not getting the same open looks w/o the big fella.
Hey, Josh! Plus, you get to see a huge Andre Almeida go to work. BIG body.
And right as I say that, Gallegos hits a 3. BTG reverse jinx strikes again.
There we go! Come on, Gallegos, make this thing interesting.
Hey guys, glad to join you. Nebraska games are always fun because you see all kinds of different ways a ball can carom off the rim.
Forced held ball to Ohio State gives Craft steal #191, tying him for second with Dave Lighty on career list. Jay Burson #1 with 204. #buckbk—
Bob Baptist (@BBaptistHoops) January 02, 2013
He’s much more likely to do so on the defensive end, if you ask me. O needs a lot of work.
I wonder if Amir Williams ever will develop into a force. He was a touted recruit.
I don’t think there’s a single Big Ten coach who wouldn’t want Brandon Ubel on his team. He’d be an excellent piece on a strong contender.
If Sam Thompson continues to develop, he could be that man.
Lenzelle Smith is probably the best candidate. We’ve seen him score, and score a lot, in some games, but he hasn’t been consistent.
Correct, Brent. Who in your mind needs to step up and fill that role?
Not just that, Tom, but a second reliable/consistent scorer (like 12-16 ppg). Need someone to do it every game.
OK, this one is going to get real ugly if Nebraska doesn’t hit a shot soon. Bad shooting team vs. good defense team = no bueno.
No, Dan Bonner: Ohio State does NOT have all the pieces to the puzzle. Look at the interior….
Good point. To be fair, you could probably say that for Deshaun Thomas just about every time out.
Don’t know if the Huskers can guard DeShaun Thomas. He could go off for 30 tonight.
Deshaun Thomas taking over early, making a three and a tough runner to put Ohio State up 7-3. Leads Big Ten in scoring coming in—
Jeff Svoboda (@JeffSvoboda) January 02, 2013
Huskers/ only shot is to shoot lights out, probably.
Dan Bonner just took the words out of my mouth. For Nebraska to even stay close in this game, Gallegos needs to hit 5 or 6 treys.
I did! You can watch all of them, over and over, here: http://btn.com/big-ten-dunk-archive/
Did you see those Sam Thompson dunks in the pregame? Holy-Moly!!!
Ler’s see how Nebraska fares in this environment.
I’m interested to see how Aaron Craft plays tonight. He isn’t a great scorer, of course, but Ohio State needs him to be more active. Drive, create fouls, kick it out to open shooters.
FWIW, Ohio State beat Nebraska 71-40 and 79-45 last season. We all hope for a closer one tonight.
@OhioStateHoops starters tonight: Craft, Thompson, Thomas, Smith Jr., Williams #GoBucks—
Brutus Buckeye (@Brutus_Buckeye) January 02, 2013
Huskers starters: Parker, Gallegos, Talley, Ubel and Almeida #Huskers #GBR—
Shamus McKnight (@LeftyShamus) January 02, 2013
Ohio State is 66-30 in Big Ten home openers. Thad Matta is 8-0 in his tenure in the 1st B1G home game of the year.—
Dan Wallenberg (@OSUADAthComm) January 02, 2013
Our Court Pass is live from Value City Arena. Catch it only on BTN2Go: http://www.btn2go.com/btn2go/
You guys keep nattering on about powers Indiana, Michigan and Illinois, skipping over #9 Minnesota. Is this no respect for the Gophs? What gives?