I started doing my usual Maryland rehearsal and concluded: it didn’t matter. None of that matters in the long run, but nothing matters more than who plays for Maryland basketball in 2026 (no offense). In fact, maybe it’s time for Purdue to stop spending so much energy on big-minded scouting report basketball where they crunch the numbers and decide that Oscar Clough, in fact, is the guy you want in Keaton Wagler, or the “let that guy take the open shot” strategy and ultimately get that guy to take the open shot.
Regardless, this is a statement game for the Boilermakers.
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Personally, I want the statement to be “We’re tired of just playing well enough to win.”
Maryland’s basketball team has struggled this year. They were 1-8 in Big Ten play, and Michigan State treated them like a JV team, beating them 48-91 at the Breslin Center. I watched the first half of that game, and a 43-point loss didn’t do justice to the disparity between the two teams. I’ve never seen a game more deserving of Mercy Reign than that one. Maryland should skip the locker room at halftime and head straight to the bus because not only do they lack the talent and teamwork to play with Michigan State, but they also lack the interest to compete.
If this Purdue team is interested in living up to the preseason/November hype, it’s time to take basketball seriously again. It’s fun to move the ball everywhere on offense and get everyone to take 12-foot jumpers, and when it works, it looks great. When it doesn’t work, when the Boilermakers inevitably get cold feet, it keeps teams in the game who shouldn’t be playing in the first place. In retrospect, all those early-season games in which this team refused to beat opponents they had nothing to do with on the field were bigger warning signs than I initially suspected.
For reasons I don’t quite understand, this team isn’t as locked in as it should be. When it’s time to deliver the killing blow, they glide. The second half against Washington was a perfect example of this team’s problems. They entered the locker room with a 45-28 point lead to decide the game but were outscored 45-36 by the Huskies in the second half. Washington center Franck Kepnang was alone up front in the second half and Purdue was pleased with that as they held a comfortable lead.
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This team is capable of winning a national championship when they turn it on, but they only seem to turn it on when they feel they have to. Playing hard feels more like something they’re forced to do a few times in the game so they can get back to doing fun things. No one was personally offended when Wagler took it upon himself to burn a “Defense Here” sign because a freshman did whatever he wanted on their home court and smiled and laughed while he did it. I know it’s a new era in college basketball and everyone is friends from AAU and the name on the back of the jersey is more important than the front, but the idea of someone doing this with a McGee team against Gene Keady’s team is unfathomable.
This is a game where Purdue should step up and dominate. Maryland is one of the worst teams in major college basketball. That’s not my opinion, man, that’s what the statistics and subsequent game results say. Purdue needs to win this game by 20+. If they don’t, it’s because they haven’t put in the effort necessary to beat them 20+. If that’s the statement this team makes, I’m going to have to rethink my entire opinion on this team, something I haven’t done with Purdue basketball in a long time.
I’m still cautiously optimistic that this team can figure out what’s missing. I called it gritty in my last preview, but some people disagreed. Painter came out and said Indiana “got tough” on Purdue. I’ve seen this too. I’ve seen it all season.
It’s time to get tough today.
