Purdue vs Illinois Basketball Recap

Purdue 75, Illinois 65

If you've lived long enough, you know that sports is fascinating precisely because it's so thoroughly unpredictable. In an age where "reality TV" is one of the greatest misnomers around, televised sports provide genuine surprises and authentically unscripted drama.

Saturday's game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Illinois Fighting Illini offered a perfect case in point.

A close, hard-fought contest with Big Ten title implications went Purdue's way, but it's the manner of this Boilermaker triumph which will leave basketball junkies and expert analysts scratching their head for a good long while.

If you had told Illinois coach Bruce Weber before Saturday's showdown that his team would walk into West Lafayette, Ind., and shoot 49 percent from the field against a highly-regarded defensive unit from Purdue, the Illini bench boss would have felt very optimistic about his chances. If you had told Weber that his star point guard, Demetri McCamey, would dish out 16 assists and continue the A-grade form that's marked the past month of basketball in Champaign, Ill., the veteran coach would have been thrilled with the ball distribution and unselfishness of his floor leader. And since the "rule of three" is considered to be prudent in discussions such as this one, let's mention a third factor that cut in Illinois's favor: If you had told the visitors' coaching staff that Illini forward Mike Davis would score 16 points, pull down 12 rebounds, and register five blocked shots, my goodness, the men in suits and ties on the Mackey Arena sideline would have been giddy.

There you have it: Three big developments on Saturday afternoon favored Illinois.

But wait: The plot only thickens when you consider the Purdue side of the story.

If you had told Boilermaker coach Matt Painter that his stud center, JaJuan Johnson - the engine behind this team's success in February - would go 1 of 10 from the field and score only five points, he would have inwardly groaned in response to such a scenario. If you had told Painter that his other star, Robbie Hummel, would go 4 of 13 from the field and fail to gain a consistent rhythm on the floor, Purdue's sideline sultan would have cringed or betrayed some sign of concern. And - completing the rule of three from the Purdue perspective - if you had told the Boilermaker brain trust that the home team would shoot only 36 percent and get zero points from backup point guard Lewis Jackson (still recovering from an injury that sidelined him for much of the season), Painter's army of assistant coaches wouldn't have been terribly happy.

So, with all of those scenarios having been addressed, here's whopper number one: They all actually unfolded at Mackey Arena. No joke. McCamey dropped dimes and Davis was dynamic for Illinois, which decisively outshot Purdue from the field and played a solid game at the offensive end of the floor. Purdue's tandem of Johnson and Hummel really did struggle from the field (5 of 25 overall) on a day when PU didn't knock down jumpers.

Naturally, then... Purdue won by 10.

Such is the eternal power of sports to amaze, confound, and entertain.

It's becoming that kind of a year for Purdue, which did need Michigan State star Kalin Lucas to go down with an injury, but has still rallied from a three-game losing streak to dominate the Big Ten ever since. The Boilermakers were an uncertain and tentative team during their January slide, but they've regained the ferocity and focus that has defined the program in the best moments of Matt Painter's tenure as coach. This win over Illinois - attained despite several worrisome statistics - came about as the result of a single-minded intent to get to the foul line. The Illini owned the field goal shooting battle, but Purdue won the war because of a plus-21 margin (24 to 3) in made free throws. By also taking great care of the rock - Purdue coughed up just five turnovers, while Illinois surrendered 14 - the Boilermakers earned more possessions to offset the efforts of McCamey, Davis, and everyone else in a dark road jersey.

Purdue's one step closer to the Big Ten championship. If the Boilermakers can continue to defy the statistical odds the way they did against Illinois, they're a shoo-in to break Michigan State's hold on the conference this season.

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