By GREG MENGELT
Last week, before having watched them, I called the Purdue Boilermakers the second-best college basketball team in the country.
I was wrong.
Purdue has the country’s best team.
Despite JuJuan Johnson playing just 18 minutes due to foul trouble and Robbie Hummel struggling from the field, No. 6 Purdue beat No. 9 Tennessee, 73-72 on Monday, to win the championship of the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
In the past week, I have gone from hoping that Purdue has enough to get to a Final 4 in Indianapolis in April to believing that it is the favorite to win its first national championship since John Wooden led the Boilers to a championship 78 years ago.
On Monday, the Boilermakers beat the Southeastern Conference’s best team, even when they were far from their best. Purdue, usually a high-percentage shooting team, shot just 43.3 against the Volunteers, and Hummel, a 38 percent 3-point shooter a year ago, made just one of his six attempts on Monday.
And it’s not Purdue’s exploits that have me believing that it is the nation’s best team.
No. 1 Kansas struggled with unranked Memphis, No. 2 Michigan State had its difficulties with a Gonzaga team that lost four starters from a year ago, and I still can’t figure out what No. 5 Kentucky has done to be considered a top 25 team, much less a Top 5.
Third-ranked Texas was tied at the half with an Iowa team that is widely considered the worst in the Big Ten.
The one exception may be No. 4 Villanova. I haven’t seen the Wildcats play, but it’s hard to imagine that having lost perhaps its two best players ’Nova can be a top 10 team the following season.
Of course, I’ve never been known as an impartial observer, but the best three teams I have seen are Purdue, Duke and Butler.
INDIANA BASKETBALL
The bad news is that the Hoosiers finished last in the Puerto Rico Shootout, including losses to unheralded Boston University and George Mason.
The good news is that the most critical problem that plagued them during the three-game draught is correctible.
Their shot selection was atrocius, but that’s pretty typical of a team that features six freshmen and five sophomores.
The Hoosiers have a tough schedule upcoming and their going to lose more games before they start winning. They will likely be no better than 6-6 heading into Big Ten play.
The best news is that Indiana has the right man for the job. Tom Crean will get the problems fixed and Indiana will win its share of conference games.
Last week probably cost the Hoosiers any chance of making a post-season tournament this year, but the future still looks as bright as ever.
THIS WEEK IN TIJAN JOBE
A weekly log of the stat line of Indiana’s fan favorite, senior seven-footer Tijan Jobe — 18 minutes, 1-1 field goals, two rebounds, six personal fouls and two points in three games.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
After a fluky win over the Patriots last Sunday, the Colts needed to come back with an impressive win.
That’s exactly what they did.
The Ravens may be only 5-5, but they’re still one of the best teams in the NFL.
Again, the Colts won their tenth straight game with defense. The best news in the first 10 games is that the Colts have shown they are able to overcome mistakes against good teams.
I think it’s obvious that Indy still hasn’t played its best game, and even with three significant season-ending injuries on defense, the Colts stand at 10-0.
Before the season, I picked the Colts to win their second Super Bowl in four years, but even I didn’t see this coming.
INDIANA PACERS
Has anyone else noticed a trend this season with the Pacers?
Troy Murphy is in Indiana’s lineup and it opened with three straight losses.
Troy Murphy goes down with a back injury and the Pacers win five straight.
Troy Murphy’s return to the lineup is followed by three straight losses.
I’m not saying there’s imperical evidence that there’s a connection, but it’s clearly not coincidence.
Murphy is the softest 6-foot-11, 20-point, 10-rebound per game player in the history of the NBA.
It’s never good when your power forward is jacking up 3s and 6-11 players should be able to provide some defense.
Am I the only one who has figured this out?
THE OLD OAKEN BUCKET
Purdue won the Bucket again, 31-14, but that wasn’t the entire story.
The Boilermakers and the Hoosiers both had successful seasons, despite the fact that neither season will end with a Bowl appearance.
With Danny Hope providing, um, optimism, Purdue seems to be headed back to the top-half of the Big Ten.
Indiana, on the other hand, won four games — and had at least two victories taken away— with a young team.
I completely expect both teams to compete for bowl bids in 2010 and beyond.
Those aren’t high aspirations, but we are talking about Purdue and Indiana football.
Contact Greg Mengelt at greg.mengelt@newsandtribune.com
