I now understand that my word means nothing to any of you, if I say I’m not going anywhere. I’m sorry for that but I think you’ll enjoy LB-U.com. It’ll have my basketball expertise, some other people’s basketball expertise, and a whole lot of other news regarding Penn State athletics. Hell, if you’re reading this blog, you’ve probably already read theirs, too.

Anyway, you can still tweet me (lbu_eric) and email me (still raisethecurtains@gmail.com). But all of my content will be over there, starting today. It’s been real.

But what really got me into this team was that Wisconsin game. That was a very important game at the time with the Lions sitting 4-4 in the league. PSU overcame an early 13 point deficit and reversed what appeared to be the same old script against the Badgers.

However, the excitement of that monumental victory wore off (hey, when you beat a team for the first time in 8 years, it’s monumental). The Lions were dealt with the roadtrip from hell trying to get to Champaigne for their Illinois game a few days later. They looked predictably jet-lagged and were never able to muster the energy to compete. I’m never one to make excuses, but I’m sorry. After playing that bruiser on Sunday then traveling for 18 hours or whatever absurd time it took to get there (after the detour in Evansville, IN), there’s no way you have the energy to play another 40 minutes of Big Ten basketball. The ugly loss wasn’t a big deal at the time, but Jeff Brooks’ gross injury certainly was. It looked like a dislocated shoulder, which would be 4-6 weeks on the shelf. Season over.

But in the following days before the UM game, the news out of PSU was Jeff Brooks was a freak. There was even talk that he would be available just 5 days after the injury. I didn’t believe it until I went to the game early and was greeted by Mr. Brooks dunking with no limitation. Maybe the season wasn’t over. But Brooks sat out the game, which should’ve been expected.  So PSU decided they were going to piss away the game to Michigan for the 2nd straight year at home. The Lions blew 2 separate double digit leads to get swept by the Wolverines. I’ll never know how that happened but that put DeChellis’ team in what appeared to be an insurmountable hole (that remains to be seen).

They got another opportunity a few days later, as you always do in the Big Ten, to get a good road win against a reeling MSU squad. At the time, MSU had won just 1 of their last 6 games. That one win was an OT squeaker at home against Indiana. In probably the most disappointing performance of the year, the Lions got run out of the building. It was an inexcusable, pathetic effort from this senior-laden team that hinted to us fans that these guys were giving up on the season.  No other way to explain that egg.

Thank God the schedule gave us our healthy dose of Northwestern Wildcats in the next game. It was the only medication to end the 3 game slump. The Lions rolled 65-41 as Talor reached 2,000 career points.

DeChellis says he has his team thinking every remaining game is an NCAA game, which I applaud him for. Because in reality, it is. I still think the ultimate goal to put PSU in the picture is 10-8 in conference. At 6-7, Penn State would need to go 4-1 in their last 5 games to reach that mark. The first game in this remaining stretch was the first matchup of the season with Minnesota, at home on ESPN.  In one of the more interesting ‘tall vs. small’ matchups, Penn State shot 31 threes on their way to a 66-63 squeaker. Talor performed like a desperate senior, hitting 7 treys and 28 points. However, there is no way PSU is hitting 12 treys in their return trip to the Barn in 2 weeks.

So PSU needs 3 of their last 4 games. The schedule is @Wisconsin, @Northwestern, Ohio State, @Minnesota. I can only see Northwestern as a W. Does this Penn State squad seem like they can be one of the few elite teams that can go into the Kohl Center and win today? I mean, Bo’s only lost 6 conference games at home in 10 seasons (out of 82!). KenPom gives PSU a 9% chance. I say that’s very generous. The line is set at 12.

There is no more room for mulligans for this team. They have a great opportunity today to make a bubble statement similar to Nebraska’s yesterday. A sweep against Wisconsin I think will more than make up for the UM sweep and Maine loss. But that’s going to require a perfect game from the Nittany Lions, and probably some cold shooting from the Badgers. Tip’s at 6 EST. Hopefully we see a better game than the last 2 road trips.

It was another tale of two halves, though, as the outcome of the game looked very bleak at halftime. Wisconsin played their usual, grueling style, and PSU was ice cold from the floor. The Badgers jumped out to a 22-9 lead with 7:39 to play on another agonizing bucket at the shot clock buzzer, this time courtesy of a Jordan Taylor 3 at the top of the key. DJ Jackson and Jermaine Marshall hit some big shots to keep the Lions in the game, but it just seemed a lot like the 2009 Wisconsin home game all over again (that the NIT champs lost 54-44). Even when the Nits looked like they were gonna get a stop, Wisky would get the offensive board or draw a foul. It can be really frustrating to watch, especially when you know Wisconsin is going to waste another 30 seconds of game clock.  The halftime numbers were ugly, and it would’ve been a lot worse if Wisconsin didn’t turn it over 6 times.

However, PSU came out fearless and stormed back. They went on an 18-6 run to start the half, taking a 38-35 lead. This was due to Talor Battle getting on track and Tim Frazier having a positive impact. Tim had a rough start to the game, getting burned on defense and turning it over on offense. He only played 8 minutes, then sat (largely due to Marshall’s effectiveness). But when he was in for this stretch, TB and TF were effective penetrating against Wisconsin’s defense. Talor had a couple nice finishes around the tin, especially a nice off hand flip high off the glass over Jon Leuer. Tim also had two nice drives, one resulting in a double-clutch layup at the end of the shot clock, while the other resulting in a mid-air pass between two defenders for an Andrew Jones dunk.

The two plays that really put it away for PSU on the offensive end down the stretch, IMO, were Jeff Brooks’ trey right in the face of Leuer, and Battle’s drive and dish to Jones for a layup with 1:15 remaining (extended the lead to 6).

Wisconsin was struggling on offense in the 2nd half, as well. I was disappointed with how little credit Bo Ryan gave the PSU defense, pretty much saying the Badgers missed some easy shots. Mike Bruesewitz missed a couple jumpers and Jordan Taylor missed a contested layup near the end of the game (that would’ve cut a 48-44 PSU lead to 2), but the Nittany Lions did a great job of closing down the interior and forcing Wisconsin into difficult jumpers. Jon Leuer went 0-4 from 3, but I didn’t think he got any particularly easy looks. Before the desperation heaves started, Wisconsin was 6-20 from the field in the 2nd half, they finished 9-28 (32.1%). PSU was 12-19 (63.2%) and Talor Battle scored 20 of his 22 points in the period. Wisconsin only shot 3 foul shots for the game, which symbolized their inability to get it inside against PSU’s changing zone/man looks on defense. It was nice to see Talor have one of his best defensive performances of his career, shutting down Taylor in the second half (only 4 points) after he torched the Lions last year at the Kohl Center.

The Lions sit now at 5-4, tied for fourth in the conference. They only have two remaining games against the clear top 3 of the conference (@ Wisky, OSU). They still have yet to face Minnesota, a team who has looked vulnerable without Al Nolen (who is now out for the year), and Northwestern, a team PSU seems to own. They have two road trips to Illinois and Michigan State (two arenas these guys have won in before), along with a remaining home game against Michigan. The Lions have to keep winning to stay in the hunt. The main concerns about the Lions’ resume are the lack of OOC quality wins and road wins. Clearly the OOC is in the past, but PSU will get some benefit of the doubt for having a respectable SOS (especially since everyone on the bubble is going to have holes in their profiles). Remember, PSU was punished in 2008-2009 not for not beating anybody in the OOC, but for SCHEDULING nobody in the OOC. And as far as road wins, if PSU gets to 10-8, they’ll have won at least one road game, possibly 2 (unless they beat potential 1-seed OSU). That likely won’t be a problem if PSU wins as much as they should to have earned a bid.

Bottomline is, this team has a legit chance, but it’s silly to throw out set win totals just yet. It totally depends on the bubble, which will be in fluctuation until Selection Sunday. Who knows how many of the now 37 at-large bids will be available. The number changes drastically during Championship week. Just please don’t think that if this team finished 16-13 or 17-12, they wouldn’t be in the conversation. Your total W-L record means absolutely nothing.

Talor Battle got back on track, as he usual does against the weaker defenses of the conference. He scored 23 points on 8-13 shooting and extended his streak at the foul line to 24 straight (and 82.2% in conference play). He is now 88 points shy of 2,000 for his career (likely to come at home against Northwestern in a few weeks). He is also 226 points away from Jesse Arnelle for the leading scorer in program history. If we make the postseason and he stays healthy, he’ll likely get there. Jeff Brooks continued his All Big Ten campaign, scoring 22 points on 9-17 shooting and maintaining the block parade with 3 more swats (I mean, look where he comes from to make this block). Drew Jones had a near double-double with 9 points and 10 rebounds.

As a team, it needs to be noted that they have dominated the boards the last 5 games, after getting humiliated in the home Purdue game. It continued last night as they posted a +40% offensive rebounding percentage for the third straight game. Also, how about this team from the free throw line? 44-46 (95.6%) the last 4 games. That is unheard of for good foul shooting teams, let alone this PSU squad who has been notoriously bad over the years. These are the little things that will make the difference in games.

So this sets up a pretty big showdown with Wisconsin on Saturday for another Coaches vs. Cancer clash. PSU has just survived their gauntlet, and they were able to put the heartbreak of OSU and PU behind them. They now stand at an even 4-4 in the conference. This next 6 game stretch will make or break these Lions. They have a legitimate chance to win all 6 of them (although the first 2 are going to be the toughest, IMO). If the Lions go 4-2 or better, they’ll be pretty close to reaching their goal of the NCAA Tournament. If they don’t, they’re gonna have to pull off some shockers at the end of the year (last 4 games = 3 road trips and a home date with Ohio State).

As far as Wisconsin, they’re going to be tough as nails, as usual. Ed still has yet to get off his schnide against Bo Ryan. Jon Leuer and Jordan Taylor form one of the best duos in the nation. The Lions are going to have to defend as well as they can – hopefully limiting the # of breakdowns because the Badgers will take advantage. The improved frontline dominance has to continue as well. Yes, when you make over 60% of your 2′s and rebound over 40% of your own misses, you are dominating. I’m looking for DJ Jackson to be an X-factor. Battle against Taylor, Brooks against Leuer, Jones against Nankivil are all fairly even match-ups. We need DJ to get free against Mike Bruesewitz/Tim Jarmusz. Any and all bench production would be a very welcome sight, as well. I just have a gut feeling that Billy Oliver is going to have a small ‘breakout’ performance very soon. I think Wisconsin and their slow pace might be a good matchup for it. I know Billy’s really been struggling, but some people just don’t see how intelligent the guy is on the court. His shot is way too pure to be shooting as poorly as he has been.

Anyway, if you’re reading this, go to the game. This team deserves the support. Talor Battle is the best athlete this school has had since Michael Robinson, he deserves an audience. Also, be sure to check out my Q/A session with Wisconsin blog – Bucky’s 5th Quarter.

Going into the Illinois game Tuesday, I thought PSU had a chance to win. Despite Illinois’ torrid shooting and fast start, they have always been soft inside. We have matched up well with them, and that’s why this has been the closest Big Ten series over the last 4 years. I knew the Illini’s blistering shooting had to regress towards the mean, and that usually happens on the road in conference. Lo and behold, PSU played great defense, Talor made ridiculous shots, Drew Jones showed up for the 2nd straight game, and PSU stole a 2nd big upset in 2 games.

Going into yesterday’s game, I thought PSU had no chance. With these past 2 wins and the quick 3-2 start in conference play, NCAA tourney talks crept up once again. That is still the measuring stick for this season, but I’m cautiously not buying it quite yet. We had two great wins, but they were against squads that we have had success over the last few years. This group of seniors have gone 6-7 against the Illini and Michigan State. Other than a 37 point loss to the Spartans back in 2007-2008, the average margin of those games for the Nits has been -0.5 points. Nothing special, but we can play with and beat those guys. Compare that record to the record against Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Purdue – 1-16, with an average margin of -13.1 points. If PSU wants to go dancing, they can’t take 6 automatic L’s in conference play.

They already were not competitive in their first home bout with the Boilers this year, but yesterday’s gutsy effort was a clear signal that this is not the same team that lost to Maine 3 weeks ago. Those two victories seem to have given this team a newfound confidence. I thought PSU would have a slight chance to pull their third upset in a row with the way the Buckeyes had been playing, but with Duke’s loss, an opportunity for #1 was at stake. And the Nits pushed the Bucks to the brink to earn it.

Clearly, this game was lost on the defensive end and with turnovers. Disappointing since it wasted such a tremendous effort on the glass. PSU did what they could to slow down freshman phenom Jared Sullinger, forcing other OSU players to beat them. Yesterday, it was Aaron Craft, the true freshman PG, who scored a career-high 19 points with 7 assists and great defense on Talor Battle (5-17 from the field, 1-10 from 3).  But despite Talor’s woes, the rest of the team played out of their minds. Tim Frazier had his best offensive game this year with 11 points (4-4 from the floor), 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. DJ with 19, Jeff with 11, and Drew Jones with 8 points and a fantastic job keeping Sully off the glass. The rest of the team shot 20-28 for an eFG% of 76.7%.

The inability to get some key defensive stops down the stretch was certainly frustrating, but this is the 2nd best offense in D-1. I didn’t really like the lack of help for Billy Oliver on Sullinger down the stretch after Andrew Jones fouled out on a pathetic call (the officiating all around was excruciating). It wasn’t particularly exciting to see Craft bury open jumper and after open jumper. But PSU picked their poison and sold their souls to having Craft beat them, and he did.

It’s just frustrating because this would’ve been a win that could’ve gone a long way to curing the non-conference stumbles for the Tournament resume. This would’ve been the Nits golden ticket – a road win versus a potential 1 seed. As long as the team gets over the emotional letdown and responds, I think this team is still alive. Now the Nits sit at 3-3 through a third of the conference season. If they want to go to the tournament, they will most likely need to get to 11 total Big Ten wins. Whether that means going 9-9 and winning 2 in the BTT, or 10-8 +1, or hell, just 11-7 in the conference would make their RPI in the low 30s. Is that going to happen? Not very likely, but this team has a winning ‘it’ factor, just like the 08-09 team. They just went toe-to-toe on the road against the likely league champion, a team they have barely even been competitive with in-league the last 5 years. The light bulb is on and this team is ready to make noise in the league. Whether or not it’s too late remains to be seen.

This was actually PSU’s fastest game of the season at 72 possessions. Part of that was because of the 51 fouls that were called that really made the 2nd half tough to watch. Some was inexplicably PSU’s doing at the end of the game despite still being down by 11-14, but most of it came from Hightower and his crew. Purdue shot 41 free throws, while PSU shot 20.

Offensively, PSU did a great job taking care of the ball against the Boilers, but that was about it. They didn’t shoot well, particularly Battle who was hounded all night by Lewis Jackson, Kelsey Barlow, and Terone Johnson. Talor finished with 18 points, but on 22 shots (6-22).  The star of the game was easily Jermaine Marshall, who came out of nowhere for 18 points in 28 minutes. This coming from a guy with a TOTAL of 24 minutes and 12 points on the year. He exploded against easily the Lions’ toughest opponent to date, which has left everyone wondering what the heck the guy did to be buried on the bench all year. He showcased some slick spin moves on his fearless drives to the basket, but also showed the ability to hit the open 3. It was the perfect display of everything I had been hearing about his game the last 2 years. Please play him more, Ed. At some point, proving yourself in practice means nothing when you prove yourself like this in your first Big Ten game.

I was disappointed by DJ’s 4 shots, but then again, this proves the point. Everyone has been bitching for more production from ‘the other guys’, so one of the big 3 is going to suffer with less shots. Andrew Jones made 3 jumpers and Jermaine obviously did his thing. And how about some love for Jeff Brooks. The much-maligned senior is off to a fantastic conference start. After last night’s 15 and 10 performance, he is now averaging 18 points (on 71% shooting) 7.7 RPG, and 2 BPG in conference play. It doesn’t look like the glimpses seen in the non-con were flukes.

Defensively, the Nits got burned again for 1.15 PPP. But there were at least some good signs, particularly Moore’s off night. The Lions actually forced some turnovers and got some run outs (14 fast break points). I missed the first half of this game, but obviously Ryne Smith going 5-5 from 3 is terrible, but the 2 I saw were contested, tough shots. Kid is just shooting very well right now. It’ll be interesting to see how well he shoots the rest of the way. Same with Lewis Jackson who hit some very difficult, fade-away jumpers. Purdue dominated the boards, but sometimes that didn’t even yield points. For instance, one possession early in the 2nd half, the Boilers got credited with 4 offensive boards but they didn’t score.

Probably the most disturbing issue for me was this team just already looks fatigued. It might be from the quick turn-around from Sunday’s game, and it also might be tough to play in front of an empty arena, but it’s going to be interesting to see how this team holds up physically throughout the rest of the season. They don’t have much time to rest as the Spartans come to town Saturday at 1:00 PM. Tickets are not included in the student season package but they are free to all students.

Y’know, the Lions like making blogging easy. Why did PSU lose? They didn’t play defense, which has pretty much been the key to every game this year against big time opponents. It was a total team effort. They were way too quick to provide help to drivers, leaving numerous known shooters wide open. They were never able to get that key stop in the 2nd half to stop the Michigan comeback and extend their lead (that should’ve been bigger with how well the offense played in the 1st half, but defensive breakdowns prevented that). It’s so incredibly frustrating to watch. Y’know it’s bad when enemy bloggers are not giving as much credit to their own team because the opposing defense was that bad.

The defense negated a great effort from Talor Battle (31 points), while Jeff Brooks and DJ Jackson provided other scoring options (combined 31). The offense was just fine, although it was clear the team lacked juice at the end of the 2nd half. The price you pay for having such a short bench.

I always feel the need to note that 1 – UM’s OReb% is so low is because they shot so well and 2 – UM’s TO% is low to begin with, but most, if not all of those were unforced. The 1.27 PPP was the 2nd worst showing by the Nits defense this season (Ole Miss – 1.42 PPP).

So onto the next one. The Nittany Lions face a pretty brutal schedule the next 2 weeks with 5 straight ranked opponents, starting and ending with the 10th ranked Boilermakers of Purdue. The Boilers come in after demolishing UM 80-57 and beating NW 82-69, well on their way to being successful without Robbie Hummel.

It’s hard to imagine the Lions being competitive in this one. Purdue knows only 3 players can score for PSU and they will be on them all game long. Unless Battle gets in the zone, or the nonexistant role players start proving to be viable options, this team is going to struggle to score. And when that happens, all hope is lost because I have no idea how to get this team to D it up.

Who’s going to slow down All-American candidate JuJuan Johnson? He’s abused Andrew Jones enough, maybe Billy Oliver will get his turn. And Purdue doesn’t have a shortage of 3-pt bombers. E’Twaun Moore is having his best season yet at 20.4 PPG and 45.5% from 3. After the 1-2 punch, Purdue has many options for more scoring. Recently it has been Ryne Smith, who has scored 30 points in PU’s first 2 conference games. Moore, Smith, D.J. Byrd, and freshman Terone Johnson all can hit the 3.

Purdue has much more depth, ability, and defense. I don’t PSU overcoming any of this to pull out the W tonight. But stranger things have happened. I’d expect Purdue to win by double digits.

PSU can win, but as usual, it all depends on Jeff Brooks. UM has a fresh, green frontline that I don’t think can handle Brooks’ versatility. True freshmen Jon Horford, brother of Al, is the only shot-blocking presence for Michigan, but I think he’ll have some trouble with Brooks’ quickness. I don’t see anybody stopping Brooks but himself or the zebras. Need another big game from Jeff today.

Defensively, I think the key is A) what defense DeChellis throws out there and B) how can Frazier guard breakout star Darius Morris (if the Lions play primarily man). Morris isn’t a deep threat, but he’s nearly the top assist man in the country and is making 58% of his 2′s (out of 108 attempts, around 8 a game). Michigan has a lot of shooters that can bust any zone looks, so I think the Lions will go back to man. It’ll also be huge if DJ Jackson, a 5th year senior, can stifle true freshmen wing man, Tim Hardaway Jr.

Taran Buie is out again today, so I don’t think any bench production is going to make any difference. Michigan’s future looks bright. It seemed obvious to me that Harris and Sims last year did more to hurt that team than help them. They are better without them, but they still only have 10 scholarship players, 8 of whom are underclassmen. Penn State’s experience should make the difference today, but there is no positive certainty with this squad.

KenPom likes Michigan 63-58. I have to agree. Penn State shows continued inability to defend the three point line. That’ll be the difference. Plus, I don’t like taking on the risk that Jackson, Battle, and Brooks will all be on for the Nits to win. However, with a pretty daring homestand on the horizon, this is a game PSU needs to win if they want to be competitive in the league.

Now I must admit, I didn’t get to see the game. But it seems pretty simple why the Nits won. They shot lights out, which is usually key ingredient #1 to a Big Ten road win. They also got to the foul line, but the number is a little inflated considering half of the Nits FTAs came with less than 2.5 minutes to go in typical end-of-game foul-a-thon fashion.

Defensively, the numbers are not too impressive. Only 9 forced TOs against a team that practically gives them away? The Nits did keep the Hoosiers off the offensive glass and didn’t put them at the foul line, but the Hoosiers aren’t good up front anyway, so it’s not really saying much. Their main frontcourt contributor, Christian Watford, was hampered with backspasms throughout the game and finished with his worst game of the season. A little disconcerting that despite no inside game, the Hoosiers still shot pretty well, especially from the perimeter (9-20, 45%). But we know this team has defensive issues, so this actually can be considered somewhat of an improved performance. It’ll be interesting to see if PSU sticks to a lot more zone in the future, which they debuted in this game. PSU threw many different looks at the Hoosiers (2-3, 1-3-1, man). Shoutout to Tim Frazier (for a steal and layup in transition) and Jeff Brooks (for a block that landed in PSU’s possession) with some huge defensive plays down the stretch.

Offensively, the Lions took advantage in the first half of some bad defensive breakdowns from the Hoosiers. DJ and Brooks carried the load in the half, combining for 26 of the Lions’ 34 points. DJ did most of his work from the perimeter (3 treys) on some open looks. Brooks paced the Lions the entire game with jumpers and floaters, scoring a career-high 23 points on 12 shots. He also grabbed 8 boards, swatted 3 shots, and didn’t turn the ball over once. Probably the best game of Brooks’ career here. Battle picked it up in the 2nd half with 3 triples, as he finished with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. DJ was quiet in the 2nd half offensively, but finished with 15 points and 8 boards. With Tim Frazier and Andrew Jones completely content with not taking any shots, PSU’s 3-headed attack is going to need to produce in a big way for this team to win games. They combined for 57 points and 22 boards against the Hoosiers. It’s hard to see this team winning in this conference if these 3 don’t combine for at least 50 each night…where would the other points come from?

Taran Buie was suspended this game as it was announced he has been suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules. Certainly disappointing, to say the least. Any promise that a Battle-Buie backcourt brought us in the preseason has pretty much been squandered. There’s not much else to say other than there is not going to be much, if any production from the bench. Only Woodyard and Oliver played against the Hoosiers – combining for 4 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist in just 23 minutes. DeChellis has not utilized a deep bench in his 8 years here, so it’s doubtful anything changes in conference unless injuries occur.

All in all, happy the guys won, but there was nothing in this performance that signaled deficiencies had been addressed. The rest of the conference will do a much better job defending PSU’s 3 attackers. Hard to imagine the trio puts up these numbers again this season.

It’s been one hell of a frustrating ride. Not all of it as been all-for-naught as there have been a couple highlights. Actually, just the 2006 ending of Illinois’ home win streak and the 2009 Big Ten season/NIT title run qualify. Everything else has been maddening ineptitude and heartbreak for players who had to endure such failures.

But I don’t think anything has been more depressing than these last 2 years. After 2008-2009, the program FINALLY had a pulse and he deserves some credit for that. But himself and the staff failed to capitalize on any of that momentum and the program looks headed for rock-bottom once again. Considering I thought this was a very real possibility about halfway through the Big Ten slate LAST season, it’s even more frustrating.

However, it’s really not a big surprise that ED was retained after last season. It took too long for this administration to fire Jerry Dunn. It took too long for this administration to give ED the resources needed to compete at this level. And now it’s taken way too long for this AD to move on from this regime. A valid argument could be made for termination after the following seasons:

• 2006-2007 season – After an improved 2005-2006 season with some success in the conference (6-10), the Lions went on to lose 13 BT games in a row, finishing last for the 3rd time in 4 years. This season also included losses to Stony Brook and SE Louisiana at home in the non-conference slate. This year fell well below expectations considering only one contributor moved on from the previous year’s squad (Travis Parker). With the 2005 recruiting class littered with duds, the roster lacked balance and depth. No progress on the court had been made in 4 years. The 2005-2006 NIT season became a clear effect from 5 wins against a terrible Northwestern team and a depleted Purdue program. At any other school…
• 2007-2008 season – 5 years had gone by and just one meaningless NIT appearance to show for it. Everyone felt bad for how Geary Claxton’s career came to an abrupt end, but it allowed for Battle to showcase his potential. Hard to imagine how that season would’ve played out if Claxton stayed healthy (I think you could argue they would’ve finished with less than 7 conference wins), but it’s even harder to imagine that team in the NCAAs. Especially after the 0-3 showing at the Old Spice Classic, a monumental collapse at home to an average Minnesota squad, and the ass-kicking to UW that was well under way before Clax’s injury. The 2-0 road BT start clearly was helped by NW’s futility and one of the worst Illini teams of the decade. With a little talent left on the roster, a new coach could’ve been brought in to give him some tools to work with. Especially with the infusion into the conference of some of the elite coaches in the game – Tubby Smith and John Beilein along with the emergence of Matt Painter to join the staples of Izzo, Ryan, and Weber. Bringing ED to the battle with those guys is bringing a knife to a gun fight.
• 2009-2010 – But it at least appeared for one year that the loyalty to ED might pay off. And then last year happened. It wasn’t so much that the team lost so many games or didn’t make the tournament, it was how they lost that was so agonizing. They were clearly the sign of an underachieving team that was poorly coached. It seemed like each game was a challenge in finding a new way to lose. The worst game I ever watched was last year’s Michigan game at home. I outlined my reasons for why a change needed to be made last year in the linked post above. Then the defections made it even more urgent. But we were dealt bland, insulting statements from Tim Curley about how he liked the direction of the program and its vision. It has only made him look like a fool, while insulting the 100 people who deeply care about the program.

Our athletic department and their honorable loyalty is why ED is still here. He originally signed to a 6 year contract, which I believe he convinced Curley and Co. that was the necessary time needed to turn the mess of a program around. I disagree but I’m just an outsider, and he did reward the AD with his best year ever in year 6. I guess that bought him two more years regardless of how bad last year was. But there is very little doubt in my mind that Ed DeChellis will ‘resign’ after this year if they expectedly go 5-13 or worse in the conference. It is nice to see the uproar about it all around Twitter and message boards. Usually embarrassing results like last night is met with apathy, but there seems to be plenty of care about this program and the futile results are not being accepted.

I don’t understand the point in firing DeChellis now. This isn’t the pros, and what does it say to the innocent kids like Talor Battle? He deserves better than what he’s going to get, so at least let him play it out. Firing the coach clearly signals that you give up on the season. That said, I’m very curious to see how this team plays the rest of the year. These guys aren’t clueless, they know how unrealistic their goals are now. How long before ED has a mutiny on his hands? I can see Battle being more concerned with his pro prospects than team success if they start out 0-7, which sadly is pretty likely. Then again, it’s usually 1-on-5 80% of the time anyway.

I have no idea what it would cost the university to buy-out the rest of DeChellis’ contract (that runs until 2013-2014, which again are for recruiting purposes). I don’t think it’ll be a factor because I don’t think it’ll be all that much, despite what many cynics say. Yes, our great university is incredibly greedy but this is the breaking point. I just hope a head football coaching search doesn’t detract from what should be an extensive, national search for a qualified new basketball coach.