(6)Purdue vs. (11)Baylor

I'm digging deep to get the inside track on Purdue so that we can see how we matchup with the Boilmakers.

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Big Ten

They finished 2nd in the Big 10, a conference that had 4 teams make the tournament (the top four). Baylor finished in the top half of the Big 12, a conference that sent 6 teams to the dance. The Boilers have a pretty hefty conference record but are now struggling due to the large number of freshman starting. Their inexperience and heavy legs may be a key factor if Baylor is to win.

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Obviously, the freshman Moore stands out as the main offensive beneficiary, logging in the most minutes (30.1) and ppg (12.7). But the "other" freshman, Robbie Hummel is could be their most complete player. He is almost in the mold of Kevin Rogers, just not as athletic. Their team is pretty well balanced but they aren't flashy. The bottom line is they are gritty and usually get the job done, even if it's ugly. The fact that the Boilmakers don't have a "go-to" player could hurt them in crunch time.

Purdue's lack of upperclassmen may hurt them sooner rather than later in the tournament. Hopefully Baylor will capitalize on their youth and win. However, it seems that many fans on the Purdue threads are taking this win for granted. Many are skipping this game, saying things along the likes of, "I can't wait to play Xavier in the second round, we might even make it to the Sweet 16". It looks as if they think all their team has to do is show up and they will win. Lol. That's what we thought when we played Colorado and the final score showed it, as a result we almost got left out of the tourney. But, if Purdue makes the same mistake we did, they are done.

If Baylor is to win, we must play better defense than we did against Colorado and the rest of the Big 12 (we gave up an average 80 points per game!) CJ also has to get out of his slump he has been mired in for the last 5-6 games and start making plays like a Bob Cousy nominee would. We must shoot free throws better down the stretch too. Other than that, if we play our game we stand a good chance to win.

Thoughts?

who are usually the starting five players for the bears? i am not looking at the purdue game... cause i already know they will beat them

im lookin for second round and beyond for the bears this year... they are somewhat my cinderella team...