UM-Purdue: Hello, Middle-of-Nowhere USA

Here is the incident. I go into detail why this was a terrible call in the previous post. I don't know which is more annoying: Chris Kramer's flop, or the girl from palestra.net in this video:



Aside from the terrible on-camera open, the fact the incident isn't shown, and the over-all annoying, condescending quality of this girl's voice, notice how Kramer doesn't seem to have a scratch on him. In the press conference, his face looks brand new. Where's the blood? Stitches? Evidence that he was even touched?! This just speaks to the fact that Manny shouldn't have gotten tossed.

Side note: Props to Patrick Beilein these past two games. He has been the guy to usher off both Manny Harris and Zack Novak after they were thrown out in their respective games. Patrick went to put his arm around Harris' waist in the huddle while the officials reviewed the incident. Right then I knew Harris was done. The police escorted Harris off the court with Beilein yesterday, but at OSU Beilein was the only line of defense between Novak and the Buckeye slappies. Leave it to OSU to give no police protection to a Michigan player.

Here are some more notables:

OHHH, CANADA: Jevohn Shepherd was tied as the leading scorer (10 pts.) for U of M in the game. The guy who played virtually no minutes since December FINALLY gets the chance to play after I've been clamoring for this change for weeks...Coach Beilein must read my blog.

The argument is to play the freshman (Novak and Douglass) in place of Shepherd. I disagree with this. Shepherd has just shown he can score, is a very athletic defender, and can provide more size on the glass. Play him. He's given the coaching staff no reason not to (as far as we know).

Air out of the balloon: When Harris left, this team looked like they had just watched their family pet get run over by a car. The Boilermakers went on tear, outscoring the Maize and Blue 42-23 in the second half. To be leading at the half, without Novak, was a great accomplishment. But asking this team to do for another half, without Manny Harris, is asking too much. There was very little offensive production: Sims only getting 10, Shepherd 10, and Puls 6....wait, PULS?!?! Yeah, Eric Puls is your third leading scorer for this game. Just over 3 minutes of playing time, 2 for 3 for 6 points. Excuse me, I have some drinking to do...

Home Court Advantage: If you ever get the chance to see a basketball game at Mackey Arena, I highly suggest you go. This was provided the Boilermakers with a huge advantage. The students are stacked on top of each other in the same way they are at the Big House. The stadium isn't very big, the bleacher seating inside gives off the illusion that the crowd is rising straight toward the ceiling. When Kramer hit the floor, got back up, and then starting waving his arms to the crowd, I swear the stadium was shaking. It was louder than any arena in the Big Ten and these people love their basketball. Having one of the best home courts is one of the reasons why I think Purdue has been able to have so much success of later.

Evidence to this point: Michigan came into the game shooting close to 78% from the free throw line as a team. That led the Big Ten. In the Purdue game, they shot 53%. Why? Most of the free throw attempts came in the second half, when Michigan was shooting at the basket right in front the student section. Putting the black-shirted "Paint Crew" behind the hoop was genius. It was like shooting into a black abyss. Combine that with the fact that the students are right on top of the court (the same way volleyball fans are at Cliff Keen Arena at U of M) and it's a very intimidating place to play.