FORT WAYNE – So much for Purdue overlooking IPFW.
Whatever visions the Mastodons may have had in the Boilermakers looking past them tonight at Mackey Arena may have been buried beneath the rubble of a two-point loss to Butler on Saturday at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
It’s not enough that IPFW (7-3) has, on its own merits, warranted attention within the Purdue camp, but if the Boilers (9-3) needed additional emphasis to concentrate on their cousins from the state’s northeast corner, it came in Saturday’s 67-65 loss. It was a game in which Purdue led by 11 points, but let the lead slip away in the final moments.
“We have to do a better job of regrouping after a loss like that,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said in Monday’s teleconference. “You never want to lose that way.”
Meanwhile, IPFW hasn’t lost since a Dec. 1 setback to UMKC in its Summit League opener. Since then the Mastodons have won five straight, which includes a win over Valparaiso, which defeated Butler, which stunned Purdue.
IPFW’s first-year coach Tony Jasick is sure Purdue would have been ready for his team no matter what, but concedes the loss to Butler, which came into the game on a three-game losing streak, probably raised the Boilermakers’ ire.
“I do think, regardless of the overall situation, coach Painter is going to have those guys ready to play,” Jasick said. “Unfortunately for us, they’ll probably be a little bit more focused and dialed in with this team having lost the way they did on Saturday. It really doesn’t change much of our preparation.
“Like I told our guys, no matter what they did or how their game went on Saturday, we’ve got to be prepared to play. The challenge of going into Purdue is still the same challenge; that they’re really, really going to guard you; they’re very physical and very tough. We’ve got to be locked in; we’ve got to be strong and have a lot of confidence and poise offensively versus their pressure.”
IPFW should be able to add a little pressure of its own with the addition of guards Justin Jordan and Antwaun Boyd.
NCAA transfer rules required Jordan had to sit out the first semester after he transferred from Saint Louis. And Boyd missed the first semester due to academic difficulties.
“This will be a true test for us; one, because of how we lost our last game, and two, because IPFW’s a good team,” Painter said.
“They’ve got a kid by the name of Frank Gaines who’s averaging about 21 points on the wing and is a very good scorer. They’ve got a good post in Trey McCorkle inside, who’s just gotten better every year. And they have good pieces.”
