Three Thoughts is a new feature GoldandBlack.com will run every Monday morning in-season.
ON THE SEASON THAT WAS
As a staunch believer in the meaning of words, I have a really hard time using the word "disappointing" to describe any season that included a near-school record for wins and a variety of historical benchmarks, as Purdue's just did.
But as an even more staunch believer in the importance of context, I totally get why people would describe this just-concluded Purdue season that way.
Purdue was a flawed team this season. Even when it was rolling in November and December, those flaws were evident to anyone who wasn't too bleary-eyed from checking airfare to New Orleans on their phones after every win.
This team did have flaws that undercut its immense talent, but even with those flaws, this group was capable of so much more.
Purdue didn't just not win a Big Ten regular season title or the postseason tournament; it should have won them. I can't credibly say Purdue should have gone to the Final Four, but can say that the Boilermakers didn't so much as give themselves their best chance to. Purdue didn't give itself its best chance to do any of it — regular season, postseason, whatever.
Back in Connecticut in November, that's when people started talking about Purdue as a national title contender and all that, but if those were more nuanced conversations than they were knee-jerk reactions among the national-media types who drive those conversations, there would have been qualifiers applied.
Purdue wasn't guarding anyone back then.
The turnover issue probably really hadn't surfaced as of yet, nor had the foul-shooting issue, but the reality was that was a Purdue team whose two best players were sophomores and the assumption of smooth sailing the rest of the way, especially to those who understand the difference between November basketball and Big Ten basketball, was a flawed premise.
