Boilers work on day off
to prepare for IU
By Paul Trembacki
Sports
Editor
Less than 24 hours after beating Northwestern 78-59
Saturday, the Purdue men's basketball team realized what it will be
facing next.
"Coach Keady always says, 'Once you get up the
next day, it's a different team.' Now we're preparing for Indiana,"
assistant coach Cuonzo Martin said before practice Sunday.
The Boilers (12-5, 4-2 Big Ten) travel to Bloomington,
Ind., to play the Hoosiers (11-8, 2-3) at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Assembly
Hall.
The Boilers usually have Sundays off and play mid-week
games on Wednesdays, but because the game with Indiana will be broadcast
on ESPN Tuesday, they were back on the court at Mackey Arena at 2:30
p.m. Sunday — about 19 hours after the end of the Northwestern
game.
Purdue center John Allison, who had 17 points,
five rebounds and three blocks against the Wildcats (7-11, 0-6), said
the Boilers began focusing on the Hoosiers as soon as they hit the court
Sunday.
"This is where it happens now," Allison said. "We
know what we did well in the Northwestern game and we've got to try
to capitalize on that heading into Indiana."
Offensively, Allison and forward Rodney Smith excelled
inside against the smaller Wildcats. Smith led all scorers with 27 points
and nine rebounds, but the 6-foot-6 junior and 6-foot-10 Allison know
the points won't come as easily Tuesday.
Indiana has a strong front line that comprises
Jared Jeffries, a 6-foot-9 freshman who averages 13.3 points per game;
Jeffrey Newton, a 6-foot-9 sophomore who puts in 6.3 points per contest;
and Kirk Haston, a 6-foot-10 junior who leads the team in scoring (17.3
points per game) and rebounding (8.7 rebounds per game).
Martin said the key for the Boilers will be rebounding.
The Boilers edged the Wildcats 41-40 on the boards Saturday but they
didn't dominate.
Martin said he thinks the Boilers will win if they
get defensive rebounds that lead to fast breaks on offense.
"With any team, you can execute your offense and
whatever happens, happens," Martin said. "But I think you win ballgames
on the defensive end."
Smith hopes Purdue's defense is good enough to
stop Indiana's offense.
"It's going to be a tough win to get but it's one
that we really need," Smith said.
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