Boilermakers need victory
for chance at postseason
By Kyle Charters
Senior
Writer
If the Boilers aren't chosen for the NCAA tournament,
Coach Gene Keady said the team would accept an invitation to the NIT.
"This young kids need to play some games," said
Keady. "Hopefully, it will be here as a home game. They can get some
more experience under their belts for when we get Rodney and John back
next year with these three new recruits coming in."
Teams in the NIT aren't picked until after the
NCAA tournament selection show on March 11. Times and locations for
the games are decided the following day.
"But wait a minute, you've got to remember that
we have to win a game," said Keady. "If we don't win a game we're not
going to play anything. They're not going to let us."
Teams chosen for the NIT must have a winning percentage
of at least .500. If the Boilers (13-11, 5-8 Big Ten) lose all remaining
games, they will finish at 13-15. Their next contest is at 8 p.m. Wednesday
against the Iowa Hawkeyes (17-8, 6-6) in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
No European vacation
In part because of injuries to juniors John Allison
and Rodney Smith — both are out indefinitely with broken feet —
the Boilers won't be going on a tour of Europe this summer.
Keady said he wants to give Allison and Smith plenty
of time to recover. And after Smith's foot heals, he is planning to
have minor surgeries on both his knees in May.
"There's just too many things going on," said Keady.
"The competition in the spring over there hasn't been good the last
couple of times."
Keady said he is thinking about having Purdue play
in a pre-season tournament next season in either Las Vegas or Hawaii
to make up for the lost trip.
Game time
The Purdue regular season finale against Indiana
has been set for 8 p.m. on March 3 in Mackey Arena and will be televised
on ESPN+. The game could have been played in front of a national television
audience at 4 p.m. on March 4; however, CBS decided instead to show
No. 3 Illinois playing at Minnesota.
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