By: Dakota Isgrigg | January 12th | @dakota_isgrigg | @BoilerInTexas

HAPPY 2021 Y’all!

It’s been a while since the last update here on Boiler In Texas, but hey life happens sometimes. Then the beginning of the year is just as busy as we all try and get back into a normal rhythm so I apologize that it’s taken me this long to get posting again! We have a few games that have happened since my last post so we’re going to just quickly peek at each of them. Going too in depth will take too much time considering how late these are so I’m just going to be giving my one-sentence (or more, so what sue me) review of each game and move on. Then at the end, I want to talk about the next few games as well as plans going forward!

Here we go!

December 22nd, 2020: Purdue 55 @ Iowa 70

Luka Garza is good at basketball scoring 22 points and Purdue struggled to get the stops necessary to keep it close down the stretch. Trevion Williams led Purdue with 14 points and 9 rebounds. He and Brandon Newman (11pts) were the only Boilers to hit double digits. Tough game but this was going to have to be an above-average performance for Purdue to have a chance.

December 25th, 2020: Purdue 73, Maryland 70

Brandon Newman went absolutely crazy garnering 17 points on 7-11 shooting to lead the way. He was one of 4 Boilers in double figures (T-Will (10), EHJ (16), and Jaden Ivey (11) were the others). Purdue got out to a 41-28 lead at halftime before Maryland showed why the Big Ten is so tough this year. The Terps never gave up and made some shots down the stretch to keep it close. (This win has gotten better and better with time)

December 30th, 2020: Purdue 76 @ Rutgers 81

This was a tough one as Rutgers was without their leading scorer and a few other key guys but Purdue wasn’t able to pull it out. Trevion once again led the way with 21 pts and 12 rebounds on 10-12 shooting. The poor three-point shooting is what really did Purdue in against Rutgers as the Boilers go just 7-26 (26.9%) from beyond the arc against 11-21 (52.4%) from Rutgers. This is one that isn’t a bad loss, just disappointing with how close it was.

January 2nd, 2021: Purdue 58 @ Illinois 66

This was another game that was going to be extremely challenging for Purdue, they couldn’t afford to make many mistakes and still win. Purdue played well enough to win but unfortunately, like Rutgers, just couldn’t get the stops necessary to pull ahead. Not a bad loss by any stretch of the imagination; but, considering it was their third loss in their last 4 games, Purdue fans were pining for a win to get some momentum back.

January 5th, 2021: Purdue vs Nebraska

Postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the Nebraska program. Losing this game was really tough because after a really tough stretch away from Mackey, this is the type of game you want to get your mojo back at home to get some positive momentum as you move forward with a still tough schedule.

January 8th, 2021: Purdue 55 @ Michigan State 54

Finally, we have reached our most recent contest! Purdue traveled to East Lansing looking for another quality win after falling just short in other contests. It appeared that it was not to be as Purdue really struggled in the first half really struggling to reach 16 points by halftime. That said, one of the most impressive things about this team is that they will never give up and will continue to fight no matter what. Trevion Williams was absolutely unstoppable scoring 24 of his 26 points in the second half including the game-winner! It was a very impressive performance from the big man who reminded everyone that he is an absolute problem if you aren’t ready for him. This is a great win for this team who desperately needed a win like this as they make a bid for the postseason.

And that’s it! We are caught up on Purdue basketball and now we can try to get back to our regularly scheduled programming after each game. I also want to get The Runaway Train Sports Podcast going again as it has been more than a few months since the last episode was recorded. I want to begin doing weekly episodes again to cover the previous week in Purdue news so keep an eye out for that wherever you listen to podcasts!

Up next for Purdue basketball is the team we all love to hate, Indiana on the road for bragging rights as well as staying ahead in the conference! I believe this will be a good game and it will come down to whoever can make the plays down the stretch. Purdue showed in the MSU game that they can keep poised in tough situations. Here’s hoping that Purdue is able to pull it out!

As always, Boiler Up, Hammer Down, Hail Purdue!