Defining Success for the 2020-21 Basketball Season
By: Dakota Isgrigg | March 24th | @dakota_isgrigg | @BoilerInTexas
Credit: Journal & Courier
It has been a while since I have put words to screen here on the site. A lot happened in life and some things do come first believe it or not.
Since the last post I’ve written, Purdue’s basketball season has come and gone. I’ve been hesitating to put my thoughts down because when the season comes to an end, it’s a weird feeling. It really makes you think and sometimes that’s the hardest part.
But alas here we are. Purdue had a first-round exit in the NCAA tournament at the hands of North Texas, and just like that, a weird season comes to a close. Let’s talk about a few things.
NCAA Tournament vs North Texas
I really debated with myself if I wanted to actually write about this game to the point where I think sliding it into this article will be good enough.
Purdue took on the Mean Green of North Texas in the Friday evening slot of the first round of the NCAA tournament. And in an effort to keep this brief because it still hurts a lot to think about. Purdue was beaten by an experienced Conference USA team that came out with a plan and executed it to perfection.
North Texas had a game plan of defending the paint when Purdue had the ball, pressuring them into being uncomfortable on offense, and getting slow deliberate shots when the Mean Green were on offense. They made the shots they needed to. And with every shot that went down, it felt like the divide grew larger and larger.
Purdue went down early due to the execution of North Texas, and the lack of execution by the Boilermakers. In the second half, Purdue made a few runs led by Jaden Ivey and Trevion Williams. Purdue pulled within 1 possession a few times, tied the game a few times, but could not get over the hump as the game went to overtime where they eventually fell short in extra time.
It was a valiant effort in the second half but Purdue just couldn’t get the defensive stops necessary. They had three free-throws that would have put Purdue ahead and it would have felt like the momentum was finally on our side, but three straight missed free-throws put that to bed as North Texas continued to make the shots they needed to to come out the victor.
The loss ended Purdue’s season and begins the offseason for this group. They will have some time off, and eventually welcome the next class of Boilermakers to campus as they continue to work, grow, and mature towards the 2021-22 season.
Defining Success for 2020-21
The 2020-21 season is going to go down in history as one of the oddest seasons we will remember. With it came many questions that weren’t even associated with the guys on the court. When you turned your eyes to Purdue Men’s basketball, many questions surrounded this squad. How would the freshman be in their first real action? How would Mason Gillis and Brandon Newman look after a redshirt year? Would the lack of Senior leadership hurt this team? Those and many more loomed as Purdue took the court in the fall looking ahead to the season.
What followed was an interesting year with ups, downs, and all arounds as we saw this young group of Boilermakers come into their own before our very eyes. It was a group that needed time and minutes on the court together to start to play as a unit. Of course, the only way to get that was to have patience and faith that this coaching staff could get these young guys to play to their potential.
The fickle thing about expectations is that they are rarely static. They shift and change as time goes on. At the beginning of the season, fans were hoping for improvement, growth from the older guys, and seeing the potential of the young guys come out over the course of the season. In terms of post-season expectations, fans were hoping for a middle to upper finish in the Big Ten, as well as a shot at the NCAA tournament. That would have been a very successful season for a team that ranked in the bottom 10 in all of division-one in average age. They were one of the youngest 10 teams in the country.
What followed was a masterful job by Coach Matt Painter and staff. Purdue finished the season 4th in the Big Ten. Not bad for a bunch of freshmen. They also did this in a very tough Big Ten that rarely gave anyone an easy game. They also battled for a 4-seed in the NCAA tournament. So over the course of the season, we went from hoping for a middle-of-the-pack Big Ten finish and fight for the postseason, to a top-4 finish in the conference and a top-16 seed in the NCAA tournament.
As the post-season came, the expectations shifted. Our eyes drifted higher at the thought of post-season success not many people thought would come this soon. In the end, Purdue’s youth got the better of them as a more experienced team sent them home in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
So was the 2020-21 men’s basketball season a failure because they failed to get out of the first round? No. Was it a failure because they didn’t win a game in the Big Ten Conference Tournament? No.
We saw the potential of a team that could return everyone if they wanted. We saw the potential of Jaden Ivey as a take-over guard, we saw the absolute steadiness of Mason Gillis, we saw the scoring potential of Brandon Newman, we saw Zach Edey hold his own against some of the Big Ten’s best big men. The list goes on and on. The momentum of the program is at close to an all-time high.
As we look forward to the 2021-22 season, Purdue also welcomes in two top-40 guys who will help solidify a position of need going forward. Purdue could potentially have experienced starters, backups, and another talented freshmen class.
So no, 2020-21 was not a failure. As many fans online have pointed out. This year is just the start of a stretch of Purdue Basketball where the ceiling is higher than it has ever been before.
As always, Boiler Up, Hammer Down, Hail Purdue!
