GBI Express

a force on the boards, they executed the directive. After being outrebounded by 14 in the first meeting between the teams, Purdue held a 13-rebound advantage in the rematch. Robbie Hummel had nine, Kelsey Barlow had eight and Smith had a season-high seven. Johnson and Jackson, the team's shortest players, had three offensive rebounds apiece. And Barlow, Smith and Co. made their presence felt in another way, too, going face-to-face with Northwestern star Drew Crawford in the first half. The fight was back. Kind of how it has been in practices of late. With Purdue's inconsistent play in games, Painter and his staff have tried to rev up the competitiveness during the week, challenging players to go harder and show maximum effort. They've even scaled back their preparation for the next opponent a bit to focus more on playing harder. "Practice has become a war lately," D.J. Byrd said. Right now, it appears that approach is paying dividends. "I think we've done a better job," Painter said of his team's effort. "We still have room for improvement there. I still think we can play harder. We can sprint both ways in transition. But we've made improvements there, but by no means have we arrived." presents The Opening Tip The following are our thoughts now, as Purdue enters the third week of February. • Kyle Charters: "If the Boilermakers come up a game short in their quest for a Big Ten regular-season title, their first since 2002, they'll lament a couple missed opportunities vs. Nebraska at home and at Ohio State Sunday. Wins in both were there for the taking. That said, this four-team race for the crown will be decided in the next two weeks." • Stacy Clardie: "At least Purdue looked more like Purdue from an effort standpoint last week. But that defense … whew. Not sure how many more games the Boilermakers are going to win trying to outscore people." • Alan Karpick: "While the Boilermakers may be solidly in the NCAA Tournament according to the bracketologists, there is danger ahead. Purdue needs to win one of two games this week to really feel it is on solid footing come Selection Sunday." •  B r i a n Neubert: "Purdue needed to beat Northwestern and managed to. It will be in the same situation many more times the rest of the season and given its erratic play, it will be fascinating to see if the Boilermakers can get their act together and capture consistency when they need it the most the Tom Campbell next few weeks." Purdue kept Meyers Leonard (12) off-balance with just seven This Week In Purdue Basketball S Purdue will get another chance for a signature victory this week — one of its last of the regular season — when ranked Michigan State comes into town on Sunday. But there's business before that. The Boilermakers face an Illinois team that has fallen apart in the second half of Big Ten play, having lost six of seven. But the Illini's win during that stretch was against the Spartans in Champaign. And with offensive weapons all over the court, including Brandon Paul, Meyers Leonard and D.J. Richardson, Illinois can be a threat to break out at any time. It'll be another battle of teams desperate for a victory, both fighting to get into the NCAA Tournament. Purdue can ill-afford to lose many games the rest of the season, but it especially could use a statement victory. That's what Sparty brings to Mackey late in the week. Purdue is 0-6 against ranked teams this season, but Michigan State is No. 11 and is coming off a huge victory over the Buckeyes in Columbus. It'll be a tall order for the Boilermakers not to get manhandled in the post by the Spartans, so they'll have to offset that by not turning the ball over, taking good shots and making them at a high clip. S Purdue couldn't convert a chance to get a cushion in the Big Ten, losing at No. 10 Ohio State last weekend. But there's no time to sulk: Another pivotal conference game is up this week. The Boilermakers (19-6, 9-3) have another first-place showdown when Penn State (20-5, 10-3) comes to Mackey Arena on Thursday. The Nittany Lions, the preseason pick to win the conference, have quietly battled to stay near the top of the league and snuck into a half-game lead with Purdue's loss to the Buckeyes, and Nebraska's mid-week loss. But the Boilermakers have beaten Penn State six consecutive times in West Lafayette — their last lost there was in 2004 — and have won 11 of the last 12 overall. It'll be a defensive challenge for Purdue, trying to slow Penn State's Maggie Lucas (19.1 ppg) and Alex Bentley (14.6 ppg). But the Boilermakers are coming off a 48-percent shooting game in which Brittany Rayburn made 9-of-15 shots, and the Nittany Lions have struggled at points defensively. Not that all Purdue has to worry about this week is Penn State. On Sunday, the Boilermakers head to East Lansing, a place they have lost their last four games by an average of 10 points. Perhaps Purdue will have some confidence from already beating Michigan State earlier this season at home, and there's motivation to sweep the regular-season series for the first time since 2004. — Stacy Clardie points in 24 minutes in the teams' first meeting on Dec. 31. GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com Gold & Black IllustrateD • volume 22, express 21  •  2

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