Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/484081
GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 26 • 8 BY BRIAN NEUBERT BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com LOUISVILLE — The somber, in some cases tormented, scene in Purdue's lock- er room following its overtime loss to Cincinnati in the NCAA Tournament was understandable. Cincinnati didn't beat Purdue. Purdue beat Purdue. And there is no arguing otherwise. Yes, the Bearcats made big shots, dif- ficult ones, but it wouldn't have mattered had the Boilermakers not succumbed to their strange penchant for squandering leads in games' final minutes. Purdue led by seven — three posses- sions, mind you — with just 48 seconds to play, at which time it had no business los- ing the game. But Jon Octeus went 1-of-3 from the foul line in the final 30 seconds, including a missed one-and-one, and broke down defensively on an in-bound leading to an and-one for Cincinnati. There was another turnover on a pressure in-bound mixed in there, too. With no time on the clock, Troy Cau- pain's mad-dash shot off the glass took an amazing turn into the basket, tying the game and forcing overtime. In that overtime, Rapheal Davis missed a pair of free throws, Octeus missed a dunk attempt and Purdue settled for a few quick threes, in a game in which it was 4-of-26, and lost by one, a game that might haunt this team for months to come if not longer. Davis, Purdue's captain, became physi - cally ill after the game. When he recovered, he could hardly speak. "We had it," Davis said, doubled over in a locker room chair, "and we lost it." Following are takeaways: S There have been demons chas- ing Purdue around all season, whether it's been the three-point shooting, the stretch- es of poor foul shooting and the struggles against aggressive in-bounding pressure when playing with leads. They all converged at the same time to undermine the Boilermakers and end their season. Purdue must become a better shooting team — it would seem to have the person- nel to be, but you are what your percent- ages say you are — and would be wise to take a close look this offseason at the in- bounding issue against pressure. We can't claim to be Xs and Os experts here in terms of what Purdue is doing to get the ball in, but there were too many issues this season for there to not be a better way. S Purdue is going to be really hard-pressed to replace Octeus, who was such a vital piece this season, not just on his own, but in the context of need. Had it not been for him, there's no telling how this season would have turned out. Hopefully for Purdue's sake, the other point guards on the team used this year to improve themselves in advance of next season. S One of the great regrets of the Cincinnati game is this: The Boilermakers came in most concerned with the Bearcats' meddlesome zone defense, but handled it to the point they could have easily put up 70 in regulation and won going away with just an average shooting night. The three-point shooting, though … And they were almost all good, pru- dent looks. And Purdue needed to rebound to win. It lost despite 21 of- fensive rebounds and a 51-38 margin in its favor on the boards. The Boilermakers did everything they needed to do to win — until the final 48 seconds of regulation at least — except for putting the ball in the basket from 22 feet out more often.j A LOOK BACK AT THE LAST WEEK OF BASKETBALL M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L G O L D B O X L I N K S T O G A M E S T O R Y Tom Campbell A.J. Hammons finished with a double-double, but Purdue couldn't hit from the outside.