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and soon-to-be No. 1 — team but could not sustain it. After making seven first-half threes and leading the Wolverines by one at halftime, Purdue went 0-for-9 from distance in the second half and struggled to score, as Michigan pulled away and won comfortably. "In the second half, they made it a lot tougher for us to get shots," said D.J. Byrd, who was 3-of-7 in the first half, 0-for2 in the second, and scored 11 points. "They were switching and really staying close to a lot of people. We couldn't get an open look, and that's just kind of how it went. It was difficult to get a good shot." Key player In the absence of any one true standout, Rapheal Davis earns mention for scoring 10 points and grabbing eight rebounds in 32 minutes. Really, on the flip side, the play of Hammons was more impactful on the outcome of the game. He was a complete non-factor for the first time this season. Key stretch Davis' three-point play got Purdue within five at 6:18. Here's what happened, however: Next time down, Trey Burke with eight minutes left. S Is there such thing as a freshman "wall"? If so, have Purdue's rookies hit it yet? Hammons struggled at Michigan; Davis struggled against Iowa. And Ronnie Johnson has been productive the past two games but up and down as well. College basketball seasons are long and physically and mentally draining, particularly on those who've never been through it before. TAKEAWAYS S Leading at halfS It hasn't cost time at Michigan was a Purdue a win yet, but at nice thing for Purdue, but some point in time you it wasn't built to last. have to figure it will: The With Hammons Boilermakers continue struggling, the Boilerto struggle playing with makers didn't build that leads, playing unsound lead by playing to their basketball at the worst strengths, as Matt Paintpossible times to give opLon Horwedell er says all the time. ponents opportunities to D.J. Byrd was hot early against Michigan, helping Purdue to seven Purdue didn't play come back from signifi- first-half triples. But he and his teammates cooled in the second. over its head in the first required far more drama than half at Michigan, but it did shoot cant deficits. Forget the Villanova game; they should have. over its head, making seven It was great for Purdue that threes that accounted for twothat was so long ago. But in Big Ten wins over Il- it beat Iowa in overtime, but it thirds of its offense. That wasn't linois, Nebraska and most re- shouldn't have come to that, with going to keep up. cently Iowa, Purdue let comfy all due to respect to the Hawkleads slip, making for wins that eyes and their rally from 11 down penetrated, and fired a crosscourt pass to sharpshooter Nik Stauskas open on the left wing. His shot was good, pushing it back to eight. After Purdue missed a three, Burke then hit Mitch McGary for a bucket that pushed it back to 10 and essentially ended the game. Key stat Michigan outscored Purdue 36-24 in the paint. That's supposed to be where the Boilermakers have an advantage. S The NCAA Tournament still looks like a long shot, but the Iowa game may have amounted to an elimination game in that sense, already. Purdue can play its way out of the field by losing at home to teams like Iowa; it can play its way into the field by beating teams like Indiana at home. And it'll have to win a couple additional big ones to even have a chance. Whether the NCAA Tournament is a fair baseline expectation at this point, the way the season's gone so far in this transitional year, can be debated. One thing is for certain: If Purdue can somehow get in, it'll be a monumental accomplishment after it went 6-6 prior to Big Ten play. S The loss of Kelsey Barlow as a player has affected this team more than last year's, given Purdue's lack of options at the point this season and the use it could have for a tall, rangy athlete and defensive stopper. But with all the youth on this team, there's no telling what sort of adverse impact he might have had if he were on this team and hadn't changed his ways. S Michigan is really, really good. That is all. j GoldanDBlack express • volume 23, express 19 • 8