PMT DB
PMT DB
March Madness Recap: Purdue Hits Rock Bottom and the Rise of FDU
Big Cat and PFT Commenter are currently picking themselves up off the floor after four days of pure, unadulterated basketball chaos. The guys spent the weekend in Columbus, and the physical toll is evident. Big Cat looks like he's aged a decade, and Hank is literally puking in the studio trash can mid-recap. It was the kind of weekend that makes you question your life choices while simultaneously realizing there is nothing better on the sports calendar.
The Purdue Meltdown and FDU's Magic
The story of the weekend is undoubtedly Purdue. Losing to FDU—the shortest team in the tournament that didn't even win its own conference tournament—is a level of failure that is hard to wrap your head around. Zach Edey was basically Gulliver being tied down by a bunch of tiny guards, and the rest of the Boilermakers couldn't hit a barn door.
Big CatPurdue has officially reached rock bottom because there are no 17 seeds to lose to
Purdue now 2021, they lost to a 13 seed... 2022, they lost to a 15 seed... 2023, they lost to a 16 seed... Good news for Purdue. There are no 17 seeds. So it feels like we've reached the bottom.
PFT pointed out that while Edey did his part, the supporting cast was so nonexistent that the team would have been dead in the water months ago without him.
PFT CommenterWithout Zach Edey, Purdue wouldn't have even made the NIT
My takeaway was that Zach Edey, without Zach Edey Purdue would not have made the tournament. They probably wouldn't have even made the NIT. Zach Edey was the only one doing anything.
Naturally, the conversation turned to Matt Painter. While he’s a great regular-season coach, his tournament resume is starting to look like a horror movie. Jake Marsh didn't hold back, calling for the end of the Painter era in West Lafayette after another historic embarrassment.
Jake MarshMatt Painter should be fired
Get him out. Yeah... fire is at [third]. This is an unforgivable loss. 13 seed. 15 seed. 16 seed. He's the bizarro world Tom Izzo.
Meanwhile, the University of Virginia is the silent winner in all of this. For years, they were the only ones to carry the shame of losing to a 16-seed. Now, Purdue has taken the crown of the most embarrassing 1-seed loss in history.
PFT CommenterUniversity of Virginia is the biggest winner of the weekend despite not playing
Biggest winner of the weekend... University of Virginia. Big time dodged bullet because not only did their loss against Furman not, it wasn't even close to being the biggest upset of the tournament so far. But also they're no longer the only 16 seed to go down to a one seed [after Purdue lost to FDU].
The Legend of Tom Izzo and the Shooting Crisis
While Purdue was falling apart, Tom Izzo was doing Tom Izzo things. Michigan State is heading to the Sweet 16, and the guys discussed whether we’ve reached the point where Izzo is actually underrated again.
PFT CommenterTom Izzo is the most underrated coach because he became so overrated
I think Tom Izzo's underrated. I think he's underrated as a head coach for a while. He, he got so overrated that now he became underrated... I'm gonna be the first person to say [he's overrated] so when the discussion eventually happens, I was there before all you guys.
Big Cat argued that for Izzo to truly cement his legacy among the immortals like Coach K or Roy Williams, he needs that elusive second ring. If he gets it this year, the conversation changes forever.
Big CatTom Izzo needs to win a second national championship to enter the 'rarefied air' of the greatest coaches
I do think we probably underrate him... he has to get that second title to like get into that rarefied air. Because second titles is really where... it just, you look at the list of guys who won one title, there's a lot of guys. Then you get to second and it's a laundry list of the best coaches in the game.
Across the rest of the bracket, the shooting was historically bad. Between the rims in Greensboro looking suspicious and the balls apparently feeling like balloons, nobody could hit a three. This brought out the inner Bob Ryan in everyone, with PFT suggesting that modern basketball might be broken.
PFT CommenterSteph Curry ruined basketball by normalizing the three-point shot
Steph Curry ruined basketball. Bob Ryan's kind of right. Bob Ryan's low-key right about this... I like the three point shot, but it has, it's drastically changed the sport and not always for the good.
Coaching Carousels and Blue Blood Transitions
Duke got bullied by Tennessee, which was a joy for everyone in the room except Hank. The guys theorized that John Scheyer’s lack of a gray sweatshirt might have been the tactical error that sank the Blue Devils.
PFT CommenterJohn Scheyer lost because he wore a black sweater instead of a gray one
The game was decided well before that, before the boys even stepped on the court because Scheyer wasn't wearing the sweatshirt. They were wearing the same sweaters, different color black... The gray one was way better.
With Kentucky also bowing out, the power balance in college basketball is shifting. PFT thinks Michigan State is coming for Indiana’s spot at the big kids' table of Blue Bloods.
PFT CommenterMichigan State is on the verge of taking the 'blue blood' mantle away from Indiana
Indiana still, they like to think that they're back or on the precipice of being back all the time... I think Michigan State could take the blue blood mantle away from Indiana. If [Tom Izzo] wins a second championship... they inherit Indiana's blue blood.
Beyond the court, the coaching carousel is spinning. Ed Cooley is rumored to be heading to Georgetown, a move that would shake up the Big East and potentially break some hearts in Providence.
Jake MarshEd Cooley will leave Providence for the Georgetown head coaching job
There's growing speculation that Ed Cooley's going jump to Georgetown. So something to monitor. We'll see if he makes that jump within the Big East conference.
Monday Reading: Kyler Murray's Madden Cheese
To wrap things up, the guys dove into a Reddit post from a disgruntled gamer claiming Kyler Murray is a "character risk" because he uses "cheese plays" in an online Madden league. The whistleblower was upset that Kyler kept running the same unstoppable plays and exploited defensive glitches.
Big CatKyler Murray is right for using cheese plays in Madden
I am on Kyler Murray's side... Kyler Murray's in the right... you got your ass beaten in the Madden League... And then you went online to be like, well Kyler Murray's a bad guy cuz he beats me with the same play and I can't figure out a defense to stop it.
Big Cat and PFT immediately sided with Kyler. If you can’t stop the play, that’s on you. The fact that an NFL quarterback is spending his free time dominating a Madden league with the same energy he brings to the field only makes him more relatable.
Hopefully, someone gets Hank some Ginger Ale and a sunlamp before the Sweet 16 starts.
