We sure had a lot going on in the college sports landscape over the past four days. Between March Madness (men’s and women’s) and college hockey conference tournaments, there was a lot going on that kept this writer entertained and, at time, frustrated.
Since there wasn't any D2 hoops to talk about this weekend, here’s a quick look at some of the things that jumped out at me this past weekend. Think of this as a "wrap" of random topics all mashed into one article:
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WHY TACTICS MATTER: PURDUE BLOWS LATE LEAD, FALLS IN DOUBLE OVERTIME
BR-8 Purdue head coach Matt Painter may have committed a borderline fireable offense in the eyes of Boilermakers fans when his team, leading 70-67 in the closing seconds of what could’ve been a Purdue win allowed BR-76 Little Rock’s Josh Hagins to drain a three-pointer from the top of the key with five seconds left in regulation.
Then, to further compound matters, the Boilermakers didn’t exactly show a sense of urgency in those final five seconds of regulation, allowing the game to go to overtime.
So, why did this particular play grind my gears?
Because, with a three-point lead, the smart play would’ve been for Purdue to foul a Little Rock player before the Trojans could attempt a game-tying three. In the clip, you can hear CBS analyst Steve Lappas make that suggestion (or at least the tail end of said suggestion given how the above video was edited).
Alas, the Trojans would conquer Purdue 85-83 in what would turn out to be a double-overtime thriller which saw Hagins again save Little Rock at the end of the first overtime:
And, to add insult to injury, Purdue held a 14 point lead, 63-49, with five minutes left in regulation before the Trojans’ dramatic march to force overtime.
Suffice to say that it was not a good weekend in West Lafayette.
