My Two Cents: Please Don't Make Too Much Over Purdue's First Loss

Sure it was great to be ranked No. 1, but losing right away, however sad, really isn't a huge deal. So don't make too much of it, because it's the Big Ten and road losses are going to happen.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — It took Purdue 73 years years to finally get ranked No. 1 in the country in the Associated Press top-25 college basketball, and three days to get knocked right out.

And you know what? It doesn't mean a darn thing.

It's December, and a 70-68 loss on the road at Rutgers is certainly disappointing. But it's also not the end of the world. Not even close.

I hear Aaron Rodgers in my ear. You should, too. Take a deep breath, and R-E-L-A-X.

Unless you're just totally not a college basketball fan, you should know by now that winning games on the road is never easy in the Big Ten. It happens literally every week of the season. And even for a team like Purdue, who's looked really good through its 8-0 start and totally earned that elusive No. 1 ranking, losing on the road in the Big Ten isn't that shocking.

The loss doesn't bother me nearly as much as the red flags that it throws up, Should we be concerned that power forwards Caleb Furst and Mason Gillis, who've been pretty good, played a combined 20 minutes and had zero points and just one rebound? And Ethan Morton, who played the four when Rutgers went small, played 24 minutes and had just one point? And that starting point guard Isaiah Thompson didn't score either?

I don't worry about Sasha Stefanovic having a rough shooting night, but when he and Brandon Newman go a combined 4-for-16 from the field, it's a lot to overcome. Trevion Williams was great — he had 21 points and 11 rebounds — and probably needs to be playing more. I don't worry about him and Jaden Ivey at all, either. 

I do worry about leads slipping away, too. That's twice now in both December Big Ten games. They let almost all of an 18-point lead slip away in the 77-70 win over Iowa, and hung on thanks to several key plays down the stretch.

They had a double-digit lead at Rutgers, too, and let that slip away. Sure, they lost on a half-court buzzer beater, but the problem is they let them hang around for too long. You do that, and occasionally, weird things are going to happen, weird things like Ron Harper Jr's half-courter.

If you've watched Big Ten basketball long enough, you probably also know that Purdue might lose three or four more Big Ten games and still win the league. They could go 16-4 in the Big Ten and still win the league. And based on the Boilermakers' strong nonconference schedule, if they go 16-4 and win the league, they'll be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, too.

That's all you really want anyway.

I mean, let's be serious. It's not like you expected Purdue to go undefeated this. A loss was going to come. And there will be others. You can count on it. There are January road trips to Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Iowa — and there will be losses there. You can count on it.

And it will be OK — outside of Bloomington, of course. That would never be OK to Boilers fans.

Just know this. Look at the NINE games so far, not just the one on Thursday night. Purdue is very good. They absolutely can win the Big Ten, and they absolutely can make a run in the NCAA Tournament.

Will there be lumps along the way? Of course. It's the Big Ten. It's expected.

Mostly, though the Boilermakers are very good, they are NOT perfect. Not even close. But still, don't make too much of this one. 

Take a deep breath.

It's alright. R-E-L-A-X

Related stories on Purdue basketball

• PURDUE FALLS TO RUTGERS ON THE ROAD: Ron Harper Jr. hit a buzzer beater 3-pointer to give Rutgers a 70-68 win over Purdue, the Boilermakers’ first loss of the season. Senior forward Trevion Williams led the team with 21 points and 11 rebounds. CLICK HERE
• WHAT PURDUE COACH MATT PAINTER SAID: No. 1 Purdue basketball was defeated 70-68 on the road against Rutgers. Here's what Matt Painter said after the game. CLICK HERE
• WHAT RUTGERS COACH STEVE PIKIELL SAID: Rutgers senior Ron Harper Jr. recorded 30 points and 10 rebounds, capped off by a buzzer-beater from just inside half court to stun the No. 1-ranked Purdue basketball program in a 70-68 victory. Here's what coach Steve Pikiell said after the game. CLICK HERE
• PURDUE, RUTGERS LIVE BLOG: No. 1 Purdue was on the road against Rutgers at Jersey Mike's Arena in its first road matchup of the season. The Boilermakers fell to 8-1. CLICK HERE