WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Regardless of the odds it faced in the past two seasons, this Hoosier squad never seemed intimidated.
That changed Wednesday during the first trip to West Lafayette, Ind., of Tom Crean's era as coach in a 74-55 loss.
The performance didn't hinge on the fans' screams of "IU sucks" or its chants of "Boiler up." This was not about the atmosphere.
A stronger Purdue team bullied IU and pushed it around the court on both ends of the floor. The Boilermakers did OK from outside as well.
"We're a soft basketball team," Crean said. "I don't have any other way to put it. We're not a physically aggressive team. We've got to grow up."
IU was forced to start its sets from halfcourt and didn't shoot a single free throw in the first half, the sign of a stagnant and timid offense.
Purdue defenders picked IU's guards up early in a full court man-to-man defense. They pushed, bumped and banged with the younger Hoosiers.
IU guard Verdell Jones led a team that had 18 turnovers. He scored 15 points and only tallied one mishap in the game.
He said the tough defense that put IU on its heels is simply a formality in conference.
"They were playing very physical and the refs were allowing them to play rough with us," he said. "That's part of the Big Ten. We gotta fight through it."
But they didn't.
An 11-to-25 ratio on fouls is usually a sign of bad officiating, but it wasn't Wednesday.
Purdue went to the basket harder and was rewarded with 31 free throws. IU only shot five.
There were other signs pointing toward Purdue's energy and grit outweighing IU's.
Freshman forward Christian Watford could barely score a basket against Purdue's Chris Kramer, even though he stood five inches taller.
His favorite shot of the day was the fadeaway.
"With Kramer, I don't think that there's any matchup that he losses over a consistent period of time," Crean said. "He's too athletic and he's just too tough and strong"
