SB Nation Cleveland: All Posts by Travis Miller

Sandi Marcius Commits To DePaul

2013-05-18T14:08:12Z

While there was a small chance Sandi Marcius would return for his final season after announcing he was seeking a transfer, we all knew that was a very small chance. That chance is now nil as he is officially off to DePaul and our friends at Big East Couast Bias.

DePaul has landed a commitment from 6'10" Purdue transfer Sandi Marcius. Will be eligible immediately
— Scott Burgess (@scott_chihoops) May 17, 2013

This is honestly a baffling move. Purdue wasn't exactly great last year, but there was a lot of promise heading into 2013-14 both because of the returning experience and a weaker Big Ten after so many players left for the NBA. Sandi was going to play a lot next year and had shown he can play in this league after one of his biggest games came against Michigan, who only reached the title game. With Sandi, Purdue was a legitimate threat to make the NCAA Tournament.

Now he goes to a moribund DePaul team for a year. DePaul hasn't made the NCAA Tournament since 2004 and was 11-21 last year. They were dead last in the Big East at 2-16. This followed seasons of 3-15 and 1-17, 1-17, and even an 0-18.

The Blue Demons are awful, but I guess is The Chooch wants to start he'll find a place to do so. Instead of being a key role player on a good team he can be a star on a very crappy team.

Good luck, Sandi. I can't say this isn't a confusing decision, but we will miss you.

Purdue Football Season Ticket Sales Pass Last Year

2013-05-18T13:44:16Z

It will no doubt anger Danny Hope, but the hiring of Darrell Hazell has had a positive effect on the bottom line at Purdue. While the new hire is no doubt part of it, a schedule that includes Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Nebraska on it also had a large effect in the fact that Purdue has already sold more season tickets this year than last.

As May 10th, Purdue had sold 23,100 season tickets to the public, of which 5,406 were new accounts. Last season there were only 20,880 season tickets sold despite Purdue being considered a dark horse contender in its division. There were also only 1,641 new accounts.

As I said, the schedule could have something to do with it. it is not uncommon for fans of a visiting team to buy full season tickets at a school like Purdue, where you don't need to make a donation and can get a full season for something like $125 when a marquee game like Notre Dame can be over $70 for that game alone. At that point it almost makes sense for fans to buy a cheap full season ticket and sell the others.

So there are probably a few that did that (I have done it once before to see a game and made all my money back, so the game I wanted to go to was free), but the hiring of Hazell also has an effect.

Of the 23,100 I have already purchased my two, so why don't you do the same? I won't get to up my order until next year when Dillon needs one.

Purdue-Cincinnati: A Q&A With Down The Drive

2013-05-17T16:37:48Z

Purdue and Cincinnait will kick off the college football season in late August, and SB Nation is lucky to have a great blog dedicated to the Bearcats in Down The Drive. Matt Oper recently answered some questions about a strong Bearcat team that Darrell hazell will begin his coaching tenure at Purdue against.Hree is what Matt had to say:

T-Mill: Both teams are breaking in new coaches that may be changing things from a continuity standpoint. Who has the advantage?

Matt: For better or worse the edge in this kind of debate usually goes to the coach with the most experience. This is the fourth time that Tuberville has been in charge of this kind of transition. That experience has to count for something. I think that Hazell is a very, very capable coach who will do very well with the program, but he is still in the "figuring things out" stage of his career. He is a very smart guy with some flair for the organizational aspect of the profession who will get there. But that first season transitioning from running one program to running the next is fraught with perils.

The only real blemish on Butch Jones's CV was the 2010 season when he took over UC with high expectations and decent enough talent to at least make a bowl. Thats not what happened though. The leaders of the team never really bought into Butch and the way he did things on and off the field. UC gave Oklahoma a scare but that was the high point, and UC finished with a dismal 4-8 record. I have no idea how it will work for Hazell, but the transition process for a newish head coach is filed under the "generally unknown" tab in my head.

T-Mill: On the same front, Purdue initially went after Butch Jones before losing out on that deal. Will that be much of a factor since he is gone?

Matt: It's hard to tell. Butch Jones did a lot of good things while in the Queen City, but his tenure feels slightly empty. The Bearcats did get a couple of split championships and posted two 10 win seasons, but its hard to escape the feeling that he should have done more. In 2011 UC was riding high atop of the league preparing for a third BCS bowl when Zach Collaros went down against West Virginia. Jones was unable to adjust in that game and lost a close one, they were then completely unprepared against Rutgers and lost again ending any hope of BCS bowl #3. Last year he stuck with Munchie Legaux long past the point of diminishing returns. Many Bearcats will argue that Munchie alone is responsible for the losses to Toledo and Louisville, that is ridiculous. But it is clear that Jones was unwilling or unable to see how poorly Munchie was playing. That is one example, but it is a valuable example for one of Jones's biggest failings. I was of the opinion that Jones was a very good coach, and I still am, but he left several important wins on the field, most notably the Oklahoma game which was UC's for the taking.

T-Mill: Cincinnati had a pretty good defense last year but lost 7 starters. Who fills in and how do they bounce back?

Matt: Depending on how you count the nickle back the Bearcats only lost 5 starters off last years group. Free Safety Drew Frey, Corner Cam Cheatham, Linebacker Maalik Bomar, and Defensive Ends Brandon Mills and Dan Giordano are all moving on. But there is a lot coming back, particularly at linebacker. Greg Blair was a first team All Big East selection a year ago in his first turn as a starter, he is back, as is Nick Temple who really came on at the end of the year. Former FSU linebacker Jeff Luc will be plugged in as the third starter. UC will have one of the 15 or so best linebacker units in the country. That will be the fulcrum of the defense, and its a good group to build a scheme around. The real question marks are who replaces Drew Frey and can the Bearcats get any pass rush.

The Bearcats were a bit of a statistical anomaly last year in pass defense. UC was 91st in yards allowed per game, 252 a game. At the same time UC was 24th in pass efficiency defense and allowed just 13 passing TD's against 16 INT's. What makes that really strange is that UC did that without much of a pass rush after Walter Stewart went down to injury. Outside of games against USF and UConn (and their terrible offensive lines) the Bearcats had just 1 sack in the final six games of the year. Last years team was "bend but don't break" personified, which will suit the aims of Tuberville and his staff well. If UC can find some pass rush the defense could be better this year.

T-Mill: Purdue fans are too familiar with a quarterback rotation and it looks like Cincy uses one. Does coach Tuberville pick one or continue the quarterback rotation since it worked for 10 wins?

Matt: If there is a QB rotation this year it should be the last time that anyone allows Eddie Gran to call plays. Munchie started the year 2012, but he was completely unreliable and increasingly erratic, which lead to the ascent of Brendon Kay. Tubs is saying that the competition is ongoing, but it shouldn't be. Nothing that happened this spring suggests that Munchie has fixed any of his problems as a QB. It should be Brendon Kay's job unless uber talented red shirt freshman Bennie Coney sets the world on fire this summer, which is a plausible outcome, though not probable. Kay was brilliant down the stretch, particularly in the bowl game when he was uber efficient against an admittedly terrible Duke defense. But to my mind his greatest virtue was simply doing fewer stupid things than Munchie did per game. Thats a skill for a QB and the biggest reason why I think UC will wind up having a formidable offense, even if it doesn't end up being the kind of offense that causes defensive coordinators many sleepless nights.

T-Mill: This is Purdue's second trip to Cincinnati but first since 2001. What can fans expect?

Matt: If you happen to know someone who went to the last game at Nippert between UC and Purdue tell them to forget that experience. Going to a game at Nippert now is nothing like that experience. For a start I am pretty sure Purdue fans outnumbered UC fans in that game, that won't happen this year. The experience at Nippert completely transformed during my time at UC (started in 2004, class of 2010) As for what to expect, expect it to be loud, very loud, much louder than a 35,000 seat stadium has any right to be, particularly if it winds up being a night game. The Nip is set in a valley, surrounded by buildings on every side which has the effect of trapping noise in the stadium where it just sort of hovers there. The build up of campus has completely changed the vibe of Nippert from the way it used to look and feel. Oh I would also allot half and hour to an hour to walk around campus, there really isn't anything like it with the blend of modern and classical architecture.

T-Mill: Finally, a prediction?

Matt: It being over 100 days till kick off I won't make many specifics, but this is a game that I think UC should win. It being at home is reason enough for me, but I also think that UC is just generally more settled under Tuberville than they have been in previous transition years. Once it gets closer to August we can run this back and I might have more to say in my prediction.

Purdue At Cincinnati College Football 2013

2013-05-17T16:27:23Z

Purdue will open the Darrell Hazell era at Cincinnati.

Just 12 weeks from today the Big Ten Media Days get underway in Chicago, officially kicking off the 2013 college football season. We're still over 100 days away from the kickoff of the year, which will be counted down once again by the other writers here at the site, but the 12 week window allows me to get a very early start on looking at all 12 opponents on Purdue's schedule.

For the second time in its history the Boilermakers will open the season at Nippert Stadium, home of the Cincinnati Bearcats. This presents Purdue with the unique experience of a road game that is still relatively close to home, but not in the Big Ten. There was a very large pro-Purdue crowd the last time this happened back in 2001, when Brandon Hance took over for Drew Brees and Purdue played its first game after the Rose Bowl.

Needless to say, things are different now.

2012 Record: 10-3, 5-2 Big East (Shared title with Louisville, Rutgers, and Syracuse)

Bowl Result: Beat Duke 48-34 in Belk Bowl

Blog Representation: Down the Drive

Series with Purdue: Purdue leads 1-0

Last Purdue win: 9/2/2001 19-14 at Cincinnati

Last Season for the Bearcats:

Cincinnati was a very good teams last season and perhaps a bit underrated at 10-3 overall. Their only losses were at Toledo, an overtime loss to a Louisville team that won the Sugar Bowl, and a 10-3 loss to Rutgers. Among their most impressive wins was a 27-24 win at Virginia tech. the Hokies struggled last year, but they are always tough at home. A pair of Cincinnati's wins came against FCS teams in Delaware State and Fordham, however.

Despite being separated by less than 200 miles Purdue and Cincinnati have only met once in football. The Boilers started defense of their 2000 Big Ten title with a 19-14 win at Cincinnati, and the return game in West Lafayette was filled by Syracuse in 2004 when Cincinnati moved from Conference USA to the Big East. This is an entirely new contract and the Bearcats will come to Ross-Ade in 2016 as a return game.

That 2001 game is significant to me because it marked the first time I ever traveled to a Purdue road game. I was a senior that fall and I went down to Nippert and watched Joey Harris rush for 79 yards and a score while Hance threw for 117 yards and another TD in the win. Stu Schweigert capped the win with a late goal-line interception, his second of the game.

Cincinnati Offense:

This game will be interesting because Purdue made a big push for Butch Jones over Darrell Hazell back in December. Jones, of course, eventually left for Tennessee, leaving the Bearcats to hire Tommy Tuberville away from Texas Tech, which has not gone well. Tuberville has been quite successful with a 130-77 record and 7-3 mark in bowls at Mississippi, Auburn, and Texas Tech.

Offensively, Tuberville has some definite talent to build around, as Cincinnati could be a top 25 team. Quarterback Munchie Legaux returns for his senior season after throwing for 1,716 yards and 13 TDs against nine interceptions. His completion percentage was only 52%, however, leading him to split time with Brendon Kay (87-138-2, 1,298 yards, 10 TDs). Kay will also be back, and the nomadic Gunner Kiel is expected to join the roster. If Kiel ever decides he is good enough to actually play remains to be seen, but he would have to sit a year anyway.

I don't know if Tuberville will continue the rotation or pick one QB, but his offensive style will be familiar as he hired two of Jim Cheney's underlings to run the offense.

On the ground the Bearcats have to replace George Winn, who rushed for 1,334 yards and 13 scores as a true workhorse back. R.D. Abernathy will likely take over as the premier back after rushing for 336 yards and three scores, while Legaux and kay were both mobile in each running for over 300 yards.

Cincinnati has similar losses in the passing game with Travis Kelce (45-722-8) gone as the top receiver. Anthony McClung, a product of Pike HS in Indianapolis, is the leading returning receiver with 34 catches for 539 yards and two scores.

Cincinnati will be helped by returning its entire starting offensive line intact. Parker Ehringer, Eric Lefeld, Austen Bujnoch, Sam Longo, and Dan Sprague were all underclass starters last season, but each weighs in at less than 290 pounds. This is where Brandon Taylor, Bruce Gaston, and Ryan Russell have a chance for a big day. They are not facing the typical 6'7", 320 pound behemoths they are used to facing in the Big Ten. Still, this line only gave up 15 sacks last season.

Cincinnati Defense:

Purdue will be in trouble if its offense does not click immediately, because Cincinnati had one of the best defenses in the nation last year. They gave up only 18.5 points per game (14^th nationall) and were good against the run at just 3.8 yards per carry. Cincinnati was often in the nickel last year and lost seven senior starters including leading tackler Greg Blair.

The top player that comes back on the defensive line is 6'1" 287 pound Jordan Stepp, who had 36 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Nick Temple leads the team as a returning tackler with 54 stops and 2.5 sacks. As a team, Cincinnati had 31 sacks, which was quite impressive connsidering the team leader was Walter Stewart with five.

The secondary was quite adept at picking off passes with 16 interceptions spread among nine players. Arryn Chenault is the top returner here with three picks from his corner position and 49 tackles.

Cincinnati Special Teams:

Tony Miliano was a good kicker with a 17 of 22 performance on field goals, giving the Bearcats stability at the position Purdue lacks. His long was 47 yards. Cincinnati must find a new punt after Pat O'Donnell graduated.

Cincinnati was rather pedestrian on kick returns with Abernathy handling those duties. McClung handled punt return duties at 9.9 yards per return.

Game Outlook:

Both teams have new coaches looking for a fresh start, but Cincinnati is in a better position. They had to poach a coach because someone poached theirs. Purdue fired a coach because the morale of the fans was at an all-time low even after two straight bowl seasons. Purdue returns more players, but Cincinnati as a program was in a much better position. They have been to four straight bowl games and 10 bowl games since 2000. A pair of those games (in 2009 and 2010) were BCS bowls. Sure, they come from the Big East, but this has been one of the best Big East teams over a five year run.

This won't be an easy one for Purdue. Tuberville's teams have always been pretty good on offense and he has the key returning parts to be pretty good there. Where they could be weak is on defense because of the loss of so many starters.

We also have no idea what to expect out of Purdue. Will Rob Henry or Danny Etling start? Will Akeem Hunt be as dominant as he looked in the spring? Will the offensive line come together? Will the return of so many defensive starters be beneficial?

Texas Tech was second in the nation in passing last year, so expect them to bomb away against Ricardo Allen and his group. Tuberville's Texas Tech team gave up 31.8 points per game last year, but scored 37.5.

Prediction:

I think Cincinnati's experience on offense gives it an edge. They limit the turnovers and win in a shootout. Cincinnati 38, Purdue 35

2014 Purdue Big Ten Football Schedule Announced

2013-05-16T16:16:43Z

The 2014 Purdue football schedule is now complete as the Big Ten has released the full slate of games for the first year that Rutgers and Maryland are in the conference. As a refresher, here are your four non-conference games:

Aug. 30 Western Michigan

Sept. 6 Central Michigan

Sept. 13 at Notre Dame

Sept. 20 Southern Illinois

Now, onto the Big Ten slate:

Sept. 27 Iowa - counting this coming season the Hawkeyes will make consecutive trips to Ross-Ade. That's what you get, OMHR!

Oct. 4 at Illinois - The battle for the Cannon could mean a 2-0 start in league play with both Iowa and Illinois struggling for now. Will Tim Beckman still be there by then?

Oct. 11 Michigan State - Purdue's other opponent from the East is the Spartans. It could have been much worse, but could have been better.

Oct. 18 at Minnesota - The Golden Gophers get the game after by 35th birthday.

Oct. 25 BYE - Perfect, right in the middle.

Nov. 1 at Nebraska - The first ever trip to Lincoln for Purdue is now likely my 2014 road trip game.

Nov. 8 Wisconsin - The Badgers present a tough back-to-back.

Nov. 15 BYE - A second bye this late is nice.

Nov. 22 Northwestern - Welcome back to the schedule, Wildcats

Nov. 29 at Indiana - In a stunning move Purdue will go to Bloomington for consecutive Bucket games. The teams have alternated every year since 1908 and have never played consecutive years in Bloomington. The last time West Lafayette went longer than 2 years between Bucket games was 1918 and 1919 when there was a gap in the series.

This would be an interesting year to see if IU wanted to host the Bucket Game in Lucas Oil. I think it needs to happen at least once.

Know Thy Opponent 2013: Indiana State Sycamores

2013-05-15T19:05:57Z

Before long, these games against FCS opponents will be gone. Since the NCAA expanded the football schedule from 11 games to 12 in 2006 opponents from the lower division have cropped up on schedules across the country. The reasoning is simple: If you give a school an extra game they are going to make it a home game if at all possible for more ticket revenue. No FBS school would ever actually play at an FCS school, so they are easy fodder for a tune-up game at home in a sport with no preseason.

In all but one season since 2006 Purdue has played an FCS opponent, the lone exception being 2009. Purdue will continue playing FCS opponents until at least 2015 with Southern Illinois (2014) and Indiana State (2015) on the schedule until the 2016 date of the extra Big Ten game kicks in. In that time, Purdue is 6-0 against the lower division while Michigan, Northwestern, Minnesota, and Indiana have famously been bitten (and both Iowa and Wisconsin have come close). Here are your scores:

2006: Indiana State W 60-35

2007: Eastern Illinois W 52-6

2008: Northern Colorado W 42-10

2010: Western Illinois W 31-21

2011: Southeast Missouri St. W 58-0

2012: Eastern Kentucky W 48-6

Aside from the 2010 team that battled everything but leprosy on the injury front, Purdue has cruised in these games, as they should. No Big Ten team should ever lose to any FCS team because of the difference in scholarships, training rooms, facilities, coaching, and more. I would even argue that any BCS conference school that loses to an FCS team should be ineligible for the postseason as an actual consequence of scheduling these teams. If you win, you were supposed to, often by a lot. Lose, and it is flat out embarrassing.

2012 Record: 7-5, 5-3 Missouri Valley Conference

Bowl Result: None

Blog Representation: Sycamore Pride

Series with Purdue: Purdue leads 3-0

Last Purdue win: 9/2/2006 60-35 at Purdue

Last Season for the Sycamores:

When we last played the Trees they may have been the worst team at the FCS level. From 2005 to 2009 the Trees were a dismal 2-54, bottoming out by going 1-32 under Lou West for three seasons. When Purdue beat them in 2009 it was their 18^th straight loss, and the streak reached 24 in a row before they beat Missouri State later that season. They would lose 33 more games in a row after that win before beating Western Illinois in 2009 for their second win in the five-year wilderness.

Things changed under Trent Miles, however. His first two years were rough, going 0-12 and 1-10, but the Trees were at least competitive again. Things broke out in 2010 when ISU went 6-5 and contended for the Missouri Valley title (one of the better FCS conferences) before a rough 0-3 finishing stretch. It was the first winning season in Terre Haute since 1996 and Miles followed it with a 6-5 finish the next year and 7-4 in 2012.

ISU did not make the FCS playoffs, but they returned to the National rankings after a long absence and on October 13 of last year they stunned everyone by beating No. 1 North Dakota State 17-14 in Fargo. NDSU is only the two-time defending FCS champion going into this year and is 28-2 in its last 30 games with wins over Minnesota and Kansas.

A pair of losses to Illinois State and Youngstown State denied ISU a shot at the FCS playoffs, but the Trees played IU tough in a 24-17 loss only clinched when ISU ran out of time at the Indiana 36-yard line last season.

The success under Miles is in limbo, as he was hired away by Georgia State, who is moving up to the FBS level soon. Mike Sanford takes over as the former assistant head coach at Utah State and he'll try to continue the momentum started by Miles after he revived a program that was, for all intents and purposes, dead.

Indiana State Offense:

Last season Indiana State had one of the best running backs at the FCS level in Shakir Bell. He was a Second Team All-American according to The Sports Network for the second year in a row after rushing for 1,475 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also caught 19 passes for 142 yards and a score as the No. 5 receiver on the team. Bell is a smaller back at only 5'8" 185 pounds, but he is very elusive and starred at Warren Central in Indianapolis where he was a 2010 Parade All-American. He returns for his senior season needing only 541 yards to become ISU's all-time leading rusher and break a 36-year-old record.

Against Indiana, Bell ran for 192 yards and a touchdown. Against Drake he went absolutely crazy with 349 yards and two scores. He is a legitimate NFL Draft prospect that would finish above 5,000 yards in his career if he simply equals last year's total.

Needless to say the offense centers around his incredible talents and a decent defense. He is helped by former Warren Central product George Cheeseborough, who added 224 yards in relief last season. Mike Perish, who was a backup for Western Michigan when we played them in the 2011 Little Caesar's Bowl, was the All-Newcomer in the MVC last season at quarterback. He completed 155 passes for 1,615 yards and 10 TDs against eight interceptions.

Outside of Bell, however, the offense was not great. It only averaged 23.1 points per game and gained over 100 more yards on the ground as opposed to through the air. Bell was responsible for nearly half of their total yardage. Perish was sacked 23 times in 11 games.

Demory Lawshe is the top returning receiver with 31 catches for 393 yards and three scores. Tanner Riley (22-219-1) and Donald Spencer (21-196-0) give them three decent receivers, but again, this is the Shakir Bell show. Expect him to touch the ball 25-30 times per game.

Indiana State Defense:

We may think that Ricardo Allen is impressive with his four career interceptions returned for touchdowns, but Johnny Towalid topped him with three in one season last year, including two in the win over North Dakota State. Unfortunately, ISU lost the All-American to graduation. He was part of a very stout defense that gave up only 14.3 points per game and only 167.9 through the air.

Connor Underwood returns as a key element in that defense after notching six sacks and 48 tackles last season. Aaron Archie and Jack Washington are also gone as players with over 100 tackles last season, leaving Calvin Burnett as the top returning tackler at 60 stops as a defensive back. Burnett also intercepted four passes and had a sack, showing he can play all over the field.

Larry King is a big defensive back that returns at 6'3" 220 pounds who had 57 tackles and three interceptions a year ago. The safety has started nearly every game in his career and is another player that could see some NFL interest with a good season.

When you look up and down the Indiana State roster there is some good in-state talent. Players from Hamilton Southeastern, Warren Central, Avon, Penn, Hamilton Heights, and Center Grove are represented and those teams are always among the state's best in their respective classes.

Indiana State Special Teams:

Tanner Fritschle was a solid kicker last season, connecting 15 of 18 times with a long of 48 yards and was famously a high school classmate of Baby Jesus before he descended to Bloomington. The Trees have brought in a JuCo punter in Rhys Felton who could play immediately.

In the return game Taje High and Tanner Riley split duties, but weren't great, while Riley handled punt returns.

Game Outlook:

ISU is getting the double whammy of opening at Indiana and Purdue before its first home game, but this is a much better Indiana State team than we saw seven years ago. Miles left plenty of talent behind and Sanford was the offensive mastermind behind a Utah State team that went 11-2 last year and finished the season in the top 20. They also won the WAC and had the 7^th best defense in the country at just 15.4 points allowed per game while scoring 34.9.

All that means this is a legitimately dangerous FCS team for both Indiana and Purdue, who both have not had the luxury of overlooking opponents for some time. The Trees went to Bloomington last year and nearly pulled off the upset. They'll be looking to do so again with Purdue coming next.

Indiana State also plays in a tough conference with the two-time defending National Champion as well as powers like Northern Iowa, Youngstown State, and Brock Spack's Illinois State. Don't be surprised if Indiana State hangs around a little longer than we're used to.

Prediction:

That said, this is still a Big Ten vs. FCS game, and I remain steadfast in my belief that no Big Ten should ever lose to an FCS team. The Trees have Bell and that is about it. Purdue has the depth to wear them down and start putting this one away in the third quarter unless ISU can play keep away by running the ball with Bell and the clock.

Purdue hasn't failed to top 30 points since it started playing FCS opponents and there have been some decent ones in there like Western Illinois. They were the only ones to keep Purdue under 40 points. I think that track record continues as the Boilers wear down the Trees and pull away late. Purdue 41, Indiana State 17

Purdue And Errick Peck: How Do they Fit?

2013-05-15T15:19:10Z

Purdue Basketball received some much-needed good news on Wednesday when Errick Peck announced his decision to use his final season of eligibility in West Lafayette after playing for Cornell for three plus seasons. Peck was a key reserve as true freshman in 2009-10 on a Cornell team that reached the Sweet 16 and missed the entire 2011-12 season due to a knee injury, opening the door for his transfer to a bigger program.

The numbers are good but far from overwhelming. As a 6'6" 223 pound forward he averaged 9.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.6 for Cornell in 2012-13 coming off of injury. How does he fit in with Purdue though?

First, your updated Scholarship Grid:

Outside Shooting

One of Purdue's biggest vulnerabilities in 2012-13 was the lack of any outside shooting aside from D.J. Byrd. Byrd was 79 of 218 from three with Terone Johnson next on the team at 37 of 107. the only player with more than 10 or more made threes for the entire season was Rapheal Davis, who was 10 of 33, and two of those ten came against Western Illinois in the CBI.

Peck at least brings the threat of the outside shot. He was 14 of 43 last year and 25 of 66 as a sophomore. For his career he is 45 of 127 for a respectable 35% average. With Byrd gone much of the same load is going to fall on Kendall Stephens. It is not like Purdue is going to suddenly be full of snipers, but Terone is at least a threat from outside and Davis, Ronnie Johnson, and Peck should at least be decent.

Purdue still needs more production and development from the guys returning as opposed to those just entering the program, but everyone knew Byrd was taking threes last year. Now there will at least be a little mystery and teams don't have to focus solely on one player on the perimeter.

A Better Barlow?

Peck was a high school teammate of the infamous Kelsey Barlow, and what we lost in Barlow's dismissal from the program and a year of his services could be given back even better. Peck is a slightly bigger, stronger version of GDB. He is not afraid to work on the glass and get rebounds. He defends well with the ability to block the occasional shot or get the occasional steal. He can distribute the ball if necessary, though I don't think he will serve as a backup point guard like GDB.

Ultimately I'd like to see him work as a run, rebound, and defend guy that is capable of scoring the ball, just like Barlow was doing before his dismissal. That is not a bad thing.

Senior Leadership

Right now, Purdue has Terone Johnson and Travis Carroll as upperclassmen and that is it. TJ is a player that could be an all-Big Ten talent this year, but Carroll is a hard-working career backup that does some things well, some things poorly, and is more of a reserve than a difference-maker. They are the only two players on the roster that have played in an NCAA Tournament game.

The rest of the roster is comprised of two walk-ons, four sophomores, and four freshmen. That's it. Peck brings in a calming presence that has played in a lot of ballgames and has been through a lot of wars. At Cornell he has played against some decent non-conference opponents (Wisconsin, Duke, Syracuse, Minnesota, Kansas, and Kentucky) so he knows what big games feel like.

As long as Peck meshes well with the roster he helps fill a leadership vacuum. Since he is an Indiana kid on a roster full of them I think he'll do fine.

Projected lineup:

With Peck on board here is how I can see the lineup working out:

Smaller, quicker starting five:

PG: Ronnie Johnson - So.

SG: Terone Johnson - Sr.

SF: Rapheal Davis - So.

PF: Errick Peck - GS

C: A.J. Hammons - So.

That's a pretty quick, athletic starting five that can spread the floor and open things up for Hammons. All four are at least capable outside shooters, and if the volume can come this season that will help Purdue immensely. All can create their own shots as well.

Big Five:

PG: Ronnie Johnson - So.

SG: Terone Johnson - Sr.

SF: Errick Peck - GS

PF: Donnie Hale - So.

C: A.J. Hammons - So.

People have been up and down on Hale, but with the loss of Lawson and Marcius he is now our second best post player by default. I can also see Carroll starting in this role based on experience alone. Carroll is better away from the basket, but doesn't have the size or strength to really pound down low defensively. Hale is slightly better there, but Carroll's hustle was better last season.

Let us not forget Jay Simpson here. The big man can give us a pair of twin towers to cause havoc in the paint defensively like the Pacers are currently doing with Roy Hibbert and David West. Simpson easily could pass Hale and Carroll in the rotation.

Top reserves:

PG: Bryson Scott - Scott is going to be a bulldog and compete for minutes immediately.

SG: Kendall Stephens - With Anthony Johnson gone Stephens is going to get even more minutes. Everyone was talking about his shooting prowess, but Ic an see him starting off as a Ryne Smith/Byrd guy when both were coming off the bench and sniping from long range before teams knew about them and they were starting.

SF: Peck/Davis I think Davis and Peck are our best options here regardless of if we go big or small.

PF: Travis Carroll - Name Purdue's best shooter from the field last season. It was Carroll, who was a stunning 62.5% (25 of 40). You know what you're going to get from Travis. He's going to give you 8-10 minutes of hard work every night, a couple of rebounds, a decent mid-range jumper, and generally scrappy play. We could do worse in that regard. I still like Tacos' jumper enough that I'd love to see him become a three-point shooter (he is 2 of 6 in his career), but I feel the same about Hale, who also shot well from long range in HS.

I would love to have TC as a reserve at the three, but he is not quick enough to defend opposing threes.

C: When Hammons needs a spell Purdue is going to go small. I see Simpson, Carroll, and Hale splitting his reserve minutes, but we could have really used the Chooch in this spot.

From all this it looks like Peck is a key addition. He is more of a forward when Purdue needs another one on the floor, but not a hulking power forward to protect Hammons' weak side. He can bring his defender away from the basket to open up the motion offense, and Purdue was sorely lacking that in 2012-13.

Finally, here is a video I shot after getting some info from the Cornell basketball blog:

Boilermakings Is Still Waiting On Errick Peck

2013-05-15T13:02:26Z

Yes, we're still waiting on Errick Peck. I even have a post ready to go the second I hear any news, but that will continue at least into today:

Just talked with Errick Peck.No decision tonight.Deciding between Purdue and Xavier.
— Eric Gardner (@Gardner_247) May 15, 2013

Onto today's links:

Is Carl Landry expendable? - Golden State Of Mind
Yes. That's easy to answer because he's a bench player, and while a useful one, his skill set (good midrange shooter, good finisher in traffic, decent iso option on occasion, better rebounder than...

Minnesota Gopher Basketball - Joe Coleman to Transfer? - The Daily Gopher
Is Joe Coleman on his way out at Minnesota? Rumors on Twitter say yes.

The Big Ten May Be The Top-Heaviest Of All The Conferences - The Champaign Room
Though that doesn't make it nearly as good as others.

B1G 2013 // Iowa's Newest Guys in the Room - Off Tackle Empire
You know Kirk Ferentz. You know Greg Davis. You know Phil Parker. So why don't we talk about the newest guys on the Iowa football coaching staff.

Brady Hoke on Notre Dame: "They're chicken" - Maize n Brew
Brady Hoke calls out Notre Dame for backing out of the yearly rivalry early with no plans to renew it.

The Cotton Bowl And The Big Ten, A Marriage Made In Heaven? - Corn Nation
The Big 12 may dump the Cotton Bowl as their premier non-BCS bowl destination. If that happens, the Big 10 is ideal to make that jump.

Spartan Stadium's future? - The Only Colors
Yet another stadium that may get lights before Purdue.

Big Ten Spring Meetings: Conference continues to eye tougher schedules, better bowl lineups - Bucky's 5th Quarter
Barry Alvarez shows he's still one of the conference's greatest newsmakers, expounding on non-conference scheduling, improved bowl lineups and more.

State of the Union: Big Ten Recruiting Roundup 5.15.13 - Black Shoe Diaries
...recruits around the horn, for 2014

Gone Baby Gone: Exeunt Pat Ingram, Pursued by a Bear - Black Heart Gold Pants
Hawkeyes lose their fourth-string point guard, fan base collectively shrugs. there is a chance he could land at Purdue as Ronnie Johnson's former teammate.

Big Ten Conference to stop scheduling FCS Teams
The Big Ten Conference will stop scheduling FCS teams for non-conference football games, Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez told WIBA-AM radio in Madison.

Toughest 2013 Big Ten Non-Conference Football Schedules
A review of the 2013 Big Ten Non-Conference Football Schedules from the weakest, Minnesota, to the toughest, Purdue.

Quick hitters from Big Ten spring meetings | Journal and Courier | jconline.com
Some quick takes from the Big Ten Conference spring meetings.

New 2014 SG Target
Our guy William Gunter wrote this past weekend about 2014 SG Keith Pickney. He's picking up some new interest from Purdue.

The Difference Between A Good Fan And A Bad Fan - Black Heart Gold Pants
An extremely well-written piece on fandom in sports.

Purdue's Ryne Smith introduced as Clinton Prairie boys basketball coach | Journal and Courier | jconline.com
Former Purdue men's basketball player Ryne Smith was named Clinton Prairie's new boys basketball coach at Wednesday's board meeting.