Hoosier Hysteria becoming Boiler Ball

Mar. 27—The Indiana Boilermakers has an interesting ring to it. Although it might be a little incendiary to those whose wardrobes are filled with cream and crimson, over the last decade it might be pretty accurate description.

Now, I'm a little biased, and I also know just how terribly wrong things can go for Purdue in March. However, in the darkest places where Purdue basketball fans dwell, this season does seem to have a beacon of light, that is, when the dream is finally snuffed out, at least it won't be by North Texas, St. Peters or FDU.

One thing is for sure, there has been a shift in the way Purdue has been perceived in this state over the last 10 years. During that time, there has also been a corresponding inverse trend among IU fans.

The truth is those two programs can live together in relative peace and harmony, at least as much as you can after an unmatched rivalry for about the last 45 years (starting with the Keady-Knight era). The two schools have battled for bragging rights and Big 10 supremacy. Although IU mostly held the upper hand for a lot of that time, the 1980s and 90s were more of a brawl for both schools, with surprisingly, Purdue's Gene Keady being the only coach to own a winning record against Knight, in spite of IU's pair of national titles.

But that's ancient history.

In the last 19 meetings, Purdue is 15-4 and have had one coach, while IU has had three coaches (which is one less than the number of wins they have had in head-to-head match-ups with Purdue). The simple difference really might just come down to stability within the program.

In my completely non-scientific study, I just see a lot more black and gold sweatshirts than I ever use to. Whether it's at a high school game, breakfast at the White Steamer or just out and about, there is more of a Purdue presence than in the past. I think people just really like the way the team has been built by coach Matt Painter. IU people often say to me, "I not a Purdue fan, but I really like the way they play and way Painter coaches."

The ties to Indiana are extremely deep in West Lafayette right now. Only five Purdue players aren't from Indiana, and two of those players had fathers that attended or played at Purdue. Myles Colvin, Fletcher Loyer, Carson Barrett, Brian Waddle, Chase Martin and Cam Heide all had fathers or grandfather who were Purdue athletes or alum. They have been collecting Mr. Basketballs, not only from Indiana, but Pennsylvania and Minnesota as well. However, the biggest kick in the teeth, might just have come from Kokomo freshman redshirt walk-on Jace Rayl who played exactly one minute this season. He is the grandson of IU Hoosier legend Jimmy Rayl, considered one of the greatest IU Hoosier players of all time.

So how has Painter done this? By showing up.

He was at the Class 3A Princeton sectional this spring. I have seen him in the Hatchet House and at the North Daviess Holiday Tourney in the past. If you talk to area coaches, he knows them and they know him.

Just for the record, former IU coach Tom Crean was also someone who was always in the Hatchet House. I remember him sitting in the middle of 2010 Barr-Reeve finals team watching the Washington-Gary Wallace game. He and his son seemed to be having a great time keeping people updated on the Butler Elite Eight game going on at the same time. When he was coaching at IU, he signed a lot of autographs sitting behind the Hatchet bench and gave a lot of elementary kids a real thrill.

In fact, what IU fans were saying about Purdue today, is what they were saying about Butler 10 years ago — they look and play like an IU team.

Now, nothing lasts forever and everything moves in cycles. For Purdue, this dream run could easily end with Gonzaga on Friday night. However, for those disgruntled Hoosier fans, it might not be the coaching on the floor that needs to change, but the team that coach puts together in the locker room. Right now, there seems to be a lot of Indiana kids who want to come out of the Purdue locker room — and those same kids have won 15 of the last 19 meetings.