Boilermakers' desire pushes them past listless 'Cats

	#9 Purdue #8 Arizona 72 63   Box Score Recap All Scores
	Chris Kramer sank this shot in the second half of Purdue's win over Arizona. Chris Graythen/Getty Images
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NEW ORLEANS -- In many ways, Purdue resembles a mid-major team.

The Boilermakers are undersized (6-foot-7 Carl Landry is their tallest player) and have a backcourt made up of gritty yet athletically challenged guards (like Chris Kramer). They are also damn happy to be in the NCAA tournament and throw maximum effort into every moment. It's as if they're not sure they'll be back anytime soon.

Contrast that with Arizona, the team Purdue defeated 72-63 on Friday night. The Wildcats roster is a seemingly perfect mix of big (6-10 Ivan Radenovic) and athletic (6-7 swingman Chase Budinger) and fast (point guard Mustafa Shakur). Yet the Wildcats played Friday like their batteries were running low. Or, perhaps they worried that showing they cared would cost them style points.

"It just didn't seem like they were as focused as us or wanted it as much as we did," said Purdue guard Chris Lutz, who made four of four 3-pointers in the first half and finished with 16 points off the bench. "It didn't seem like they had a lot of emotion. We are tight group. We got a lot of fight in us."

Purdue's top battler was Landry, a senior, who had 21 points to go with 13 rebounds, 10 coming in the second half when the Boilermakers slowly pulled away. Coaches say that rebounding is all about effort, and Landry consistently outworked the taller and more athletic Wildcats.

"It's heart," Landry said. "Sometimes guys who are going to be NBA talents prefer finesse. We're tough and rugged. You don't always see guys who are going to be NBA players willing to get their knees scrapped and their elbows banged up. You don't see them out there taking charges."

Purdue works on taking charges in practice, and they work on rebounding down a man in four-on-five drills. "Coach (Matt) Painter is a basketball junkie," Lutz said. "We know we are always going to have the right game plan."

Part of the plan against Arizona was to jam Shakur whenever the opportunity presented itself. Shakur's eight assists were offset by eight turnovers and Arizona seemed to be freelancing rather than executing most of the game. Purdue scored 20 points of Arizona's 17 turnovers. Meanwhile, Purdue's eight turnovers were its second fewest this season.

"They got to see our toughness, especially in the second half," Lutz said. "And we're not going to make a lot of mistakes. That's not how we're coached."

Arizona, presumably, was not poorly coached, not with Lute Olsen in charge. But the Wildcats did lack for desire, a deficiency even they could recognize.

"There is a lot of a talent and potential when you look in this locker room," said Arizona's Marcus Williams. "(But) you can have the most talent and the greatest group of individuals but if you don't have that toughness and desire, it's not going to amount to anything."

PLAYER WHO IMPRESSED ME

Kramer, Purdue's 6-foor-3 point guard, hit one of the more unlikely baskets of the tournament with about 7:30 left. Pushing into the lane, he accidentally hit the ball off his foot and fell to his knees tracking the ball down. He ended up on his knees near the free-throw line with only seconds left on the shot clock. Kramer leaned into a soft little jumper that hit front rim and fell in, extending Purdue's lead to 51-43. "That was Chris' one shining moment, money," said Landry. With that exception, Kramer played a nondescript but effective game. He finished with 16 points and only one turnover. Not bad for a freshman.

COURTSIDE CONFIDENTIAL

How can the Wildcats go 40 minutes without a single significant show of anger, joy or aspiration? The Wildcats assistants show more emotion that the players, and we're not just talking about Josh Pastner. Assistant coach Miles Simon (an emotional sparkplug when Arizona won the 1997 national title) was trying so hard to find some emotion in the players that at one point he was stomping his feet like child who wasn't getting what he wanted. After one timeout in the second half, reserve forward Bret Brielmaier tried to revive his teammates, slapping a few on the backs, shouting "Let's go, Let's go," but he might as well have been trying to motivate turnips ... The silver accent on the shoulders of Arizona's new Nike uniforms looks like duct tape.

BIG PICTURE

While Painter was modest in his post-game press conference, the victory was as much his as his players. Purdue was as prepared to defeat Arizona as a team can be. That said, when Purdue has previously faced a team with supreme talent that also is willing to work hard (Ohio State, for example), the Boilermakers managed only to keep the game close for a spell before ultimately succumbing late. If Purdue faces Florida as expected on Sunday, the Boilermakers need the Gators to take them lightly.