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With 9:28 left in the first half last night Texas Tech’s JT Toppin, a potential first round draft pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, scored on a tip-in to knot the score at 20-20. To that point, the Boilers an Red Raiders had played a pretty even game, as was expected for a game between a pair of top 15 teams. There had already been four lead changes and that marked the third tie of the night. The atmosphere in the arena was similar to the night before against Memphis, which was a hard-nosed, back-and-forth game. More of that was expected, as both teams have the talent to be playing into April.
Just 14 seconds later Fletcher Loyer connected on a midrange jumper that would serve to give Purdue the lead for good. It also unleashed a storm of basketball that showcased exactly why Purdue is considered to be the best team in America. It started the night just looking for a resume win. It ended the night with walk-on Aaron Fine stunting alley-oops to Daniel Jacobsen.
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For that final nine minutes and 14 seconds Purdue not only ran nearly flawless offense for a 29-6 run that wasn’t even slowed down by two media timeouts and a third Red Raider timeout, it also played such stifling defense that you could see Texas Tech visibly wilt in the crucible of a Bahamian ballroom.
Nine minutes and 14 seconds.
That interval of time was more than basketball. It was a statement. It was Purdue throwing down the early gauntlet of “If you want to beat us, THIS is what you’re going to have to beat.” It wasn’t against some overmatched low major in Mackey Arena in a glorified warm-up game. This was a game in a tournament atmosphere against a top 15 team that had last season’s eventual national champion on the ropes with a 10-point lead and under six minutes to go in the second half of their Elite Eight game.
Simply put: If Purdue plays like it did in that nine minutes and 14 seconds there is not a team in the country that can beat it.
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And now everyone knows it.
So let’s…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/college-basketball-nirvana-165006440.html
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Publish date : 2025-11-22 16:50:00
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