Good morning Boilermaniacs! If you were one of those who stayed up late Saturday night or early Sunday morning to watch unranked Purdue take on #2 (predicted #1 after UConn lost) Duke, you were rewarded handsomely! WOW, that was the most complete game I've seen Keady's Kids play against a top ranked opponent on a neutral court in a long, long time. Kenneth Lowe was the best player on the court and without question he is one of the greatest college basketball captains/leaders in the nation. All he's done is come back from not one, but two shoulder surgeries in the last couple of years, and played with a tenacity, zeal, and enthusiasm that is so infectious that his teammates can't help themselves from following his lead.

All I can say to those of you who don't have tickers but live within a 90 minute drive of Mackey Arena tonight, is do you REALLY know what you are missing? Well, I'll break it down for you...

1. After forgettable seasons in 2001 and 2002, Coach Keady got the team headed in the right direction last year with a top 4 finish and a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA tournament. Top scorer Willie Deane graduated, but a team with 6 seniors would return, including a de facto captain wearing #20 who was named Big 10 Defensive Player of The Year.

2. Despite a strong showing in the NCAA tourney, nearly every publication refused to rank the Boilers in their top 25 AND Sports Illustrated had the audacity to say we would not even make the Big Dance or top 65 in March!

3. Quietly, The Boilers got off to a 3-0 start with wins over Samford, Texas State, and Seton Hall. Virtually no one but diehard Boiler Fans gave Purdue a chance to beat the mighty Blue Devils and legendary Coach K this past weekend. ESPN's announcers were all talking about Duke being #1 on Monday and blowhards Dukie Vitale and Digger "no roads lead to W. Lafayette b/c I was too afraid to play Keady at Mackey" Phelps were all set to rave about this year's version of their beloved Duke.

4. Apparently though, Kenneth Lowe, David Teague, and Chris Booker had a different outcome in mind for ESPN. The trio brought their best offensive games and stunned many folks throughout the USA. It was absolute heaven for Purdue fans to see our trademark tenacious defense accompanied by some of the best ball movement and shot making we've ever seen by our offense. We did NOT have the patented 5 minute stretch of no Field Goals made that has plaugued us in several bitter losses to top opponents. Futhermore, we knocked down free throws with such amazing accuracy down the stretch that the game was never really in question!

5. This year's 4-0, 20th ranked team is incredibly exciting to watch in person because they have tremendous chemistry, depth, experience, and they flat out PLAY HARD. Frankly, Kenny Lowe is worth the price of admission by himself. You can't help but become enamored with his effort, hustle, and warrior mentality on the court. The other player's feed of him and so does the crowd. I remember the IU game last January in Mackey when Kenny came out on fire in the first half and the roof nearly came off from the crowd's electricity. Kenny was pumping his fists after every made shot and you could just feel the surge of energy in the arena forcing chills up and down your spine. It's moments like that, that are priceless in my opinion.

Folks, you too can get on board, as Asst Coach Cuonzo Martin pleads in the headline quote above, by calling 1-800-49-SPORT and ordering your tickets if you don't have them already. I've been told that the cost conscious crowd will have a very affordable option, i.e, $8 per ticket for Ceiling Fan seats in the upper 3 rows. Those seats are a tremendous bargain for that price when you consider that there really are NO BAD SEATS in Mackey Arena and this is your chance to give something back to the program that has been getting the job done in a major way lately! Let's do our part and get the word out that a sold out crowd of 14,123 is what we need tonight.

The opponent tonight is Clemson, a respectable foe from IMO the nation's best basketball conference, the ACC. The Big 10 is down 4-1 after the last 2 nights of games in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge and Purdue will get a national TV audience on ESPN2. The hearts of many Big 10 supporters will be counting on us to deliver tonight and it is time for us to do so. We have been 0-2 in The Challenge thus far and that streak comes to an end tonight. Boilers by 10!

Article coverage to follow including the previews of Clemson, recap of Duke game, the latest on our bowl status, a recap of the Bucket game, and a feature on future Cub pitcher and former Boiler pitcher Chadd Blasko.

-Barclay
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Purdue banking on depth, balance
Boilermakers host Clemson in ACC/Big Ten Challenge

By Jeff Washburn, Journal and Courier

http://www.boilerstation.com/hoops/stories/200312030purdue_hoops1070430233.shtml

"Jet lag? Or jet-propelled?

Purdue's 20th-ranked men's basketball team -- coming off the program's most impressive victory in three years -- will attempt to return to earth tonight in an ACC/Big Ten Challenge game with unbeaten Clemson in Mackey Arena.

Thanks to a 78-68 victory against Duke in the Great Alaska Shootout's championship game Sunday morning, the Boilermakers' Associated Press ranking is their highest since they were 19th in December, 1999.

Purdue also is 4-0 for the first time since the 1997-98 team began 5-0.

But Clemson comes to West Lafayette with a 3-0 record, averaging 86 points and shooting 52.9 percent from the field. "

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Boilers seeking to buck trend

By Jeff Washburn, Journal and Courier

http://www.boilerstation.com/hoops/stories/200312032purdue_hoops1070428634.shtml

While Purdue has played well in recent trips to Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, subsequent games have not been kind to Purdue.

The Boilermakers are 15-2 in their four most recent exempt tournament games, including a pair of Great Alaska Shootout championship and a title in the Puerto Rico Invitational.

However, Purdue lost to Missouri (1994), Kentucky (1997) and North Carolina State (1999) in its first game after playing in the Big Island Invitational, the Great Alaska Shootout and the Maui Invitational, respectively.

The Boilermakers hope to snap the recent trend tonight when they play Clemson in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Mackey Arena.

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Big Ten/ACC Challenge Rolls Into Mackey Arena

Men's Basketball faces Clemson on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 2, 2003

http://purduesports.ocsn.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/120203aaa.html

Purdue-Clemson Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Clemson vs. Purdue

Time: 7:35 p.m. EST
Arena: Mackey Arena (14,123)
Date: December 3
Location: West Lafayette, Ind.

Television:ESPN2 will air the game. Mark Jones (play-by-play) and Brad Daugherty (color commentary) call the action. Todd Kulis is the producer.

Radio: The Boilermaker Sports Network. Larry "The Cliz" Clisby (play-by-play) and Steve Reid (color commentary) call the action. Brett Schetzsle handles the pregame show, and Wes "Smooth as Silk" Scott engineers.

Internet:All games can be heard on purduesports.com. Click on the live coverage link.

Tickets: Limited amount remaining.
Records: Purdue 4-0 Clemson 3-0

Rankings:Purdue is ranked 21st the ESPN/USAToday and 20th in the AP poll. Clemson is not ranked in either poll.

Series: This is the third meeting between the two teams. More information on the series can be found on pages 2, 3 and 4.

Coaches: Purdue - Gene Keady (Kansas State '58) is 492-235 in his 24th year at Purdue and 530-254 in his 26th season overall.

Clemson - Oliver Purnell (Old Dominion '75) is 3-0 in his first season at Clemson and 259-191 in his 16th year overall.

Websites:Purdue - purduesports.com Clemson - clemsontigers.com

Officials: Announced on Game Day.

Battle Of The Unbeatens In The Big Ten/ACC Challenge
The Purdue basketball team returns home to face Clemson after capturing the Great Alaska Shootout championship with a 78-68 win over No. 2 Duke.
The Boilermakers (4-0) host the Tigers (3-0) as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Purdue looks to open the season at 5-0 for the first time since 1997-98. Senior guard Kenneth Lowe was named the Shootout's Most Outstanding Player and additionally earned Co-Big Ten Player of the Week honors.
Clemson is coming off an 84-77 win over Wofford on Saturday. The Tigers are looking to begin the season 4-0 for the second-consecutive season.
Purdue is 0-2 in the BigTen/ACC Challenge and Clemson is 3-1 in four years of the event.

A Purdue Win Would ...
-Make Purdue 5-0 for the first time since the 1997-98 season.
-Give Purdue a 5-0 record for only the third time in the last 10 seasons. (1993-94 and 1997-98)
-Make the Boilermakers 5-0 for the seventh time in 24 years with Gene Keady as head coach.
-Be the Boilermakers' first win in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
-Improve Purdue's record to 1-2 against Clemson and in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
-Improve Purdue's all-tme record to 1,481-832.
-Improve Gene Keady's career record to 530-254 and 492-235 at Purdue.
-Give the Boilermakers a 2-0 record in Mackey Arena and make them winners of their last three games at home overall.
-Improve the Boilermakers to 475-135 all-time in the month of December.

A Purdue Loss Would ...
-Give the Boilermakers a 4-1 record for the second-straight season and the third time in the last five years.
-Drop Purdue's all-time record to 1,480-833.
-Drop Purdue's record to 0-3 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Purdue-Clemson Connections -Clemson coach Oliver Purnell defeated the Boilermakers, 83-72, on Dec. 15, 2001 in the Boilermaker BlockBuster in Conseco Fieldhouse. Purdue defeated Dayton, 62-61, in the first round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament in Tucson, Ariz.

-Purdue coach Gene Keady and Clemson coach Oliver Purnell both have worked with USA Basketball to coach teams.

Purdue Vs. The Atlantic Coast Conference
Purdue's game against Clemson will be the 30th game against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent for the Boilermakers.
The Boilermakers are 10-19 against teams from the league, and are 0-2 against the Tigers.
Purdue's last game against a member of the ACC was on Saturday, when the Boilermakers defeated No. 2 Duke, 78-68, in the championship game of the Great Alaska Shootout.

The Clemson Tigers
Clemson is 3-0 on the season with three home victories over Gardner-Webb, High Point and Wofford.
The Tigers are averaging 86 points per outing, while holding opponents to 71.0 points per game.
Through three games, Clemson has held a 47-37.7 advantage on the boards.
Junior Sharrod Ford leads the Tigers in scoring and rebounding. He is averaging 16.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
Another impressive stats is the Tigers' field goal percentage. Clemson is averaging 52.9 percent from the field and allowing opponents to shoot 38 percent.
The Tigers are under first-year coach Oliver Purnell. Purnell spent the last nine seasons at Dayton, where he was 1-1 against Purdue.
Prior to Dayton, Purnell spent three seasons at Radford and Old Dominion.

The Purdue-Clemson Series
Purdue and Clemson will be meeting for the third time. Here are a few notes on the series:

-Purdue is 0-2 against Clemson.
-The Boilermakers haven't played the Tigers in over 29 seasons.
-The last meeting between the two teams was an 81-80 overtime win by Clemson in West Lafayette on Dec. 3, 1973.
-The first meeting between the two squads was a 72-66 overtime win by Clemson on Dec. 11, 1971 at home.
-Both games between the two schools have gone to overtime.

Purdue In The Big Ten/ACC Challenge
-Purdue is 0-2 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
-The Boilermakers did not participate in the Challenge the last two seasons.
-Purdue lost to N.C. State on Dec. 1, 1999, in the first year of the Challenge. The Wolfpack won, 61-59, in Mackey Arena.
-The Boilermakers lost in the second year of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, 98-78, at Virginia on Dec. 29, 2000.

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Lowe honored, Boilers ranked for Duke upset

By Jeff Washburn, Journal and Courier

http://www.boilerstation.com/hoops/stories/200312020purdue_hoops1070342735.shtml

"The Purdue men's basketball team is reaping the rewards of its Great Alaska Shootout championship game victory early Sunday morning against previously No. 2 ranked Duke.

Purdue is ranked 20th this week by The Associated Press -- its highest since it wasranked 19th in the poll of Dec. 1, 1999. Purdue is 21st in this week's coaches' poll.

Great Alaska Shootout MVP Kenneth Lowe is the Big Ten Conference co-Player of the Week with Iowa's Greg Brunner.

"It's an honor," Lowe said Monday afternoon, less than 12 hours after the team arrived back in West Lafayette. "Hopefully, I can win a couple of more."

Lowe is averaging a team-leading 18.5 points for the Boilermakers, who are 4-0 for the first time since the 1997-98 team began the season with five consecutive victories."

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MVP Kenneth Lowe leads Purdue past No. 2 Duke

By Jeff Washburn, Journal and Courier

http://www.boilerstation.com/hoops/stories/200311300purdue_hoops1070183530.shtml

"ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Purdue men's basketball team traveled more than 3,000 miles this week to deliver a most important message.

Early Sunday morning, they made their statement. Emphatically.

The unranked Boilermakers opened the second half with a blistering 16-2 run and went on to upset second-ranked Duke 78-68 in the Great Alaska Shootout's championship game in Sullivan Arena.

It's Purdue's first victory against a Top 5 opponent since Nov. 25, 2000, when the Boilermakers stunned No. 1-ranked Arizona 72-69 in the John Wooden Tradition in Conseco Fieldhouse.

Getting 22 points from Great Alaska Shootout MVP Kenneth Lowe, 20 from senior center Chris Booker and 19 from sophomore guard David Teague, Purdue (4-0) was the aggressor throughout."

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Duke coach heaps praise on MVP, Boilers

By Jeff Washburn, Journal and Courier

http://www.boilerstation.com/hoops/stories/200312011purdue_hoops1070255406.shtml

"ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Moments after Purdue's Great Alaska Shootout championship game victory against second-ranked Duke, tournament MVP Kenneth Lowe and Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski crossed paths outside Sullivan Arena's interview room.

Krzyzewski stopped, softly grabbing Lowe's arm.

"You are a great player," the Duke coach told Lowe, who had a game-best 22 points early Sunday morning in the Boilermakers' 78-68 victory.

Purdue's undisputed team leader was appreciative of Krzyzewski's praise, but the fifth-year senior always is seeking improvement.

Even after earning Great Alaska Shootout MVP honors.

"I played OK," Lowe said. "I still had a lot of mental breakdowns throughout the Duke game."

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Teague rewards Keady's faith with big game

By Jeff Washburn, Journal and Courier

http://www.boilerstation.com/hoops/stories/200312012purdue_hoops1070255406.shtml

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- David Teague's first two Great Alaska Shootout performances matched the weather outside Sullivan Arena.

With four field goals in 18 attempts, including 1 of 8 from 3-point range, the Purdue sophomore guard was ice cold.

But Teague warmed up at the most opportune time, sinking 7 of 12, including three treys, in the Boilermakers' 78-68 victory against second-ranked Duke in the championship game.

Teague finished with a career-best 19 points, including 10 during the second half when Purdue outscored Duke 45-29.

"I struggled with my shot early in the tournament, but the coaches kept me positive," Teague said. "My teammates had confidence in me, and my coaches had confidence in me.

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Big Ten bowls waiting patiently for BCS

By Tom Kubat, Journal and Courier

http://www.boilerstation.com/football/stories/200312020purdue_football1070342735.shtml

"Spending Monday afternoon on the telephone talking to bowl representatives failed to shed any major light on exactly where the Purdue football team will be spending its holidays.

The three most likely destinations are the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, the Outback Bowl in Tampa and the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. But those respective bowl selection committees are waiting to find out what happens to Ohio State.

Michigan, as the Big Ten Conference champion, is headed to the Rose Bowl. If the Buckeyes become the second league team to receive a BCS bowl invitation -- either to the Orange Bowl or the Fiesta Bowl -- then the dominos will start to fall.

"Our selection committee met this morning, and we agreed to wait until more information is available, basically to see if Ohio State is invited to play in the BCS," Joe Galbraith of the Capital One Bowl said Monday.

"We didn't take a vote. If, indeed, Ohio State is chosen, and it is guaranteed a BCS spot (today), prior to championship Saturday, then we'll have a meeting on Wednesday and come up with a team. If not, we'll wait until Sunday."

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Louisville linebacker commits to Purdue

Journal and Courier Staff Reports

http://www.boilerstation.com/football/stories/200311300purdue_football1070183530.shtml

"Louisville St. Xavier linebacker Dan Bick has become the 16th Purdue football recruit, according to reports in the Louisville Courier-Journal and the Lexington Herald-Leader.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Bick led St. Xavier (12-2) to the Kentucky Class 4A title game with his performance in the semifinals this weekend at Bowling Green.

In a 13-9 victory over Warren Central, Bick blocked a punt and a field goal attempt, recovered a fumble and scored the winning touchdown on a 7-yard run with 6:06 left.

"He is a great player who makes great plays all the time," St. Xavier coach Mike Glaser told the Courier-Journal.

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Three Boilermakers named to All-Big Ten first team defense

By Staff and wire report

http://www.boilerstation.com/football/stories/200311250purdue_football1069794413.shtml

"Purdue University seniors Shaun Phillips, Niko Koutouvides and Stuart Schweigert were selected to the All-Big Ten first team defense today, as selected by both the conference coaches and media.

Phillips, who was named Purdue's MVP on Monday night in voting by teammates, was the only defensive player on the first team to be a unanimous selection by the media. The 6-3, 255-pound end from Willingboro, N.J., led the team with 13.5 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss. Phillips also finished the regular season with 52 tackles, five pass breakups and one interception. He ranks second on Purdue's career sacks list with 32.5, one half behind Roosevelt Colvin.

Koutouvides, a 6-3, 241-pound linebacker from Plainville, Conn., led the 9-3 Boilermakers with 90 tackles, two interceptions, one forced fumble and four pass breakups. Koutouvides also was All-Big Ten first team last season.

Schweigert, a 6-3, 217-pound free safety from Saginaw, Mich., has four interceptions this season and is the Purdue career leader with 17. He totaled 78 tackles this season.

No Purdue player was selected to the first team offense, but senior wide receiver John Standeford was named second team by both the coaches and media. "

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Peers pick Phillips

Defensive end easily wins MVP

By Tom Kubat, Journal and Courier

http://www.boilerstation.com/football/stories/200311250purdue_football1069737547.shtml

"During a season in which several Purdue football players could have made a strong claim for team MVP honors, defensive end Shaun Phillips ran away with the award.

"In the view of his teammates he was an overwhelming -- overwhelming, overwhelming -- selection," Purdue coach Joe Tiller announced Monday night during the 83rd annual Purdue-Kiwanis Football Banquet at the Memorial Union. "The next closest vote-getter was 40-some votes away. So this guy was the runaway winner."

Phillips finished the regular season with a team-leading 13.5 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss. He leads the Big Ten Conference with averages of 1.13 sacks and 1.79 tackles for loss per game."

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Bucket stays put

Purdue escapes 24-16, awaits bowl destination

By Tom Kubat, Journal and Courier

http://www.boilerstation.com/football/stories/200311230purdue_football1069566311.shtml

"BLOOMINGTON -- For the Purdue football team, Saturday's 24-16 victory over arch-rival Indiana was kind of like the little kid that gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

He's happy because the cookie tasted good, but he's bummed because of the punishment he knows is coming.

For the Boilermakers, they were happy that they won -- a victory that gave them a 9-win season and allowed them to keep the Old Oaken Bucket -- but they were disappointed because they knew they were outplayed by a team that finished the season with 10 losses.

"We feel fortunate to come out of here with a win," said Purdue coach Joe Tiller, who is now 6-1 in Bucket battles. "We felt like Indiana played really inspired football. I actually thought they played harder than we played today, at times."

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Web site believes former Boiler pitcher on fast track with Cubs

By Ken Thompson, Journal and Courier

http://www.boilerstation.com/planet/stories/200312032purdue_planet1070429047.shtml

"The major leagues are in former Purdue right-hander Chadd Blasko's future, according to www.BaseballAmerica.com.

Although the site requires a subscription to read the full text, Blasko is rated No. 7 on their Chicago Cubs Top 10 prospects list. Interestingly, Blasko is the fourth pitcher in the Cubs' rankings.

"Many scouts had projected him as a reliever because of his long arm action, but Blasko was unhittable as a starter," Blasko's profile states. "The key for him in 2003 was coming up with a consistent breaking ball, a big curveball that looks like a hanger before suddenly dropping through the strike zone."

BaseballAmerica.com believes Blasko still has work to do with his changeup and slider but it expects Blasko to pitch in Class AA this spring with potential to crack the Cubs rotation in 2005. "

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