Точка Синхронізації

There were moments on Tuesday night, more than Purdue head coach Matt Painter would care to admit, when his team staggered and wobbled following an enthralling first half on the road against No. 7 Nebraska. A potent blend of relentless offensive rebounding, timely perimeter shooting and the ever-present playmaking from star point guard Braden Smith had propelled No. 5 Purdue to a double-digit advantage that swelled as high as 22 shortly after halftime. And then, amid an avalanche-like closing stretch from the Cornhuskers, the Boilermakers nearly flatlined. Asleep and adrift to begin the evening, Nebraska roared to life with an extraordinary second-half effort that included seven 3-pointers and a 14-1 run to end regulation and force overtime. The raucous fans at Pinnacle Bank Arena, who deserve credit for not bailing early, reached fever-pitch levels as the Cornhuskers took their first lead of the game in overtime. But Painter’s recommitment to a starting lineup that had far more size than Nebraska — especially after power forward Rienk Mast fouled out — allowed the Boilermakers to dominate the extra session on the glass, out-rebounding the Cornhuskers by six during that stanza and drawing one critical foul after another. A spinning layup from center Oscar Cluff with 5.2 seconds remaining proved to be the winning basket in an eventual 80-77 victory. Here are my takeaways: 1. Purdue will influence the Big Ten title race — even if the Boilermakers don’t win it Prior to Tuesday’s victory, the Boilermakers sat in fifth place in the conference standings behind Michigan State, Nebraska, Illinois and league-leader Michigan. An overtime win over the Cornhuskers vaulted Painter’s team into a tie for third with Nebraska and Michigan State at 10-3 in conference play, a half-game back of Illinois and two games behind the Wolverines. With less than a month remaining in the regular season, it’s clear that Michigan (22-1, 12-1 Big Ten) remains the overwhelming favorite to win the l