Doyel: Boilers show they can match toughness

WEST LAFAYETTE — This is the Purdue that will keep you up at night. Purdue fan, Purdue opponent, doesn’t matter who you are. The Purdue that dominated No. 8 Michigan State for more than 25 minutes Tuesday night, then collapsed, then recovered, then won 82-81 in overtime?

Terrifying. In the best possible way. And maybe in some less flattering ways, too.

But for now, for today, this is a happy story for No. 18 Purdue. Its happiest story of the season. Probably its happiest story in several years, recent victories against Indiana notwithstanding. Those wins against IU — any wins against the Hoosiers — are huge, but in recent years they haven’t portended anything as far as the NCAA tournament goes.

This one — this dominating, collapsing, recovering victory against Michigan State — portended all sorts of possible greatness.

The second-half collapse portended some weakness as well — “It would have been a devastating loss for us,” Purdue coach Matt Painter was saying afterward — but that’s what coaches do. They hold a diamond and study it for flaws.

Purdue's long wait to beat Michigan State ends

Purdue fans, enjoy the gleam of a Purdue team that is so skilled it can beat Michigan State at the Spartans’ own game — and so mentally tough it can recover when Michigan State responds. Which is another of the Spartans’ own games, come to think of it. Michigan State does several things exceptionally well: It defends the 3-point arc at a 28.2 percent rate, fourth in the country. Its plus-12.8 rebounding margin is best in America. And every night the Spartans are stronger than whoever they’re playing, stronger physically and stronger mentally. Above all else, that strength, that toughness, is the hallmark of a Tom Izzo team.

And on Tuesday night, Purdue was better at every facet. Shot 3s. Rebounded. And was the tougher team when the game was there for the taking. Michigan State would have liked to win, but Purdue had to win. So Purdue took it.

“Tonight the better team won,” Izzo said. “I can accept that.”

Purdue was the better team because it had two of the best three players on the floor. Michigan State had Denzel Valentine, on pace to become the first college player since 1996 to average at least 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Tuesday he had 27 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists. He was the best player on the court, as he has been all season.

But both of the next best players played for Purdue. One of them was no surprise. A.J. Hammons, you know? He’s a pro. He’ll play in the NBA for a decade. He’s been Purdue’s best player for years, and on Tuesday night he had 19 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocked shots. He was sensational.

But the other guy, the other Purdue player who dominated this game — gave the Boilermakers a huge lead early, then made the winning play late — was Rapheal Davis.

You know Davis. Senior from Fort Wayne, been around forever, plays great defense. Nice player at the offensive end. Serviceable.

Tuesday, he was unstoppable. Davis scored a career-high 24 points, 19 in the first half when he was outscoring the Spartans by himself for most of the half.

“Give Davis credit,” Izzo said. “The guy’s shooting 29 percent (on 3-pointers for the season) and hits 5-of-5 in the first half. That’s what tough guys do. They make plays. I’ve loved that guy his whole career here. He’s a tough kid.”

The Spartans didn’t pull ahead of Davis until scoring their 20th point late in the first half, and all that did was get them within 34-20 of the Boilermakers. Then it was 48-30.

And then it was Iowa all over again.

Purdue fans remember Iowa. The game here, at Mackey Arena, in January. The night Purdue legend Rick Mount returned from his personal exile. Special night, emotional night, and the Boilermakers rode that emotion to a huge first half and led Iowa by 19 points, then … fizzled. Iowa pressed Purdue into oblivion in the second half and won going away, 80-73.

That game raised a delicate issue about Purdue: This team is bigger than everybody it plays, but is it tough enough to beat really good teams? Future games suggested: No. Purdue already had lost to Butler. Then came losses to Maryland and Iowa (again) and even a disillusioning loss to Illinois. Purdue has all this size, all those shooters, all that coaching, but when’s Purdue going to beat somebody?

Tuesday night.

And Rapheal Davis, after cooling off in the second half — he was 1-for-12 from the floor after the first half —made the game-winning shot. It was a free throw with 4.6 seconds left for the winning margin.

“That was an unbelievable feeling,” Davis said. “I’ve been telling these guys since the summer I want to beat Michigan State. I’ve never beaten Michigan State. Playing Michigan State is like playing IU to me. It’s more than playing IU to me.”

Why? The Spartans had won seven straight games against Purdue, six by double-figure margins. That’s what happens when one team is consistently stronger than another, and Michigan State has been stronger than Purdue for years.

But Tuesday night, after coughing up every bit of an 18-point lead, then finding itself down 72-68 with 1:59 left, Purdue responded. Caleb Swanigan, a former Michigan State recruit whose day was mostly a lost cause — eight points, four rebounds, six turnovers — scored on consecutive possessions to tie the game at 72, and Purdue’s defense forced overtime.

There, the Boilermakers were in control. They never trailed; they scored on almost every possession, and when the Spartans tied the game at 81 on a Valentine bucket with 10 seconds left, Rapheal Davis made a play. He forced a foul on Valentine by squeezing him close to a screen by Hammons and hit the first free throw. Hammons rebounded his miss on the second, and the clock ran out.

Purdue beat somebody. And not just somebody, but Michigan State, the team that had tormented the Boilermakers for years.

“It shows we’re a tough team,” Davis said. “We don’t get quit. We don’t wilt.”

A Purdue team with all that size, all those shooters, all that coaching — and all this toughness? Be scared, whoever plays Purdue in the future. Be very scared.

Find IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel on Twitter: @GreggDoyelStar or atwww.facebook.com/gregg.doyel.