WEST LAFAYETTE -- Purdue's David Teague found himself in apeculiar position on Saturday against Iowa.
He strode to the free throw line with 1.1 seconds left and histeam down 63-60. Teague had to make the first shot, then miss thesecond on purpose and hope one of his teammates could tip the ballin to tie the game.
The first went through as planned, but Teague's second trybounced off the back of the rim, straight up into the air and backthrough the hoop.
Iowa inbounded the ball and ran the clock out to win the game,sending Purdue's hopes for an at-large berth to the NCAA tournamentdown the drain.
''That's the way the season's gone,'' Purdue coach Gene Keadysaid with a frustrated chuckle.
It was a fitting end to a long, frustrating regular season forthe Boilermakers (17-12, 7-9 Big Ten), who are 1-7 in games decidedby two points or less.
The Boilermaker coaches and players say they're not accustomedto losing so many tight games in one season.
''I've never experienced anything like this in my life,'' pointguard Brandon McKnight said.
Eight times the Boilermakers had a chance to tie or win the gameas the clock wound down. They've been successful just once -- a53-51 win over Wisconsin on Jan. 14.
The latest loss was the back breaker. It was believed that avictory over the Hawkeyes, coupled with a strong showing in nextweek's Big Ten tournament, would have been enough to garner anat-large big to the NCAA tournament.
Now the Boilermakers have to win the conference tournament toget the automatic berth that goes with it, and they'll have to winfour games to do it. Purdue plays Minnesota in the first round onThursday.
''It's kind of frustrating,'' Teague said. ''Everybody had highhopes for this team from day one.''
Those frustrations boiled over on Saturday. Leading scorerKenneth Lowe, who was playing in his last regular season game inMackey Arena, had a heated exchange with Iowa guard Pierre Pierceafter the two got tangled up while heading down the floor.
In his post-game press conference, Keady ripped a fan heoverheard calling for his retirement.
''I'll stay for 10 more years with idiots like that in thecrowd,'' said Keady, who is coaching his 24th season at Purdue.''That's ridiculous. Like I shot the free throws or made theplays.''
Judging from McKnight's comments, heckling fans are the least ofPurdue's worries at this point. McKnight said the constant failuresin close games have shattered the team's confidence.
''It's hurting,'' McKnight said. ''It just kept building. Now wedon't know what to expect.''
If the cloud has a silver lining, it is that this year's Big Tentournament is as wide open as its ever been. Top-seeded Illinoishas started to separate itself from the pack, but the talent gap isslim between teams seeded 2-11.
''This may be a year where you have a chance to win four gamesbecause of the parity,'' Iowa coach Steve Alford said.
For now, the Boilermakers are clinging to that hope.
''It's just another challenge,'' Teague said. ''We definitelyhave the talent and the leadership to make a run for it."
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