Skip to main content

Hammer and Rails

https://www.hammerandrails.com/ | 285 entries published

Purdue's Okayest Blog

Latest Entries

Game Preview: Washington at #5 Purdue

Washington 9-5 (1-2) heads into Mackey Arena to take on the #5 Purdue Boilermakers 13-1 (3-0) Wednesday night. Matt Painter didn’t take long to get to the crux of the problem trying to defend Danny Sprinkle’s Washington Huskies: Washington will and wants to get to the rim at all times. Washington is one of the […]

17 days ago | 1 read

Non-Conference Opponents’ Update: January 7

Purdue was almost able to step back onto the top seed line last night even without playing a game. Michigan, who had spent the last several weeks pretty much crushing the skull of any and all opponents, went to the Bryce Jordan Mausoleum and, as happens at least once a year, fell asleep. They escaped […]

17 days ago | 1 read

Purdue Basketball: Washington Huskies Stats Preview

2025-2026 Season Record: 9-5 Previous 3 Games 1/4: L – 80-90 vs Indiana @ Away 12/29: W- 74 – 65 vs Utah @ Home 12/22: W – 86 – 56 vs San Diego @ Home Washington Personnel Starters Bench In-Season Injuries Preseason Injuries C: Mady Traore – # 3 JuCo Transfer / Former Maryland Starter F: Jacob Ognacevic – […]

17 days ago | 1 read

College Basketball Rankings: January 5

The holidays meant there was no new poll last week, and this week there is not a lot of change due to many teams not playing a lot. As a result, Purdue sits at No. 5 this week once again as we move into the New Year. The most notable change is Michigan gained on […]

18 days ago | 1 read

Boiler Alert Podcast – Braden Smith Makes History

After enjoying a long holiday break from the podcast Ryan and I have returned to talk about the last two games for the Boilermakers which were two victories including Kent State and at Wisconsin. As part of those two games Purdue saw one of their own make history when point guard extraordinaire Braden Smith set […]

19 days ago | 1 read

By the Numbers: Purdue 89 Wisconsin 73

Purdue’s first game of 2026 turned into a dominant road victory at Wisconsin as the Boilers defeated the Badgers 89-73. With the victory, Braden Smith broke the B1G career assists record previously held by Cassius Winston for the last several years. Purdue moved to 3-0 in the early stages of the B1G race with a […]

19 days ago | 0 reads

A New Face of the Backfield, Jerrick Gibson Commits

Coach Odom wants to run the football and while improvements are needed on the offensive line, they ate got their bellcow for the 2026 season. Jerrick Gibson committed to Purdue this evening after visiting campus on the opening weekend of the Transfer Portal opening up. Gibson totaled over 500 yards during his two seasons in […]

19 days ago | 0 reads

Purdue Receives First Portal Commitment

Coach Odom and his staff have had a busy weekend, like most coaches arouns the nation. The transfer portal “officially” opened on Friday, January 2nd. You may ask, why is officially in quotes? Well, officially its just a date given but tampering started months ago, legal or illegal. Purdue received their first commitment today from […]

20 days ago | 0 reads

Purdue 89, Wisconsin 73: Postgame Video

Once again, congratulations to Braden Smith. With 12 assists tonighy officially he now stands at 893 for his career. That broke the previous Big Ten record of 890 held by Michigan State’s Cassius Winston and he is now tied for 17th on the all-time Division I list with former Arkansas State guard Chico Fletcher. Of […]

20 days ago | 0 reads

Braden Smith Breaks Big Ten All-Time Assists Record

Thus begins Braden Smith’s formal assault on the record books. The Purdue senior point guard entered the night needing nine assists to tie Cassius Winston atop the all-time list in that category among Big Ten players. He made a strong push for it in the first half with six dimes, but his fourth assist of […]

20 days ago | 0 reads

Purdue Basketball: Wisconsin Preview

2025-2026 Season Overall Record: 9-4 Big 10 Record: 1-1 Previous 3 Games 12/30: W – 80-60 vs Milwaukee @ Home 12/22: W – 88 – 61 vs Central Michigan @ Home 12/19: L – 66- 76 (OT) vs Villanova @ Neutral Wisconsin Personnel Starters Bench Key Analytics (Per KenPom.com – National Rank in ()) KenPom Ranking – 42 Offense […]

21 days ago | 0 reads

By The Numbers: Purdue 101 Kent St 60

It was another exciting night for fans inside Mackey Arena as the Boilers enjoyed a 41 point victory over one of the better programs in the MAC this season. The 101-41 victory closed out the first portion of the schedule for Purdue as they moved to 12-1 on the season before the bulk of the […]

24 days ago | 0 reads

Matt Painter’s masterpiece and master class against the NCAA

On the court, it’s close to Matt Painter’s masterpiece. Zach Edey’s national championship runner-up team, that was a team of grit, of redemption, a team fighting from the shadows and contending with the demons that were at Purdue long before Matt Painter. Edey might be Matt Painter’s singular greatest work of heart, from a top-400 […]

25 days ago | 1 read

Game Wrap: Purdue 101 Kent St. 60

The Purdue Boilers closed their non-conference slate with a dominating 101-60 win against Kent State. Kent State struggled in the clear step up in competition from their previous schedule as the Boilers were able to control all aspects of the game. Notably, Kent State entered the game averaging 94.3 points per game which placed them […]

25 days ago | 0 reads

Purdue 101, Kent State 60: Postgame Video

Since losing at home to Iowa State 81-58 it seems Purdue has played some really pissed off basketball. It has since won four in a row, holding all four opponents to 60 points or less, while winning all four games by at least 20 points. That includes a win over a Big Ten team, a […]

NBA

25 days ago | 0 reads

How to Watch #5 Purdue (11-1) vs. Kent State (10-2) & Fan Discussion

After the long winter break hiatus Purdue fans can rejoice that men’s basketball is BACK! I hope you enjoyed your holidays and your time with your family, because that’s all over now. We’ve got some final non-conference games to finish up and then it’s time to head into Big Ten season full time. Elsewhere on […]

25 days ago | 0 reads

Purdue Football Hires Veteran Defensive Coach

Purdue continues to retool their defensive staff by adding a veteran to the staff. Barry Odom announced the hiring of Dave Steckel as a Senior Defensive Analyst. There is familiarity between Coach Odom and Coach Steckel going back to Coach Odom’s Missouri days. From 2015 to 2019 Steckel served as the Head Coach of Missouri […]

28 days ago | 0 reads

Non-Conference Opponents’ Update: December 26

Happy Boxing Day, everyone! The paucity of games the last few weeks due to Finals and the holiday break has delayed this normal column, but since our last update Purdue has gotten a nice boost from a blowout win over a ranked Auburn team and Texas Tech upsetting previously undefeated Duke to make that win […]

28 days ago | 0 reads

Purdue Football: Barry (Odom) Raised a (Kevin) Kane

* If you’re wondering about the title, I stole most of it from Bruce Springsteen. During the frigid winters in Finland, it’s common for people to maintain holes in ice-covered lakes and ponds for swimming. They sit in a sauna (a staple of Finnish life), and once they are sufficiently steamed and/or dry roasted, they […]

about 1 month ago | 1 read

By The Numbers: Purdue 88 Auburn 60

It was another dominating performance for the now #5 ranked Purdue Boilermakers as they dismantled the Auburn Tigers 88-60 inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the Indy Classic. With five players scoring in double digits and Braden Smith adding in 14 assists, the Tiger defense was befuddled most of the night as the Boilers scored 1.704 points […]

about 1 month ago | 0 reads

College Basketball Rankings: December 22

Purdue is back in the top 5 this week, and it owes a huge thank you to Texas Tech for that. Not only is hte win over the Red Raiders a little bit better now, they stormed back ot beat Duke and knock the Blue Devils behind the Boilermakers in this week’s poll. Surprisingly, it […]

about 1 month ago | 0 reads