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GoldanDBlack express • volume 24, express 25 • 16 BY BRIAN NEUBERT BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com INDIANAPOLIS — Purdue's second consecutive losing season was sealed in Indianapolis, where the Boilermakers went out in the first round of the Big Ten Tourna- ment, but did not go quietly. Terone Johnson's three-point- er to win fell short as fifth-seeded Ohio State survived, 62-60, over the event's No. 12 seed. And so Purdue misses the postseason for the first time since 2005-06 and the NCAA Tourna- ment for the second time in as many years. The Boilermakers played in the College Basketball Invitational last season despite a losing re- cord, but Coach Matt Painter said following the Ohio State game — Purdue's seventh consecutive loss to end the season — that he would not pursue any form of postseason play. S News of Ronnie Johnson's transfer came down just a few days after the Boilermakers were ushered into the offseason and the story of that news doesn't paint a pretty picture of some of the discord going on behind the scenes. The point guard, and espe- cially his family, were at odds with the coaching staff, with the team's most prominent senior, Terone Johnson, being inextrica- bly mixed up in it. It might be no coincidence that Purdue went in the tank down the stretch this season as such problems intensified and the situation grew more and more toxic. S A.J. Hammons now has a decision to make about the NBA, though clearly he is far from a fin- ished product. He's actually not even close. But such deci- sions are never made by the player alone and the NBA has a long history of draft- ing potential over production, so while returning may seem like the obvious choice, things may not be so cut-and-dried for the 22-year-old big man. Assuming he does return, he will be the centerpiece of what Purdue does next season, with the team's two highest-volume perim- eter scorers now gone. In some small way, Ronnie Johnson's departure could help Hammons. The sophomore guard did not excel at getting the ball in- side and, as has become clear af- ter the fact, would have preferred not to. S The Ohio State game was a fitting end to this season of mad- dening inconsistency. Purdue got destroyed on the boards in the first half, but outrebounded the Buckeyes by a wide margin in the second half. Purdue played well down the stretch to put itself in position to win, then commit- ted crippling, and ugly, turnovers when it mattered most. Purdue often went as its guard play did. Ronnie Johnson was 3-for-3 in the first half, then was 2-for-7 and committed six of his seven turnovers in the second half. j Tom Campbell A.J. Hammons just missed a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds in Purdue's near- upset of Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament. m e n ' s b a s k e t b a l l g o l d b o x l i n k s t o g a m e s t o r y A LOOk BAck AT THe LAST week Of BASkeTBALL