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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 23 • 4 P urdue had to be just crushed leaving the Value City Arena floor af- ter losing to Ohio State Sunday night. You at home, maybe you were particularly angst-ridden after a game in which the Boilermak- ers could have, in effect, planted their flag in the NCAA Tournament. It was a tough, tough loss, that game in which Purdue lost a 12-point halftime lead with so much on the line, falling victim to a professional basketball player, D'Angelo Russell, who happens to be playing college ball this season, as well as more than a few self-in- flicted wounds at the foul line. Ohio State won that game more than Purdue lost it, but it stung badly nonetheless. But it was the right kind of sting, the best kind of disappoint- ment, as counterintuitive as that may sound. This is what college basketball disappointment at Purdue should be: Related to basketball games that actually matter. This team has blown your ex- pectations out of the water since the calendar turned to 2015. This is a team that is playing for something at the beginning of March, improbably. This isn't a group pre- paring to play in some postseason tournament you've never heard of (and never want to hear of again) or a team playing out the string so it can get away from each other as quickly as possibly. This is a Purdue team with sub- stance that's playing for things that might have been taken for granted before, like a seat at the game's big- kid table at the NCAA Tournament. So when Purdue loses a close game at Ohio State that keeps fears of that opportunity going by the wayside alive, it's unsettling for all involved. That's a good thing, a remind- er of how things have changed. Three months ago, people were talking, albeit prematurely, about Matt Painter being on the "hot seat." Now they're talking about him being Big Ten Coach-of- the-Year. Three months ago, Purdue looked like one of the worst defen - sive teams in college basketball; today, they're winning important games with defense. Three months ago, you had to wonder if A.J. Hammons was ever going to figure it out and if he couldn't now, whether all par- ties would just be better off going their separate ways after this sea- son; now, he's damn near as good a big man as there is in college basketball and Purdue will throw a parade if he decides to come back next year, figuratively speaking of course. Last year at this time, Purdue was a picture of dysfunction, today a case study in the power of unity. Last year at this time, the Boil- ermakers were a lousy three-point shooting team that couldn't make an open shot to save themselves; today, they're … wait, no, that one's not going to work. Moving on … Purdue has come a long way but remains guaranteed of noth- ing when it comes to the postsea- son. The Boilermakers can make amends for their poor non-confer- ence showing, but they can't undo it. It's going to be close. Purdue may make the NCAA Tournament — my guess right now is it will — or it may play in the NIT. Either way, considering where it's come from, how little its games have mattered the past two years, this season has been a successful one. They might not have realized it in the moment, but that hurt the Boilermakers felt leaving Colum - bus was the best kind of hurt. Purdue needed to become rel- evant again. You don't feel that kind of dis- appointment until you've done it. j Neubert can be contacted at BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com F R O M E D I T O R B R I A N N E U B E R T The Best Kind Of Disappointment CERAMIC • ENGINEERED HARDWOOD LAMINATES • MARBLE CARPETING Specializing in • Homes • Businesses • Churches • Schools Where Contractors Buy Their Flooring Builders! Call our Contract Department and ask for our Contract Specialist 3437 State Road 26 E. 765-447-9393 800-403-6889 FAX 765-448-9978 Across from the Post Office GO BOILERS