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VOLUME 26, ISSUE 2 11 Who is Purdue's best defender? Stacy Clardie Rapheal Davis is the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player- of-the-Year. Doesn't that give him benefit of the doubt here? Or how about this: Few players bring the tenacity and bull-doggedness with which Davis plays on the ball. Losing the five-second rule either is ridiculous or great for Davis, who seemingly has made a living out of those momentum-shifting calls. Now, he'll just be able to pester for longer, using his long arms and not-obvious- but-still-physically-imposing presence to body up and frustrate guards. The best part about Davis' emergence as one of the league's best defenders? His evolution. He admittedly did not play defense — and had no desire to do so — before he got to Purdue, even telling friend Deshaun Thomas before arriving, "What is defense? We don't play defense in Fort Wayne." That, obviously, had to quickly change under Matt Painter. And it did, so much so that Davis' goal now is to be considered one of the best defenders ever in a program where "defense lives." He just may already be. Brian Neubert It's A.J. Hammons. Rapheal Davis' emergence as a lockdown perimeter defender last season was impressive and crucial to Purdue's defensive success during the Big Ten season, but without Hammons' presence on the back line, the Boilermakers couldn't possibly have made the sort of improvement they made collectively. Forget the elite shot-blocking for a moment, as if that's possible in this conversation. It was also about Hammons' general awareness and attentiveness against dribble penetration that really helped Purdue improve on defense. When he's alert, he's a force and makes life easier on his perimeter corps. When he's not alert, he's a liability, hard as that may be to believe. You saw last season Hammons make the switch from effective shot-blocker to effective defensive player. I think Davis is the better story just because of where he came from as a defensive player, but I think Hammons is the more impactful defensive player and, quite honestly, I don't think it's even close. Percentage increase in general public men's basketball season tickets from last year. Paint Crew sales have nearly tripled, to 2,800 from 1,061, in part because of Purdue's Boarding Pass option. Average height of Purdue's 15 men's basketball players, with only P.J. Thomp- son, listed at 5-foot-10, being under 6-foot. The top four frontcourt players — A.J. Hammons, Caleb Swanigan, Isaac Haas and Vince Edwards — aver- age 6-10 3/4. Assists per game last season for April Wilson, the fourth-best mark in the Big Ten. Her 1.6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio was seventh in the league. Millions of dollars for a proposed new football facility, unveiled by Purdue on Oct. 21. The 110,000-square foot build- ing will include, among other things, a locker room and weight room. The plan is expected to be approved by the Board of Trustees at its December meeting. By The Numbers 13.4 6-6 1 ⁄4 4.8 60 Photos by Tom Campbell (Paint Crew, Thompson, Wilson); Populous (facility)