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14 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED C redit Purdue for showing some substance in rallying from 19 down at Indiana to put an epic scare into an energized Assembly Hall crowd on a night when I'm not sure anybody but IU was going to win in that building, under those circumstances. Indiana played what might have been its best game of the season in a surreal environment in a game it had to have. And it still needed a question- able goal-tending call in the game's final 10 seconds to secure a win it had seemingly sewn up and sta- pled shut long before. Good for Purdue for fighting and giving this rivalry a memorable in- stallment. That being said, the Boilermak- ers lost for the third time in five games, third time in three on the road against quality opponents. Since, it seems based on public sentiment that the topic of wheth- er this season has been a "disap- pointment" has come up amongst fans. Has it been? Well, first off, it has to be made mention of that the season is not over, and the games that will de- termine its success are yet to be played, obviously. And, success lies in the eye of the beholder. First, let's look at expectation. Me, I predicted 27 wins for this team prior to the season and la- beled it in the fall as a "Sweet 16 team with upside" if some domi- noes fell right. (Some have. Some have not.) Purdue's on pace for that win total. Associated Press voters tabbed the Boilermakers No. 23 in the preseason. They were 17th before losing at ranked IU. Purdue was ranked No. 24 in the coaches' poll to start the season. And when Purdue was 11-0 to start the season, it still didn't get any higher than No. 10, which I think speaks to perception among people who cover and coach col- lege basketball. At Big Ten media day in Chicago in October, Purdue was not among the three teams tabbed as the frontrunners in the league. That's what I know anyway, the only thing I can use to frame this. Fans saw something bigger, though. It's a good thing for Purdue to have a Final Four-hungry fan base. It really is, and that's the deal right now. Again, this is eye-of-the-behold- er fodder and to many beholders, this Purdue team is being held to a standard none of its first three-dozen predecessors met. But the story is not yet written. Is this a Final Four team? I don't think so, but dismissing the pos- sibility during a season in which chaos has been college basketball's constant would seem premature. Whether this ever looked like a Final Four team enough to merit such buzz, I don't know. People talk about talent, raw tal- ent. Yes, Purdue has great talent, but it all plays the same position. And that makes the Boil- ermakers as match- up-vulnerable as any team in the country. It makes their opponents so, as well, but I think in college basketball nowadays, skill beats size more often than not. Purdue is 21-7 doing it the other way around. This was going to be an exper- iment. Purdue is playing college basketball bigger than everyone in the country when basketball at all levels is being played smaller and smaller, for a reason. Like we've said many times, by implementing this model to get McDonald's All-American Caleb Swanigan, Matt Painter doubled down on a good team to try to make it great. The results have been good in the big picture, but uneven. We'll see what happens from here on out, but a disappointing season? Taking a step back from things, I don't think so. Unfulfilling for many? Yeah, that might be a better way to put it. But again, it's up to the indi- vidual to craft those opinions, and much remains to be seen. Neubert can be contacted at BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com The (Not) Final Analysis From Editor Brian Neubert