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8 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED 5 Rebound: Purdue isn't as big as it was a year ago, but it's still big and needs to leverage that advantage every night. The Boilermakers will miss Hammons' above- the-rim rebounding, but Caleb Swanigan should lead the conference, Isaac Haas should overwhelm people physically and Vincent Edwards should be the most productive he's ever been on the boards. 4 Vincent Edwards: Purdue needs the Edwards it had to close last season, the confident, aggressive version of the versatile forward who closed his sophomore year playing at an All-Big Ten level. He's Purdue's best overall offensive player and may be the proverbial straw that stirs its drink this season, an ideal balance between his team's interior strength and perimeter skill. 3 Effort: Without its tone-setter from the past few sea- sons in Rapheal Davis, Purdue will want to make sure its effort level lives up to its program's reputation. It's a tremendous thing for any team when your best players are your hardest workers, so Swanigan probably now sets that standard, but some others will need to raise and maintain their levels. 2 Defensive identity: Purdue may not have been as good of a defen- sive team last season as its numbers reflected, but it was solid. Now, it has to redefine itself post-A.J. Ham- mons and Davis, with very different personnel. They'll have to scheme around the loss of an elite shot-blocker, overcome some athletic deficits against the dribble and play better as a team at that end of the floor. 1 Composure: Purdue lost it at key moments at times last year. Plenty of those moments lie ahead during this very important season to come. When they do, the Boilermakers must show they've grown up, that their experience and maturity matter. Purdue hopes, too, that a better ball-handling roster will help against pressure. — Brian Neubert T O P Keys to the Season Photos by Tom Campbell Trend Breaker? Photo courtesy of Villanova When Villanova comes to Mackey on Nov. 14, the defending national champs figure to be ranked in the top five. Purdue is hoping for a change in past history against highly ranked non-conference opponents at home. 12-2-67 (1) UCLA L, 71-73 1-26-74 (3) North Carolina State L, 81-86 1-13-80 (5) Syracuse L, 61-66 12-9-81 (3) Louisville L, 71-73 12-2-08 (4) Duke L, 60-76