Senior Night was fun and all, but it didn't take very long for Purdue's focus to change.
"There were a lot of smiles out there in the second half," senior Ryne Smith said after Purdue blew Penn State's doors off in the second half. "We just have to be a little bit better in the first half. It was a great win and an emotional night for us, but looking ahead to Indiana, we have to be able to put two halves together."
There's a certain finality that comes with Senior Night, but nothing is over.
Purdue's got lots of basketball left to play, starting with this weekend's revenge mission to Bloomington, where top-five teams have gone to die this season.
But there's something about this team right now. You sense momentum building. You see a team that's peaking. You see seniors who are determined, one of them, Robbie Hummel, swooping in in superhero form to steer this season out of mediocrity. You see sophomores who are exponentially better today than they were three months ago. You just see a team that finally looks truly united.
Purdue still isn't the greatest defensive team in the country, but it's been good enough to win.
Offensively, it's been a revelation.
In the off-season, knowing JaJuan Johnson's loss could be a haymaker, Matt Painter talked about how he might have to "go mid-major on people" and run a bunch of skill out there in place of size.
As small lineups have galvanized Purdue's ability to put points on the board, the individual pieces are all producing at a high level. Smith, Hummel and D.J. Byrd have been a deadly trio of shooters, with Hummel only recently breaking out of the slump that looked like it may ruin his senior year altogether.
You can't say enough about the season Byrd's turned in. He went from being a guy who could only occasionally make an open shot to being a guy who makes any shot.
Terone Johnson has figured it out. You see the light coming on for him more and more.
Jackson got healthy and once again became that presence that makes it all work.
On their own, these guys aren't anything absolutely extraordinary, save for Hummel, who just tacked another 26 onto the highest-scoring five-game run of his storied career. He may make first-team All-Big Ten yet. Hell, he's playing like an All-American.
But as a collective, they are playing like a machine right now.
Hummel is doing everything, making threes, posting up and grabbing offensive rebounds. Jackson's taking command of games. Smith and Byrd are making big shots. Terone Johnson is destroying mismatches.
The chemistry - and maybe it's just a coincidence that this became most noticeable right before that Michigan State game - is distinct.
Wednesday night, Smith got himself an open look from three in the corner, the exact shot he's programmed to take, and make. Instead he pitched it to his right to an even more open Byrd, who made the three.
Twice, Travis Carroll threw pinpoint entry passes to Hummel down low for layups.
When Hummel went one-on-one on a Lion defender up top and everyone cleared out, instead of attacking, the senior waited for Jackson to cut to the basket and hit him for a layup.
When all was said and done, Purdue had 21 assists on 27 made shots, rendering the fact it turned the ball over an inordinately high 13 times completely irrelevant.
Purdue shot 65 percent after halftime, ushering in the IU game with a head of steam.
Momentum has been fleeting this season.
For any number of reasons, for the longest time every step forward was accompanied by a step back. That is, up until now.
Purdue has gotten healthy, gotten consistent and gotten good.
Now, it just has to keep it up. If it does, it can win at Indiana and it can make it a postseason to remember.
Can Purdue keep it up?
A month ago, I'd have said no. Because they'd failed in that position too many times to that point.
Now, this looks like the real thing.
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This post was edited on 3/1 1:09 AM by Brian_GoldandBlack.com
