It nearly beat a national championship contender. INDIANAPOLIS — Purdue basketball's Braden Smith softly swung a fist through the air, an “aww shucks” gesture after 40 awesome March Madness ...

INDIANAPOLIS — Purdue basketball coach Matt Painter used to give his players two weeks off after the season’s final game before regrouping with individual meetings about their futures.

It's doubtful that the players or coaches inside Purdue's locker room put much stock into a prediction made by a college basketball analyst. But those remarks serve as a little extra fuel as the ...