In one year under Matt Painter at Purdue, Robbie Hummel has done everything one could have expected, and more: He’s made First Team All-Big Ten as a freshman; he made the list of finalists for both the John Wooden and Oscar Roberston national awards; he started 31 times and averaged 11 points, six rebounds, and two assists a game. For all intents and purposes, Robbie Hummel was The Man last year.

As impressive as Hummel’s accomplishments were how quietly he went about them. I’ll be honest: Purdue is in the same state as our Hoosiers, and not only was I only vaguely aware of Hummel, I was often viscerally bored by him. I say that less to insult him and more to criticize my own basketball intelligence, but it’s true: Watching Robbie Hummel is never interesting the way, say, watching Eric Gordon, or even a roughshod banger like Tyler Hansbrough, is. But if Hummel can expand on his success — he was named Big Ten preseason player of the year this year — I doubt he, or Painter, or Purdue fans will much care.

The Hoosiers (22-4, 11-2 Big Ten) committed 23 turnovers, but hit 30 of 34 free throws and won the rebounding battle 46-30.

“We wanted E.J. and Armon to really drive it ,” Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson said. “Play through D.J. as much as we could knowing that they would post double him, but just try to get to that free throw line. The turnover thing, like I said after the Minnesota game, sometimes you have to bring them in the huddle and remind them what color jersey you’re wearing.”

Much like the Michigan State game, the Hoosiers got off to a slow start. Purdue led 16-10 with 10:19 remaining in the first half before a 7-0 run gave Indiana its first lead.

The Boilermakers (21-6, 12-2) led 25-23 late in the first half, but Lance Stemler hit a three-pointer and the Hoosiers never relinquished the lead the rest of the way.

White, who was questionable due to a knee injury suffered on Saturday night against Michigan State, looked to be close to 100 percent and dominated the interior before fouling out with 10 seconds remaining.

“I just wanted to go out there and be aggressive,” White said. “It was a big game. A lot of things were riding on this game. I wanted to be a part of it.”

Gordon scored a majority of his game-high 22 from the foul line, where he hit 13 of 15 attempts. Bassett added a career-high eight rebounds.

Purdue entered as one of the top free throw shooting teams in the conference but managed just 11 of 21 for 52 percent. Robbie Hummel led the Boilermakers with 17 points and Scott Martin added 12.

The focus now shifts to the future of Sampson, but the Indiana coach refused to answer any questions about his situation and said he was planning to coach the team Saturday at Northwestern. Pat Forde of ESPN.com, citing sources close to the situation, reported late on Tuesday that Indiana is planning to suspend Sampson on Friday with the intent of firing him.

Related:

• Box score

There a couple of things you need to know about the 2007-2008 version of the Purdue Boilermakers. First, they’ve got an outstanding crop of home grown freshmen. Second, they’ve shown the capability of knocking off a respectable team. They beat Louisville on a neutral court and lost a close game at Clemson. Third, they’ve done what young teams do in college hoops: lose games they should have won. For example, they lost at home to Wofford and to Iowa State on a neutral court. And one final thing, Matt Painter has the best hair of any coach in the league.

So what should we expect out of our friends in West Lafayette? A young, inconsistent team that will improve throughout the season.

Purdue’s top six players are freshmen (Scott Martin, Robbie Hummel, E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson) or sophomores (Keaton Grant and Chris Kramer). Out of that group, the most impressive contributor at this early juncture of the season has been Martin, a Valpo product. He’s a crafty lefty who looks to create his own shot. He’s still learning to adjust to the physical play at the collegiate level, but when it’s all said and done, he’ll be an All-Big Ten performer.

Grant is a solid second option that can hit the three and can also defend. Kramer is a bit of a head case at times, but he is also a hard nosed player that takes pride in guarding the opposing team’s best player as well as diving after loose balls. Hummel, Martin’s high school teammate at Valpo, is an excellent free throw shooter and passer. Moore, who you might remember helped knock off Eric Gordon for the Indiana state title, has struggled with his shot early in the season but will definitely improve. And finally, Johnson is by default Purdue’s best shot blocker and the closest thing they have to an inside presence.

The bottom line: By the time March arrives, I would expect Painter and staff to have this team knocking on the door of an NCAA birth. The Boilermakers should take care of business at home in conference play and if they can put together an 11-7 mark in the Big Ten, 20 wins should be enough to provide a legitimate chance at the Big Dance.

Read the rest of our Big Ten Preview:

• Ohio State
• Minnesota
• Penn State
• Michigan
• Iowa
• Northwestern

One other thing that impressed me was how unselfish the team was with the ball. There were signs of a structured offense and the Hoosiers had a season low 10 turnovers. And by the way, if you have any pictures of Eli Holman in his red suit, please send them our way. PostmanE is Eli’s biggest fan.

- One of the more exciting games of the weekend took place at Freedom Hall in Louisville as former Indiana coach Mike Davis and the UAB Blazers beat Kentucky, 79-76. With his team down 12 at the half, Davis had this to say to his team: “I told our guys at halftime that we’re 15 points better than this (UK) team.”

Led by former IU guard Robert Vaden, the Blazers outscored Kentucky by 15 points in the second half in what was basically a home game for the Wildcats. Vaden put on a ridiculous shooting display in the second half with six three-pointers and finished with 33 points. Vaden looks to be about 20 pounds lighter than he was the last time we saw him in a Hoosier uniform. Thanks for beating Kentucky, fellas.

- And finally, Purdue had a nice win over Louisville in the Wooden Tradition at Conseco Fieldhouse. Louisville might be the most disappointing team in the country so far this season as they were a trendy preseason pick to end up in San Antonio. That’s what injuries (David Padgett and Juan Palacios) and a knucklehead (Derrick Caracter) will do to a team.

On the Boilermaker side of things, I’m really impressed with the play of the two kids from Valpo, Robbie Hummel and Scott Martin. Both guys are surprisingly polished for freshmen and will be very good four year players for Matt Painter in West Lafayette. Not that I’d ever cheer for Purdue, but it’s good to see both the Hoosiers and the Boilers heading in the right direction. It’ll only make for a better rivalry.