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WEST LAFAYETTE – Shooting only 34 percent, including 1 of 15 on three-pointers, and still winning?
Rallying from a 16-point, second-half deficit on the road to win?
Starters playing limited minutes because of foul trouble?
Responding after a victory over a high-major opponent to rout a lowly one?
No scenario has deterred No. 4 Purdue this season.
And the players know why: maturity and experience, the elements they speak about after nearly every victory.
They’re traits that have helped the Boilermakers to a 12-0 start, the second-best in school history.
They’re the characteristics Purdue will have to rely on in today’s showdown with fellow unbeaten and No. 6 West Virginia (11-0) at Mackey Arena.
Purdue hasn’t been a top-6 team and played a team that high since Nov. 29, 1997, when No. 6 Purdue played No. 4 North Carolina in the Great Alaska Shootout.
The Boilermakers are excited about another challenge, especially one that should test their mettle and toughness.
The Mountaineers start four players at least 6-foot-7 – including players who can handle the ball – and are outrebounding opponents by nearly nine per game.
“They do a great job of just continuing to come at you and play hard,” coach Matt Painter said. “They have good players, and they do an unbelievable job on the glass. They have a good team, great athleticism.”
Not that Purdue is worried.
That emotion has rarely been felt this season, unlike years past.
Last season, if the team trailed at the half, there was an uneasiness in the locker room, senior Keaton Grant said.
Last season, if a big lead was built, it could crumble to single digits late – a lack of killer instinct, Grant said.
Last season, if the Boilers got behind by double digits, there wasn’t always the confidence a comeback was imminent.
Not anymore.
“Think about it – all our players, the starting five, all has been in tough situations all since we were freshmen,” Grant said.
“Me and Chris came in and played a lot of minutes as freshmen. The three juniors came in, the same exact thing. What situation that can be put forth that we haven’t seen before? Being down (16), came back and did it. Full-court pressure, 40 minutes of hell? We’ve seen it. Zones?
“Anything else we haven’t seen, we’ve done it in practice. Jam the ball full-court? We’ve done it for four years, three years. What situation can they put forth that we haven’t seen?”
Grant said the team’s focus level has been sharp all season.
Senior Chris Kramer agreed. He’s impressed with the attention to detail, following the scouting report and carrying out assignments during games.
“Last year, there were points where every time you were down, you were like, ‘What else can we do?’ ” Kramer said. “You feel like you’re playing so well, you really don’t see the bigger picture of how well you can play. Now, there are times we know we’re just playing awful. You’ve just got to fix it.
“Most of us have been playing together for three years, so just being able to know where every person on the court can have success and then just little things, especially on the defensive end, knowing where JaJuan (Johnson) is, where to force guys, where the help is, all those things come with playing with guys for three years.”
They’ve also learned to balance enjoying success while maintaining it. It’s feeling like no one can beat you but knowing anyone can.
Kramer continually reminds “we haven’t done anything yet” to get excited about. He says the ranking is nice but doesn’t mean anything, calling it just a number by the team name.
Painter likes that attitude.
“We all handle failure by fighting, but handling success sometimes is a difficult chore,” Painter said.
“There’s not a manual for it. Because when there is success, other people come into the picture and other people keep telling you how great you are. With us and being in the polls, I think we have grounded guys. I think we have mature guys that understand that you can move up the polls and it can be a great thing, but you also can move down.
“You also, just like you can win (12) straight, you can get on a losing streak. You have to stay humble. You have to stay hungry and have to keep fighting.”
