“Mark Wohlford is solid”. Yes, I just said that. The former walk-on who has received a scholarship in his senior year is playing some meaningful minutes this year. In the absence of Lewis “I am not allowed on Roller Coasters” Jackson who averaged 23.6 minutes per game last year, Wohlford has seen 8.3 minutes per game of playing time this year. Averaging just over 3 points per game.

So why am I raving about a guy who has taken less shots in his career at Purdue than the amount I took in my last game of “knockout”? It’s not because he is this year’s version of Bobby Buckets nor the fact that he is shooting 57.1% from the field. It’s because he is an extension of Purdue Basketball’s identity.

Playing tough and hard is what Purdue Basketball is all about. Yea, sure every coach says that about their programs. But talk is cheap, especially these days when people’s minds change more than their Facebook updates. Matt Painter has taken that cliche and actually shown the entire country that when you play against the Boilermakers you are going to be in a dogfight.
It’s players like Wohlford who make practices tough on All Big Ten hopefuls such as Robbie Hummel, E’twaun Moore, and Jauan Johnson. In his fourth year at Purdue, Painter has finally constructed the program the way he wants it. It took a lot of roster changes and long hours on the recruiting trail but Matt Painter is on the fast track to the top.

You can just tell by watching the last two games versus Tennessee and Central Michigan. Against the Volunteers (Wohlford’s potential law school next fall), Purdue answered the challenge against a top 10 team who many people would say is more athletic than my Boilermakers. Even when Johnson was on the bench for most of the game with foul trouble, Purdue had to play a smaller lineup. They were still able to force 16 turnovers and come out with a victory. That defense aggressiveness continued into the Central Michigan game where they held the Fighting Lefevour’s to 38 total points and 28.3% of shooting from the field.

I may be drinking the Kool Aid way too early, but Painter’s boys are definitely the real deal this year. It’s going to be awesome this year when students are going to be complaining in April that the Lafayette Limo that travels to Indy is overbooked!