WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The differences are obvious between the Purdue Boilermakers and most other talented teams that recently tried to operate without a pure point guard: More victories, fewer excuses.

Last season, Purdue coach Matt Painter employed Keaton Grant as his point guard of record. Grant is an excellent defender and leader and a first-rate jumpshooter. In his second season with the Boilermakers, Grant averaged 11.2 points and shot 44 percent from 3-point range. He rarely makes mistakes. That he is not a conventional playmaker, though, is obvious in the fact he ranked fourth on the team in assists.

Lately, Purdue has had lots of guys who can play the position but nobody who truly fits it. Not a single player in either season reached 100 assists for the year. And yet they were invited to the last two NCAA Tournaments and advanced both times, and they will make it again this year even if they choose to follow the same approach.

"The two toughest things to get in recruiting are a true point guard and a true big man," Purdue associate head coach Paul Lusk said. "It's not that we weren't trying.

"If you can't get a true point guard, the next-best thing is a big combo. Each team is different, but you have to adjust to your personnel."

One reason Purdue has succeeded where (so many) others have failed is defense. The Boilermakers committed to one another and to Painter's emphasis on pressuring the perimeter.

The biggest reason, though, is they field so many players willing to help fill the position. "It is something I really do enjoy because I like getting everybody involved, distributing the ball," junior Chris Kramer said. "I know what's going on out on the court, what everybody can do, getting them in the right positions so they can really excel at what they do."

When Grant was injured and unable to play on the team's August trip to Australia, Kramer and sophomore E'Twaun Moore played the point. Forward Robbie Hummel doesn't run the offense, but he is such an able and willing passer he contributes to its functionality more than just his double-digit scoring. And any of those players who grabs a rebound is likely to put it on the floor and push forward toward a fastbreak.

Although there hasn't been a Marques Haynes-style ballhandler on the squad, the Boilermakers don't do anything foolish with the basketball. They handle it carefully until someone is in position to score.

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It's amazing how effective that can be. It's astounding that Purdue could be such a team with four freshmen among its top seven players. All but forward Scott Martin return; he transferred to Notre Dame.

"Last year, we really didn't know what to expect a lot of times. We just knew to go play hard," Moore said. "Now that we know how to execute, how hard we actually have to go play and how physically other teams play, we'll be a lot better."

It didn't hurt Purdue that it operated in the Big Ten, in which few teams have the requisite athleticism to extend their defenses and fewer still choose to pursue that course. But when the Boilers did face a capable opponent that goes after the ball - on the road, no less - they determined the tempo of their game against Clemson and only lost by three.

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"Coach Painter puts those guys in a position to be successful," Lusk said.

Purdue did add a conventional point guard as part of its 2008 freshman class: 5-9 Lewis Jackson of Decatur, Ill. At that size, there's no other position he can play. He is strong, quick, creative and fast and eventually will give Purdue the option of playing more conventionally.

With several excellent shooters and scorers in its rotation, a creative point guard would energize Purdue's offense. Although playing on the ball helped develop his skills, Grant could blossom if he were able to concentrate more on scoring.

How long it takes for "eventually" to arrive remains to be seen. No one's in any rush. Until that time arrives, Purdue will continue winning games and making the common lament of others - If only we had a point guard - sound hollow.

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