Purdue coach Matt Painter has his Boilermakers rekindling welcome memories.
They're playing lockdown defense. They're beating opponents to loose balls. And, yes, they're even beating ranked teams with regularity.
Rapheal Davis scored 20 points Wednesday, and a stout defense rescued Purdue from its own free-throw shooting woes to barely hold on for a 60-58 victory over No. 20 Ohio State in West Lafayette, Ind.
"I think we have really grown up," Davis said. "Beating three Top 25 teams is really good, but we can get better in a lot of areas."
A four-game winning streak has the Boilermakers (15-8, 7-3 Big Ten) off to their best conference start since going 9-1 in 2007-08. They beat the Buckeyes (17-6, 6-4) for the first time in nearly four years, ending a six-game skid.
A.J. Hammons finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and seven blocks for Purdue.
Purdue has won three consecutive over ranked opponents for the first time since January-February 2010. All three of those wins have come with the Boilermakers unranked, a feat they last achieved during a January-February stretch in 1979.
D'Angelo Russell had 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Ohio State.
