As the fall semester moves closer to the start of basketball season — practice formally opens Sept. 28 — Purdue's concluding a refreshingly normal off-season leading into what most believe will be a big year.

Here are five questions, though, the Boilermakers are working toward finding answers to.

Truth be told, Purdue probably overachieved defensively last season, as the Boilermakers overcame their prohibitive youth and various personnel limitations to finish 34th nationally in defensive efficiency, per KenPom, and place second in the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing just 65.4 points per game.

Those numbers are excellent, especially in the context of circumstance, but don't tell the story of the postseason, when the Boilermakers fell apart on D in the first half against Ohio State, then lost in overtime at the Big Ten Tournament, then got handled at the defensive end by North Texas, another overtime loss.

Considering this season will be one defined more by Purdue's results in higher-stakes games than any broad numbers, therein lies the need for improvement.