The rules committee, IU fans, but most of all, Matt Painter's Boilers got some from Painter after the game when a fiery Painter addressed media following Purdue's disappoint loss to Indiana, 73-58.

The loss, Purdue's fourth straight, left Matt Painter with a basket full of adjectives to describe his feelings about the game and his team: baffled, frustrated, a bit angry, and a few more in there for good measure.

"Just a total lack of concetration," Painter started what was a fiery disposition on a team that's gone from top of the Big Ten to free-falling towards the end of February.

IU's pressure got to Purdue in the second half. After giving up a three on IU's first offensive possession, Braden Smith turned it over on back to back possessions for Purdue. Those turnovers led directly to two more fast break buckets. All in all, it was a 7-0 for IU that dropped the lead to five just 80 seconds into the second half.

"We just played a half of basketball where their pressure didn't bother us at all," Painter said about his team's second half effort. Purdue had just 5 turnovers at half, but finished the game with sixteen. "It was Purdue beating Purdue."

What's maybe most frustrating for Painter is that there's not many coaches in the country with a team more proven than his own. Last season, Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn were all starters on a Purdue team that finished its season in the National Title Game.

"That's what's frustrating," Painter said. "We've been able to show poise. We've been able to have composure."

Trey Kaufman-Renn had three turnovers and fouled out, again, with both a flagrant foul in the second half and a fifth foul called on an obvious illegal screen.

Braden Smith, three assists shy now of breaking Purdue's all-time assist record despite just being a junior, had more turnovers than assists against IU.

IU's defense certainly looked better than it has all season, but how much of that was the Hoosiers and how much was Purdue collapsing to a defense that didn't exactly reinvent the wheel remains to be seen.

"To say we lost our composure is an understatement," Painter said.

It was Purdue's go to guys that broke down fundamentally, leaving too many Purdue possessions without any kind offensive execution to get good looks.

"What we call, whatever we run, there's a purpose to it," Painter said. "It's not a free for all. What they were doing to Trey Kaufman, and how they were doing it, it's a pretty simple read. It's not a hard read."

Kaufman-Renn came into the game with a stretch of 22+ point games, but left the game with just 9 points, the only game where Kaufman-Renn has failed to reach double-digits this season.

With 8 assists, Braden Smith would have set the career record for assists for Purdue in Assembly Hall. Instead, Smith outpaced his five assists with 6 turnovers.

The high-IQ, best player in the B10, drew unusual criticism after the game from Painter.

"We didn't get good point guard play," Painter said firmly.

It was a sentiment that Smith agreed with after the game.

"I came out and had some costly turnovers that screwed us," Smith said. "And they got transition points off that. I think it started off with that. I've gotta do a better job."

Purdue uncharacteristically gave Smith some much needed rest in the first half just as Purdue was making a push. Thanks to a strong first half outing from Myles Colvin, Purdue was able to extend the lead in the two minutes Smith sat.

But early in the second half, Smith was going back to the bench. This time it seemed less about resting Smith than a reaction to the junior's play.

That might be what has Painter most baffled. His best players have been great for a long time now. Smith has started every game in his three year career at Purdue.

"When we've got guys turning the basketball over or not making good decisions that have carried the water for us, that's hard to take because you've seen them do special things," Painter said. "Like Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn have done special things for us. They've been fabulous for us. I'm fortunate enough to coach them. With that being said, you've got to be accountable, and tonight, we weren't. We did not play to our strengths."

Purdue's certainties weren't so certain and neither was Purdue's demeanor in Purdue's loss to rival IU, shining an even brighter spotlight on a fourth straight loss that has Purdue eliminated from the Big Ten picture.

Matt Painter didn't make any excuses for his guys.

"No matter how you feel - you can be angry, you can be depressed, you can be mad, when you're competing, still do your job," Painter said, a polite bump to the plastic table IU set up for Purdue's after game media session as he spoke. "That's great you feel that way. That's great that they're loud. But how many times have you been - you've got guys that have played a hundred college games. That have been in these venues. That have been in the final game. That's been in a Final Four. That have won Big Ten Championships. Doesn't mean you're goign to have your best game all the time, but you put your best foot forward all the time... We didn't put our best foot forward. We just let it snowball. We just kept making it worst."

A defining characteristic over these last four losses is Purdue getting worked up and out of its game. Whether it was officials, environments, turnovers, or its shots falling, Purdue has shown signs of mental frustration that's leaked into its play on the court.

"We've got a pretty passionate group, but when that tilts into emotion, we've shown our weaknesses," Painter concluded.

Adding to the perplexing nature of Purdue's basketball team right now is that on a night where IU had two usual starters benched to start the game for unreleased disciplinary reasons, Purdue's players still have the full confidence of Painter and have only been model athletes and competitors to this point in their careers.

"We don't have selfishness. We don't have that," Painter said after the game. "That isn't an issue with us. We have an accountability issue and a concentration issue where guys aren't concentrating to do their job on both ends. But yet, when they do, we're pretty damn good. We're a good basketball team, but we can't allow the ball to be in the paint."

It's amazing how things can change so drastically in such little time.

A few weeks ago, Purdue seemed like a fixed team. Purdue was the team to beat in the Big Ten once again. Its defense was fixed and forcing turnovers, and maybe vying for a third consecutive one seed.

From December 29th to February 7th, Purdue won 11 of its 12 games. It was sitting back on top of the Big Ten, and had a defense climbing towards the top-20 in efficiency.

Four games later, all losses, and Purdue's defense is nearly 50th in the country. Its no longer forcing turnovers, its stars aren't shining, and all the earned composure and experience from the last few seasons seems to have gone away. Purdue has given up double-digit leads in two of the losses, let another lead slip against Michigan State, and have gotten out to poor starts in the second half in all four games.

Purdue's season appears to be at a crossroads, but thankfully for Painter, Purdue will get some much needed rest. Purdue doesn't play till Friday, which should afford them a day or two off this week as they get back from Bloomington, a short two-hour hike up north to West Lafayette.

Painter has built a proven system with proven players that have won at the highest level, but right now, the players need to buy into that vision, too.

"If you don't have 100% buy-in, and they don't do their job, you're going to fail, especially on the road," Painter said after the game.

Painter will have four days to sell his guys, and more importantly, two games in a row at Mackey Arena to help get them back up off the floor.