GoldandBlack.com Analysis and Wrap Video: Purdue's win at Penn State

Purdue's now won three in a row with a legitimate chance to win out to close the regular season. It'll finish up at home with games against Wisconsin and Indiana and maybe Nebraska and will be favored in all of 'em.

The Boilermakers do seem to be trending toward peaking at an opportune time, benefiting from a Big Ten schedule that was front-loaded with some of the most daunting games on the schedule. Purdue's better now because of it and taking advantage of a more manageable stretch run.

Friday night's win was impressive, mostly because the Boilermakers played well when well ahead. This game was more or less over at halftime, but a Purdue team that's been prone at times to lulls in such situations didn't mess around this time. A 15-point halftime lead never fell past nine, and even then just for a moment. Purdue went on to win by 21. It probably could have won by 30 had it been so inclined. It was not.

Seems like part of the maturation process for Purdue, perhaps a by-product of those maddening losses at Maryland and Minnesota.