"Going into my last year, I haven't won a National Championship yet and that's one of the goals and this is the last year to do it," Mason Gillis tells me on a Wednesday evening in June.

And just like that, all the stakes for Purdue's basketball season are put on the table inside of Cardinal Court - Purdue's practice gym where Gillis and company just finished the first practice of the 2023-24 season.

Zach Edey, reigning National Player of the Year, didn't return to Purdue for an ordinary or even good season at Purdue. After all, Gillis has seen a lot of good seasons in West Lafayette.

He's just missing the great one.

Consistently Purdue has overachieved during Gillis's tenure which started in 2020 with the New Castle native redshirting and continues now, with all the stars aligning in West Lafayette after back to back seasons of Purdue being ranked #1 in the country at some point in the season. The two only times Purdue basketball has been #1.

Purdue will be a top-5 team heading into the season. If last year's team was a surprise juggernaut, this one is expected.

The pressure has ratcheted up for a team that wilted under the brightest light last season.