Matt Haarms blocked a shot, and Mackey Arena roared, and then Haarms roared, and then turned around and blocked another shot, and both roared some more.
The signature sequence of 15th-ranked Purdue's come-from-behind win over Minnesota this past weekend — Haarms' successive blocks led to Carsen Edwards' transition hoop off Ryan Cline's behind-the-back pass — came courtesy of Haarms and that same downed-power-line energy that affected games so profoundly a year ago during his revelation of a debut season.
Now, that same energy is being weaponized again for a Purdue team suddenly sitting pretty in the Big Ten, tied with Michigan atop the standings, with other contenders middling and by any objective measure, the user-friendliest path over the remainder of the regular season.
Haarms has been central to that success, but that success has been central to his success, he says.
