Purdue's considerable success the past five seasons has come largely courtesy of the three-pointer, not just the offense its long-range shooting directly produced, but also the offensive balance it provided.
In that sense, the Boilermakers have trended in lockstep with basketball in general, as the game at the college and NBA levels especially have become increasingly three-centric, in part at the urging of modern analytics.
And though Purdue has never been as reliant on the three as it was last season, and may never be again, it intends to remain heavily invested in three-point shooting, the product of Matt Painter's commitment following his program's two-year downturn to never be short on skill again.
Thus, Purdue may be as interested as anyone in the effects to come — if there actually are any — of the NCAA's three-point line being pushed back to the international distance of 22 feet, one and three-quarters inches.
It's a move of nearly 18 inches backward — a foot-and-a-half — not insignificant, and its effects to be determined.
