INDIANAPOLIS — As Purdue filed off the Lucas Oil Stadium playing floor Friday night, stung by the overtime loss to North Texas that ended its season, Trevion Williams froze for a moment, then fell into a crouch, his jersey over his face.

To the credit of the Boilermaker fans who'd attended the game, seated in that very end zone, they cheered the first-team All-Big Ten big man during the most bitter moment of a memorable season, as teammate Mason Gillis and outgoing associate head coach Micah Shrewsberry counseled Williams, then left the floor with him in their arms.

Asked long after that moment whether that emotion was born from anger, frustration, sadness or something else, Williams said, "All of the above."

The junior made special effort so often this season to mention how much he "believes" in his team, adding to the "heartbreaking" moment that occurred in Indy.

"All I wanted for this team," said Williams, part of Purdue's Elite Eight run two seasons ago, "was for this team to get the same experience I had my freshman year."

It'll have to wait at least a year, as Purdue's season ends, following a fourth-place Big Ten finish and 18 wins, against a shortened schedule. All for a Boilermaker team that ranked as one of the least experienced in college basketball, playing in the best league in college basketball, during a season in which expectations were minimal.

That now changes, too.