For the second straight year Purdue wraps up Selection Sunday as a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but things couldn't be much different this time around.

Obviously, the elephant in the room is that Purdue lost as a #1 seed last year, but this year's team has grown, its gotten better, and it'll be playing about sixty miles south of West Lafayette in Indianpolis.

Braden Smith has emerged as an All-American candidate, Zach Edey is still the best player in the country, and Purdue's surrounding talent has all gotten better.

But, still, the demons hang around the Purdue program until they don't. Matt Painter has still not made a Final Four, fair or unfair.

Purdue's Midwest region looks ripe for the taking with a #2 seed Purdue has already beaten in Tennessee, and a #4 Kansas team that's reeling with injuries and a big man that Purdue is familiar in besting.

Purdue's will play Friday at 7:25 pm against the winner of #16 Grambling State and #16 Montana State.

Here's some notes and story lines from Purdue players and Matt Painter talking to media Sunday after the bracket reveal.

"They have experience to go off of instead of just being thrown into the fire," Mason Gillis said early Sunday evening after Purdue found out that it'll be a #1 seed for the second straight season.

It wasn't a surprise, considering the regular season success, but in the same breath it's not easy to get back to a #1 seed for the second straight year. Especially considering that last year's trip as a #1 seed wen the way it did with Purdue, becoming just the second #1 seed to lose to a #16 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

"When you face adversity, you look at it and you deal with it. And you keep working, but you don't start as a #1 seed the next year. You gotta earn it again and our guys have earned it," Matt Painter said on Sunday.

It's a phrase that he's been using since the summer when Purdue first started to practice and prep for its trip to Europe. 'Sitting in it' became the slogan for taking accountability, and not running from it. Painter would go on to say that the first part of improving from something is to admit to it. Purdue did that.

Now it will be buoyed by two guards who are no longer true freshman, Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer.

"We've been through a lot," Loyer said.

For Painter, he's seen the improvement on both ends.

"Those guys have made huge strides for us on both ends," Painter said.

The loss could have easy spiraled a program that had a National Player of the Year potentially leaving for the NBA, and a team sitting with a historic loss for the entire off season. Instead, Purdue responded by getting even better, going undefeated in the non-conference for the third straight season. Then, it won the Big Ten Conference by three games for the second straight season.

Now Purdue has both the scars and experience to learn from last year's short comings.

It also has some freshman that aren't lacking in confidence this year, too.

"Obviously we haven't had great success in March," redshirt freshman Camden Heide said Sunday after watching last season from the bench. "But that's gonna change this year."

Last year, Fairleigh Dickinson had to earn the upset of Purdue by winning a play-in game on Tuesday ahead of its matchup against Purdue.

This year, Purdue again will have to wait to find out which of two potential #16 seeds it will face.

The candidates are Montana State and Grambling State. It's Grambling State's first trip to the tournament, but what the two teams have in common might be most alarming for Purdue fans.

Both Montana State and Grambling State are teams that play with a little chaos, and force a lot of turnovers. Both teams are in the top-100 in forced turnover rate. Purdue will get just two days to prepare for it.

But Purdue isn't making any excuses.

"That doesn't really matter," Fletcher Loyer said about the two days of prep. "We're focused on getting ourselves ready to play. Finding out Wednesday who we're going to play doesn't affect us."

Zach Edey sat out most the first half in Purdue's semifinal loss to Wisconsin on Saturday in the Big Ten Tournament because of foul trouble.

Edey was called for a foul on a rebound attempt, but to make matters worse, he got into it with Badgers Steven Crowl and was rung up for a double technical. The two quick fouls is a trend as Edey and a couple different Boilers have been rung up for technical fouls in the final stretch of Big Ten play.

It likely cost Purdue the game on Sunday.

Matt Painter has a simple solution for his team.

"Just shut up," Painter said flatly. "Just play the game. I always tell them to keep their mouth shut and carry a big stick. You don't have to tell somebody you're a good player. If somebody says something, you don't have to respond to them."

It's not surprising that Purdue has become a target for teams in the Big Ten. It has ran the conference for the last two seconds. Purdue's target won't be getting smaller as it comes into the NCAA Tournament with its second straight #1 seeding.

College basketball can be a grueling for any team, the season starts late summer and carries all the way into spring. But for Purdue, practices and play started even earlier.

Serendipitously, Purdue took its Europe trip this season after having COVID push it back. It was an opportunity on multiple fronts. It allowed true freshman Myles Colvin to integrate to Purdue after having to miss the first week of practice because of his Team USA obligations.

It gave a chance for Camden Heide to get used to playing a role on a team for the first time after redshirting last season.

Lance Jones, Purdue's fifth year transfer from Southern Illinois, got to get his feet wet and start to learn Purdue's complicated system.

It was also a chance for Purdue to see what it was without Zach Edey. Edey was away playing for Team Canada's World Cup team and so Purdue went to Europe and played without its best player.

But more importantly than what it did for them on the court, it helped create the off the court harmony and bond that's helped them sustain through a long, grueling season that saw them play games everywhere from Arkansas to Hawaii to Canada before getting into Big Ten play.

"It's just a family," Heide told me about the Europe trip and the bond the guys created this season. "Honestly, we're all a family."

Part of what makes March Madness so fascinating is that these teams almost always come into the NCAA Tournament fully formed. Teams usually trip up or succeed based off things they showed in the season.

Purdue was no different last year. That might be why Painter wasn't holding back when he was asked what he tells his guys that haven't been here before in the big dance like senior, Lance Jones, and freshman, Myles Colvin.

"Take good shots, and guard your man," Painter said to something of a laugh.

"It's not Six Flags," he said seriously. "If you play well, you're gonna have fun."

Purdue's Lance Jones in particular has been a game changer for Purdue. He's been the athleticism, toughness, and defense that Purdue has needed. He's flourished next to Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer all season.

He's a joyous player, but he's also someone that's shown an ability to get caught up in the moment, to want to will his way into making a difference.

Painter wants him, and everyone to not go too far and stay within themselves.

"Don't be emotional," Painter said. "Don't play hero ball."