The Weekly Word is GoldandBlack.com's weekly, obviously, column covering Purdue football, basketball and recruiting, as well as college sports issues, the true meaning of life, or whatever other topics might come to mind in a given week.

Purdue lost to Wisconsin the other night in Mackey Arena.

It's not the end of the world, not something that will define the Boilermaker season, but what comes now could, for all we know.

Purdue's not going to have the sort of season it's been credibly aspiring to if things don't change at the defensive end of the floor, and one of the questions that can now be asked is, who's going to lead it?

On his radio show last night, Matt Painter said something I'd been thinking for a few weeks but hadn't considered it appropriate to articulate to this point: That the cool factor is something that this team — defined in the national spotlight for "sacrifice" — grapples with.

Now, expecting this to be a traditional Purdue team might be a fool's endeavor, because it's not. It's built different and considerably more talented than most that have come before it. This is a team constructed around ability more than grit, with some exceptions. And winning so much and so Impressively early in the season, and doing it with a blazing-hot offense, could have dulled this team's edge ever so slightly, which could be filed under "human nature."

But the substance-over-style matter is one Purdue still must sort out to wind up being the team it looks like it has a chance to be.