What We've Learned: These ain't the "lost to Fairleigh Dickinson" Boilermakers anymore.

From following Purdue all season, we already knew this. Sophomore point guard Braden Smith is exponentially better than he was last year. Adding Lance Jones to the mix from Southern Illinois was massive. And blossoming from one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the country into the singular best three-point shooting team is one hell of a beneficial 180.

Still, no matter how good Purdue looked from November-February, after three consecutive NCAA tournaments getting bounced by double-digit seeds, there was always going to be a little bit of "Can we actually trust this team?" fear in the back of our heads when filling out a bracket.

As it turns out, yes, this Purdue team is here for the long haul, demolishing both Grambling State and Utah State before a rather convincing win over a darn good Gonzaga squad.

Against the Aggies, the Boilermakers shot 60 percent inside the arc and 47.8 percent beyond it and dominated the rebounding battle. Against the Zags, more of the same at 63.9 and 45 percent, respectively, in another absurdly efficient offensive performance.

Last year, Purdue was Zach Edey or bust.

This year, Purdue is a very good all-around team that also happens to have a back-to-back National Player of the Year at its disposal.

Most Outstanding Player Candidate: Zach Edey. Smith has been exquisite with 30 points and 31 assists against just five turnovers. But how could the answer here be anyone but Edey, he of the 27 KenPom.com game MVPs this season? Through three games, Purdue's 7'4" center has gone for 80 points, 49 rebounds, six blocks and six assists, despite opponents doing everything they possibly can to shut him down.

X-Factor: Turnover margin. Purdue has shot it so well thus far that it hasn't mattered, but it is minus-eight in the turnover battle, slightly losing in that department in each tournament game. And that was a huge part of Purdue's four losses prior to the tournament, committing a combined 61 turnovers while forcing only 23. If that becomes a problem again and/or if Purdue gets an officiating crew that decides to call a couple early ticky-tack fouls on Edey, the Boilermakers become much more mortal.

Championship Blueprint: Value the ball, keep hitting triples and give Edey an all-you-can-eat buffet of entry passes.