By Michael Pointer and Terry Hutchens
Indianapolis Star

Just three months ago, the state's leading basketball programs appeared headed in opposite directions.

Indiana was coming off a Final Four appearance. Mike Davis was a hot coach who could recruit with the best and allowed the Hoosier Nation to heal after Bob Knight's tumultuous departure.

Two hours to the northwest, however, it was vastly different. Purdue's 13-18 record last season was its worst since 1966. Some fans suggested it was time for coach Gene Keady to retire before a distinguished career headed to an embarrassing end.

These two programs are headed in opposite directions, all right. But it's the 24th-ranked Boilers who are flying atop the Big Ten; the Hoosiers have lost four in a row and just might miss out on the NCAA tournament for the first time in 18 years.

How did it all turn so quickly?

Start with the Boilers (15-4, 7-1). As Keady points out, six current players didn't play at all last season; point guard Brandon McKnight didn't play play in the second half of the season after being declared academically ineligible.

Thus, there were many questions to be answered back in November, such as:

Would Willie Deane, the Big Ten's leading scorer last season, fit better into the offense and not take back shots?

Would Kenneth Lowe, who missed last season after shoulder surgery, provide some much-needed leadership?

Would a talented group of newcomers, led by junior-college transfer Chris Booker, provide substantial contributions?

Would players who had primarily been starters, such as Darmetreis Kilgore, Brett Buscher and Austin Parkinson, respond favorably if asked to come off the bench?

Would Keady get the Boilers to play defense after Purdue allowed an average of 71.5 points last season, good enough for next-to-last in the Big Ten?

Thus far, the answers have been a resounding yes.

"They've come together quicker than any team I've coached, especially when you consider that seven (including McKnight) of our 11 top players are new," Keady said. "I'm not sure surprised is the right word, but you're really happy and you just hope you can keep it up."

Keady said he got too caught up in criticism that his teams had never reached the Final Four, even though Purdue's six Big Ten titles are second-most in the league since he arrived in 1980.

"I think what aggravated me the most is that we probably doubted ourselves too much during winning seasons," said Keady, whose last Big Ten championship was in 1996. "We went to more pressing, shooting more 3s and trying to recruit what we thought were better athletes in the mid-90s, but they were not locked into the Purdue mentality. Why doubt us at all?"

The Boilers went on a European trip in May, which gave the returning players 10 additional practices before departing for an eight-game trip. Purdue has gone on an overseas trip four previous times under Keady; it won the Big Ten title the season after three of those trips and finished second the other.

"There hasn't been so much a huge change as opposed to getting back to the way we did things," said assistant coach Jay Price, in his 10th year under Keady. "There's been a little less tolerance of stuff and more emphasis on discipline."

Keady got the players' attention by having the Boilers practice at 7 a.m. to start the season. He gave them the option of practicing later in the day after Christmas break, but the players decided to stick with the early-morning wakeup call.

"Guys aren't as tempted to go out at night as much," Deane said.

After going 8-3 during the non-conference schedule, the Boilers took advantage of a favorable start to Big Ten play, beating Northwestern and Michigan State at home and Penn State on the road. The Penn State game erased the stigma of not having won an away game of any kind for nearly 14 months.

But beyond the call to discipline and the schedule, the biggest reason for the Boilers' renewal is talent.

Deane is a likely candidate for Big Ten Player of the Year and combines with Lowe and McKnight for a stellar backcourt. Booker is as good as advertised. Plus, the Boilers have depth that nearly every other Big Ten team dreams about.

"The biggest thing, in all honesty, is that no matter what happens, you can always guard," Price said. "You can make zero shots and have a chance to win. Our kids have bought into that."

Plenty of challenges await. The Boilers play five of their final eight games on the road, beginning today against Minnesota.

Downturn in Bloomington

As much as Purdue has been a surprise in a positive vein, Indiana has headed in the other direction.

Just 10 months from an appearance in the national championship game against Maryland, IU has shown more signs recently of being a pretender than a contender.

Wednesday's devastating 74-61 loss at Northwestern dropped IU into a sixth place tie with Minnesota and Michigan State at 4-4 in the Big Ten.

Suddenly, the Hoosiers have gone from the No. 6 ranked team in the nation on Dec. 14 to a program that is going to have to rally to avoid missing the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 1984-85 season.

When IU made its NCAA run a year ago, the Hoosier trademarks were a tenacious man-to-man defense, a solid inside-outside game, and a passion and intensity that was unmatched by the majority of their foes.

In IU's current doldrums, intensified by its four-game losing streak, those traits have disappeared.

The Hoosiers certainly miss the tenacity and fire of Dane Fife, who graduated after last season and now plays for the Gary Steelheads of the CBA. Fife said whatever the Hoosiers are missing they need to get it back quickly.

"They've just got to get tougher," Fife said. "Coach has been stressing that since the season began. He questioned their toughness and everybody questions their toughness. They're not physical enough and they've got to get smarter.

"They've got young guys that need to learn from the older guys, and the older guys have to help the younger guys out and obviously it's not happening. But it had better start to happen or this team will have trouble winning any more games."

IU is 0-4 on the road in the Big Ten. Fife said the Hoosiers need to develop a mental edge. And he said the older players must lead the way.

"It's time for the seniors to step up," Fife said. "That's the responsibility that comes with being a senior and those guys need to take charge of this team right now."

At the midway point in the Big Ten season, IU is 14-7 overall. Last year at this point, IU was 14-6. The difference is that the Hoosiers were 7-1 in conference a year ago, compared to 4-4 this season. Last year, the Hoosiers went 4-4 over the final eight Big Ten games. This season they need to finish 5-3 or better to have a winning conference record.

"People would like to compare us to last year but you can't because we're a different team," said junior guard/forward A.J. Moye. "We're growing and we're moving at our own pace. I think we had a slight detour but we're still moving ahead."

IU coach Mike Davis remains confident the Hoosiers can turn things around. He looks back at IU's 8-0 start and said that proves to him what the Hoosiers are capable of accomplishing.

"When I think about how we started, and how we played against Kentucky and Louisville, it showed me what this team is capable of," Davis said. "That gives me confidence, and we just need to get the belief back.

"I still think this team is going to be just fine."

Call Star reporter Michael Pointer at 1-317-444-6641 or e-mail michael.pointer@indystar.com