This game turned out to be much closer than many of us thought it would be, myself included. In fact, Purdue only outscored Michigan State by three points in each half, ending in an 80-74 decision which secured the Boilermakers their second consecutive Big Ten regular season championship. And while a loss is a loss, there are a few things we saw in this game that can offer up a sliver of hope for our next game against Northwestern, and maybe even for a chance at winning a game (or dare I say two) in the Big Ten Tournament.