Purdue’s men’s basketball team cut down the nets at Conseco Fieldhouse as champions of the Big Ten tournament. It was the only net the Boilers cut this season.

The Boilermakers are almost on the cusp of something bigger. So close they can think about it, dream about it, and Purdue fans, high on optimism, can pick their team to get to the 2010 Final Four. But they don’t seem to be quite on the cusp, they’re still thinking about getting in the mix of teams that play on the third weekend of the NCAA tournament.

Purdue hasn’t been to a Final Four since 1980. If next year is to be the year the Boilers break through, Purdue doesn’t have to just get healthier and a year better, the Boilers have to get bigger, stronger and more physical. Or, they have to get a whole heap faster.

North Carolina had both this season and it was a combination no opponent could match.

They had the intense, willful, physical Tyler Hansbrough inside, and the smooth, fast and sharp play of Ty Lawson at the point guard spot. Combined with a lot of really good teammates, it was an unstoppable combination that led Carolina to its second title since Roy Williams took over as coach six seasons ago.

Purdue has a lot of good parts, but nowhere in the offense do the Boilers strike fear into opponents. They score some in the post, but not a lot. They have a lot of really good perimeter players, with a lot of size, but Purdue doesn’t have Lawson, or even Michigan State’s Kalin Lucas.

It’s not that there are any weak links in the Purdue lineup, because there aren’t. And since JuJuan Johnson and Robbie Hummel have already said they’ll be back for next season, that strong Purdue lineup should get even better. But they won’t overwhelm top-level opponents without something more.

Purdue simply didn’t have the size or strength to get past eventual Final Four team Connecticut in a loss in the Sweet 16. Of the four teams in the Final Four, the only good matchup for Purdue would have been Villanova — another smaller team that like the Boilers, plays great defense.

Purdue went 1-4 against top-level teams this season, beating NCAA runner-up Michigan State in the first regular-season meeting, but losing in the second. In addition, Purdue lost to Elite Eight team Oklahoma, Sweet 16 team Duke (should I still put Duke in the top-level category?) and then lost to UConn in the Sweet 16.

There’s a common thread in those losses: Purdue lost the battle of the boards, usually in a big way. The Boilers generally forced a few more turnovers than the opposition, but not enough to offset the damage done on the backboards.

The Boilers were outrebounded 42-26 in the loss to Michigan State, 39-34 in a narrow loss to Oklahoma, 44-26 by Duke and 42-31 by UConn.

When Purdue beat Michigan State, the Spartans won the rebounding battle by five, but Purdue forced MSU into 22 turnovers, compared to just 13 for the Boilers.

In order to take that next step, Purdue has to minimize its glaring deficiency, and maximize what it does best — guard people.

In the coming season or two, sophomore-heavy Purdue needs a few more players in the rotation, both guys who can bang around and get boards inside, and guys who can play great pressure defense so that Purdue can get the most out of its disruptive style.

More players mean fresher athletes and even more intense pressure from guard/forward Chris Kramer and point guard Lewis Jackson.

It’d be great if Hummel’s bad back gets healthy enough so that he can play 40 minutes a game next season. It’d be a lot better if he doesn’t have to.

Tribune sportswriter Pedro Velazco can be contacted at (765) 454-8574 or by e-mail at pedro.velazco@kokomotribune.com