In its latest loss against Michigan State, Purdue played without Hummel's direction for the first time this season.
He stood only for timeouts and walked to meet his teammates on crutches.
As he watched, dressed in a blue shirt and tie, Purdue struggled to score the ball.
It was obvious that Hummel was missed outside, with Purdue shooting 2-of-9 from the 3-point line. They totaled a 15-of-50 night from the field.
The Boilermakers' troubles from outside led to fewer open driving lanes. They only scored 44 points in the nine-point loss.
That inability to spread the floor also led to tough nights for two players who have not seen many bad-shooting games.
Outputs from Moore and Johnson diminished without the more stable portion of their three-player attack. They shot a combined 7-of-27 and collectively scored 22 points.
Hummel was a rock of a player who was always reliable, as he proved against IU in a 78-75 Boilermaker win on Feb. 4.
Without Hummel, the Hoosiers will have to worry less about an outside or late-game threat and more about a team of solid players.
"They have proven to be a great team and it doesn't matter who they put on the floor, they are going to be tough," freshman guard Jordan Hulls said.
The always constant mainstays of this Boilermaker team are defense and smart play, two things that have not been setback from Hummel's loss.
"Their pressure is relentless on offense and defense," Crean said. "They score so much off of their defense, a lot more than they get credit for. They share the ball. They rebound the ball."
Purdue forced Michigan State to shoot 40 percent for the game and limited guard Kalin Lucas to eight points. He turned the ball over eight times as well.
Michigan State had nine assists and 23 turnovers, not exactly the combination that garners a win against the third-scoring defense in the Big Ten.
The Boilermakers, on the other hand, had 12 turnovers and nine assists.
Players like Lewis Jackson and Keaton Grant will apply this pressure, while Chris Kramer is also a hard-nosed player down to hustle for 50-50 balls.
The loss of some of Hummel's intangibles will bring to the forefront the tough-minded players for the Boilermakers.
If IU can't handle the effort offered by a veteran club in a road game, this could be loss No. 11.
