Just like that, life moves on.

It’s one of the many lessons Taylor University head coach Paul Patterson etched into the fabric of his apprentice, Illini head coach John Groce.

So after Groce’s Illini lost seven of their first nine games to start the Big Ten season, they forgot about the past. Struggling forward Tyler Griffey found his stroke and completed a buzzer-beating layup on Thursday, capturing an upset over No. 1 Indiana that ended in a stampede of fans invading the floor at Assembly Hall. Then Sunday, the Illini defeated then-No. 18 Minnesota in a close game on the road for the program’s first back-to-back wins against ranked opponents in three years.

How do you follow a week like that?

“For the most part, 18 to 22-year-olds are probably a little bit more resilient than we give them credit for,” Groce said. “Kids can forget faster than you think. I think that’s certainly true.”

Now the Illini must erase their memories yet again. Their Jan. 2 game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., was the first time a team really swung at the Illini and drew blood. Illinois had lost just one hard-fought game in Missouri during its nonconference schedule and were favored to beat the Boilermakers in both teams’ Big Ten opener.

Illinois had a chance to tie down two points with 21 seconds left, but Purdue senior guard D.J. Byrd hustled for an offensive rebound off an errant free throw attempt by Jacob Lawson and snatched the ball and called a timeout while falling out of bounds. That was it for the Illini, who fell victim to Byrd’s toughness plays all night.

“Byrd made a really big difference from a physicality and a toughness standpoint late in the game,” Groce said. “We’ve got to be better in those areas. I think no one wants to be out-toughed, certainly in your own building.”

It’s no secret that Purdue has consistently out-toughed Illinois.

Wednesday will be the Illini seniors’ last chance to beat the Boilermakers, something the group, remarkably, has never accomplished in seven tries.

“It’s a big one for us,” Griffey said. “Aside for all the tournament implications and everything else, we have yet to beat them yet. We’re all looking forward to it.”

Griffey has been paramount for the Illini’s turnaround as of late. Before Thursday’s game against Indiana, the senior forward was in an 0-for-20 rut from 3. With 16:09 left in the second half, Griffey nailed the slump-buster, cutting Indiana’s 11-point lead to single digits and awakening Assembly Hall from its coma. Most knew how long it’d been since one of Griffey’s usually silky-smooth 3’s had crossed through the net, and the senior used the momentum to finish the game with 14 points and eight boards, as well as one of the most important shots in Illinois men’s basketball history to knock off the top team in the country. Griffey followed Thursday’s game with 16 points on 4-for-7 attempts from 3, tying a career-high in buckets from distance in one game.

Griffey wasn’t the only Illini under serious criticism during the trough of the team’s struggles. Certain members of the media had asked Groce if he’d considered benching guard D.J. Richardson, who also hit a rough patch from 3. The first-year coach defended his senior.

Richardson has scored 36 points over the Illini’s last two wins on 12-of-24 shooting with seven 3-pointers. Groce, who made a point of acknowledging Byrd’s heart at Tuesday’s press conference, said Richardson has most emulated the toughness of Purdue’s star guard since the Illini turned the corner against Indiana.

“I recall not too long ago sitting in a room similar to this where I basically said the people in here are going to have to get it through their skulls that he’s going to continue to shoot,” Groce said Tuesday. “That kid cares at a high level. I meant what I said earlier when he wasn’t shooting well, ‘I ain’t trading him for anybody.’”

Groce called this series of games an “interesting stretch” because Wednesday’s game at Assembly Hall will be the Illini’s third in the last seven days. Accordingly, Groce has tried to limit the stress on his players’ legs and bodies to assure they keep fresh and maintain the energy that’s proven successful over the last two games.

Groce did mention one more thing he’s tried to keep fresh. His players’ minds will have to be on target to beat Purdue for the first time since Feb. 8, 2009.

“The teams that focus on getting better every day in February and March, when it starts to become a grind a bit, are the teams that get better at the end of the year and end up maxing out and meeting their potential,” Groce said. “We want to be one of those teams.”

Ethan can be reached at [email protected] and @AsOfTheSky.