It’s only 93 days until Selection Sunday. And only a few more days after that for opening-round games to tip in the NCAA Tournament.

Yet for a Purdue fan, the start of the tourney must feel an eternity away, for it’s then — and only then — that their beloved Boilermakers can extinguish the demons of years past, those losses to double-digit seed losses to Fairleigh Dickinson, Saint Peter’s, North Texas, Little Rock and years ago, VCU, that have haunted their months of March. But with ability to right those past wrongs still months off, fans are left to ask only a singular question right now: Does anything that happens now matter?

I’m here to convince you that yes, yes it does. Certainly March will bring angst, as Purdue’s 1st-round opponent is unveiled and the matchup examined and re-examined. And then examined a 3rd time, trying to see if Directional Tech could possibly find a way to neutralize Zach Edey, the most dominant big man of this generation, the same as Fairleigh Dickinson did a season ago. If Purdue fans are on edge (and yes, they will be), then the Boilermakers will be doubly so. This spring’s double-digit seed will test the Boilermakers, perhaps it’ll be for a moment in the 1st half or maybe early in the 2nd (or heaven forbid late in the 2nd), and they’ll need to respond. Doing so while fighting off the mental ghosts of years past seems like a monumental challenge. They’ll have to fend off their own self-doubt, grab control of the game, then take a gigantic sigh of relief once it’s over.

But I say bring it on.

The journey to the destination matters, and it’s been a heck of a ride — (*some exclusions apply) — over the past several years. Saturday marks the latest chapter, as the 3rd-ranked Boilermakers take on No. 1 Arizona in the Indy Classic in Indianapolis. Purdue, which is coming off finals week on campus, will face its stiffest test yet in trying to keep intact its 32-game nonconference winning streak, the longest such stretch in the country in the last 8 seasons. It will need a similar outcome to 23 years ago, when the then-unranked Boilermakers beat the then-No. 1 Wildcats in Indianapolis.

Since we’ve got nothing better to do — you want to spend your Saturday wrapping yet more Christmas presents? — we might as well enjoy it, rather than stew in what the spring may bring. This Purdue team has felt different from ones in the past, with the maturation of Braden Smith giving the Boilermakers a perimeter option to counter Edey’s absolute dominance inside. And the arrival of Lance Jones out of the transfer portal adds an element of speed, improvisation and versatility to that had been missing in the past.

Whereas Purdue might have been limited before, it can throw out a variety of counter-punches now. Perhaps its trip to Canada last weekend best displayed that, when the Boilermakers had answers for Alabama, the kind of athletic, guard-heavy, quick team that has nuked them in the past. But even though Mark Sears went off for 35 points and the Tide hit 19 3-pointers, including a bonkers 13 in the 1st half, Purdue found a way to surge back after halftime. While Purdue’s had other big wins this season, against ranked Gonzaga, Tennessee or Marquette in the Maui Invitational, perhaps the win over Alabama was the biggest, because it’s the kind of game the Boilermakers have lost in the past, when an opponent found its perimeter stroke and used it to overcome the Boilermakers advantages inside.

With the Alabama win, Purdue (9-1) now owns the country’s most wins vs. Quad 1, 2 and 3 teams at 8, including 6 Ws vs. Q1 and 2 foes. It could add another against Arizona (8-0).

It does matter. The Boilermakers have already built an NCAA résumé trending toward another No. 1 seed and they’re the overwhelming favorites to repeat as Big Ten regular-season champs, with a shot at the conference tournament title, as well. If Purdue does what it needs to do right now, then perhaps the Boilermakers can earn themselves an opportunity to play in Indianapolis — at Saturday’s venue, Gainbridge Fieldhouse — for the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament. That might help lessen March anxiety, both for fans and players.

If this March is to be something different, and that the arrival of that long-awaited trip to the Final Four, then it starts now. Embrace the ride.