WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The fans packing Mackey Arena on Tuesday night are coming to watch Purdue play high-level basketball against nationally ranked Louisville (8 ET on ESPN).

But when the Boilermakers take the court for warm-ups, the crowd will notice something else, something the players believe ought to be seen, something that goes beyond ball.

Each of Purdue's 14 players will wear a shirt containing a word, selected by either himself or a teammate, that they hope will help to mend a splintering country. It's not as divisive as an anthem protest, but the Boilermakers are choosing not to stick to sports, while using their sporting platform to push values they believe make the world a bit better.

Compassion. Empathy. Equality. Forgiveness. Friendship. Humility. Justice. Love. Loyalty. Peace. Respect. Togetherness. Tolerance. Unity. Those words will be displayed on shooting shirts before Purdue games this season.

"The shirts pretty much stand for everything we need in this world right now," senior forward Vincent Edwards said. "We just wanted to give the message. All the words make you think when you see 14 different players run out with 14 different words on their chest. We don't want to be people that just keep the world going in this cycle because right now, it seems like we're reverting back.

"Our generation wants to change the world, and I think it starts with us."

The idea started with Elliot Bloom, the team's director of basketball administration and operations. Bloom occasionally leads player discussions (without coaches present) about topics beyond college basketball. They've talked about everything from the Las Vegas shootings to protests by athletes during the national anthem. As Purdue boarded a bus to Columbus, Ohio, to face West Virginia in a Nov. 5 scrimmage, Bloom suggested to senior guard P.J. Thompson that the players brainstorm words to go on their warm-up shirts for the upcoming season.

Thompson loved the idea and immediately summoned Edwards to start a group text. They asked each player to submit two possible words before the bus reached Columbus. The instructions were simple: "Come up with the words you believe in," guard Carsen Edwards said.