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Big Ten Basketball: Five teams that could win the Big Ten Tournament

By Bryce Bennett

Nov 23, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; General view of the Big Ten logo at the Bryce Jordan Center prior to the game between the Colgate Raiders and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State defeated Colgate 72-59. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 23, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; General view of the Big Ten logo at the Bryce Jordan Center prior to the game between the Colgate Raiders and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State defeated Colgate 72-59. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 14, 2017; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers forward Caleb Swanigan (50) is guarded by Rutgers Scarlet Knights forward Deshawn Freeman (33) at Mackey Arena. Purdue defeated Rutgers 74-55. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 14, 2017; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers forward Caleb Swanigan (50) is guarded by Rutgers Scarlet Knights forward Deshawn Freeman (33) at Mackey Arena. Purdue defeated Rutgers 74-55. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Purdue Boilermakers

The favorite has a tough road in D.C. this week.

Purdue’s potential path to a championship could include these ranked teams, according to KenPom: No. 27, 33, and 22. No other team has a more difficult path.

If there is a team up for this type of gauntlet, Purdue (25-6, 14-4) is probably the team this year in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers finished 7-3 against teams who won at least 10 games in the Big Ten this season.

Should Purdue win the Big Ten Tournament title, they’ll do it on the shoulders of the Big Ten Player of the Year, Caleb Swanigan.

Swanigan put up a massive 18.7 points per game with 12.6 rebounds. He improved his three-point shooting percentage by 15 points to 44.2% for the season. He and Kansas guard Frank Mason are considered the front runners for the top player in the country. It is not a question of “if” Swanigan will be productive, it is a question of “how”.

Besides Swanigan, Purdue can kill teams from three-point range. The Boilermakers shoot 40.6% as a team from three-point range. Leading the charge is junior guard Dakota Mathias. The Ohio-native is a 47.8% shooter from distance and averages over 10 points per game this season. If he gets hot, it will probably be an early knockout blow for their opponent.

Next: Five teams that could win ACC Tournament

All of the Boilermakers’ weapons on offense and a top 20 KenPom defense have them as the clear favorite in the 2017 conference tournament. As mentioned, it will not be easy for the Boilermakers to sweep the regular season and tournament titles. Any of the teams listed before plus a couple more (Michigan State??) could make this a memorable first trip to Washington D.C. Stay tuned.

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