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Purdue Basketball: 2017-18 season preview for the Boilermakers

By Lukas Harkins

MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 18: Thompson and Haas (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 18: Thompson and Haas (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – FEBRUARY 28: Members of the Purdue Boilermakers accept the Big Ten trophy after defeating the Indiana Hoosiers to clinch the regular season title at Mackey Arena on February 28, 2017 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – FEBRUARY 28: Members of the Purdue Boilermakers accept the Big Ten trophy after defeating the Indiana Hoosiers to clinch the regular season title at Mackey Arena on February 28, 2017 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Schedule and Expectations

In the nonconference schedule for Purdue, there are four major events to take note of. For starters, the Gavitt Tip-Off Games pit two of the best conferences (Big Ten and Big East) against each other. This season, Purdue has drawn Marquette on the road. The Golden Eagles, much like Purdue, are one of the best shooting teams in the country and that could come down to which team outshoots the other.

Following that battle, Purdue will take part in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. Their first-round opponent will be Tennessee and they will face either Western Kentucky or Villanova in the second round. Also competing in this tournament will be Arizona, SMU, NC State, and Northern Iowa.

In two more individual games, Purdue will face Louisville in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and then meet up with Butler in the Crossroads Classic. With all of these matchups, Purdue will have several high-profile matchups before reaching Big Ten play.

Next: Stars of the 2017-18 Big Ten

Michigan State is expected to be the leader in the Big Ten this season, but Purdue falls in that next tier of the conference. At this point, it looks like Purdue, Minnesota, and Northwestern will be the strongest contenders to take second place in the conference. Although, with a good season, any one of those three could end up moving past Michigan State to win the conference.

With a strong returning team and few major questions, Coach Painter should be able to lead Purdue back to a finish near the top of the Big Ten and a NCAA Tournament appearance. This has the makings of a possible top-25 team in the country and they will be very experienced by the time tournament play comes around.

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