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Purdue Basketball: Why the Boilermakers will win the Big Ten

By Jason Burgess

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - FEBRUARY 03: Trevion Williams #50 of the Purdue Boilermakers reacts during the second half of the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Mackey Arena on February 3, 2019 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - FEBRUARY 03: Trevion Williams #50 of the Purdue Boilermakers reacts during the second half of the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Mackey Arena on February 3, 2019 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA – FEBRUARY 19: Matt Painter the head coach of the Purdue Boilermakers gives instructions to his team during the 48-46 win over the Indiana Hoosiers at Assembly Hall on February 19, 2019 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA – FEBRUARY 19: Matt Painter the head coach of the Purdue Boilermakers gives instructions to his team during the 48-46 win over the Indiana Hoosiers at Assembly Hall on February 19, 2019 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Michigan and Michigan State may lead the Big Ten, but it will be Purdue basketball that will win the conference. Here’s why.

The Big Ten race has become a three-team affair with No. 7 Michigan and No. 10 Michigan State both sitting at 13-3 and currently holding a half-game lead over No. 15 Purdue, who is 12-3. With four games left on the schedule for both the Wolverines and Spartans and the Boilermakers having five, there is still time for some jockeying, but not much. The two teams from the Wolverine State have long been considered the two best teams in the conference this season, but I believe that it is the team currently looking up at them that will ultimately take home the Big Ten regular-season championship.

Matt Painter’s Boilermakers are 19-7, but that includes a seven-game stretch from mid-November to mid-December that saw them go just 2-5 with four of the five losses by single digits. Since falling to Notre Dame on Dec. 15 as a part of the Crossroads Classic, they have gone 13-2, losing to Michigan State and Maryland on the road. Those 13 wins have come by an average of over 14 points and they have surrendered just 64.8 points per game in those wins.

The Wolverines and Spartans are likely to get most of the attention as the Big Ten season comes to a close, as is to be expected. Michigan might be trying to finish the job after falling in the national championship last season, but Purdue is lurking and ready to pounce should the top two teams falter. Purdue will be your Big Ten regular-season champion, and here’s why.

(Note: Statistics and rankings through Feb. 21)

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