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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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DETROIT, MI – MARCH 18: Matt Haarms #32 of the Purdue Boilermakers reacts during the second half against the Butler Bulldogs in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Little Caesars Arena on March 18, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – MARCH 18: Matt Haarms #32 of the Purdue Boilermakers reacts during the second half against the Butler Bulldogs in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Little Caesars Arena on March 18, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

2. Carsen Edwards and his supporting cast are playing well

Another reason Purdue will win the regular-season title is that they have the best player in the conference in All-American candidate Carsen Edwards. And it’s not just the 23.8 points per game that Edwards supplies, which puts him eighth in the country in scoring. The 6-foot-1 guard is also 12th in the sport in 3-point makes per game (3.58) and leads Purdue in both assists (3.2) and steals (1.6).

But while he could, Edwards alone won’t carry Purdue to a title. Edwards, along with the improved play of his supporting cast (Eastern, Ryan Cline, and Matt Haarms), will. Cline is the team’s other double-digit scorer, at just over 12 per game. The senior from Carmel, Indiana is second on the team and in the conference in 3-pointers made per game at 2.9, just behind Edwards’ 3.1.

Sophomore big man Haarms has averaged eight points and five rebounds per game, but over the last eight games, he has been more of a force on the glass, pulling down 6.6 in that span. The 6-foot-6 Nojel Eastern is the team’s top rebounder at 5.6 per game, but over the team’s last nine games he’s grabbed 7.8 per game, including four games with double-digit rebounds. He’s also scored eight points per game during this stretch, which is more than his 6.9 seasonal average.

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