NCAA Basketball: Ranking the top 25 programs of the 2010s
player. 492. . . . Purdue Boilermakers. 23
Purdue came so close to reaching the Final Four during the final season of the 2010s but a Mamadi Diakite buzzer-beater to force overtime against them sealed their fate. As a result, the Boilermakers failed to reach the final weekend during this decade. Nonetheless, head coach Matt Painter led the program to an impressive string of seasons. They might not have been the best program in the Big Ten but the Boilermakers were not that far off.
With talented big men Isaac Haas, AJ Hammons, Caleb Swanigan, and Matt Haarms dominating the post, the Boilermakers developed quite the reputation inside. Perhaps above all others, though, Carsen Edwards was the star of the decade for the program. He excelled during his career and capped it off with an unbelievable string of games in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
With regard to regular-season success, the Boilermakers managed to win three Big Ten titles and averaged a KenPom finish of 30.7. It is hard to argue with their level of consistency.
Looking ahead to the future, the program is in great hands as long as Coach Painter is roaming the sidelines. He is an elite leader and is starting to showcase high-level recruiting ability as well. It wouldn’t be a shock if the Boilermakers are even better in the 2020s.