Purdue Basketball: 2020-21 season preview for the Boilermakers

BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 08: Eric Hunter Jr. #2 of the Purdue Boilermakers reacts after a call in the game against the Indiana Hoosiers during the second half at Assembly Hall on February 08, 2020 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

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AMES, IA – MARCH 03: Head coach Bob Huggins of the West Virginia Mountaineers (Photo by David K Purdy/Getty Images) /

Schedule Outlook

Very few programs have challenged themselves in the non-conference the way Purdue has the last couple of seasons, and despite the challenges created by COVID, the Boilermakers intend to do so again. While the slate won’t quite rival the schedule that helped Purdue to a top 5 national strength of schedule, they do have some tough games and three, in particular, to keep an eye on:

1. West Virginia vs. Purdue- This game was supposed to be played in New York as part of the Hall of Fame Invitational but now shifts to Mohegan Sun. The Mountaineers are expected to be a top 25 team and to be a contender in the Big 12 as they bring back one of the top frontcourts in the nation in Oscar Tshiebwe (11.2 Pts, 9.3 Reb, 0.4 Ast) and Derek Culver (10.4 Pts, 8.6 Reb, 1.7 Ast). This will be Purdue’s hardest non-conference test.

2. Mississippi St/Clemson vs. Purdue- The game will be played in Melbourne, Florida (instead of Cancun) and whomever the Boilers draw it will be a bottom tiered power conference team and a game Purdue will be expected to win. Both squads were decimated by graduation and transfers, but I’d expect Clemson to be the opponent in this matchup as they do return Aamir Sims who posted a 13 points-7 rebound line in 2019-20 and had originally declared for the NBA draft.

3. Notre Dame vs. Purdue- These old foes matchup every other year in the Crossroads Classic and historically, Purdue struggles with the Fighting Irish (10 wins and 12 losses overall head to head). Notre Dame returns a middle of the pack ACC roster highlighted by star guard Prentiss Hubb (12.1 Pts, 2.4 Reb, 5.1 As). Even in down years, Notre Dame is a handful for Purdue, and this is not a down year for them. Expect a dogfight in this one.

Conference Play

The Big Ten is loaded again. There will be up to 11 teams fighting for the NCAA Tournament and protecting the home court is going to be extremely important. Usually, this is no problem for the Boilermakers as they sport one of, if not the best home-court advantage in the Big Ten. I think that’s the major watch-out – not knowing what our new normal is going to look like.

Will fans even be allowed into Mackey Arena? Who knows? This of course goes both ways with Purdue playing in an empty Assembly Hall (Indiana) or Breslin Center (Michigan St), but Purdue might rely on a raucous home court more than any team in the country.

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