Busting Brackets
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Big Ten Basketball: 2021 power rankings heading into conference tournament

By Ryan Kay

Ohio State Buckeyes guard Duane Washington Jr. (4) is guarded by Michigan Wolverines forward Isaiah Livers (2) during Sunday's NCAA Division I Big Ten conference basketball game at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on February 21, 2021.Ceb Osu Mbk Mich Bjp 17
Ohio State Buckeyes guard Duane Washington Jr. (4) is guarded by Michigan Wolverines forward Isaiah Livers (2) during Sunday's NCAA Division I Big Ten conference basketball game at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on February 21, 2021.Ceb Osu Mbk Mich Bjp 17 /
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Purdue Boilermakers Trevion Williams Eric Hunter Jr. Big Ten Basketball
Purdue Boilermakers Trevion Williams Eric Hunter Jr. Big Ten Basketball /

17-8. . Boilermakers . 5. team. 492.

Wins

*Liberty (neutral site)
*Oakland
*Valparaiso
*Indiana State
*Ohio State (twice)
*Notre Dame (neutral site)
*Maryland
*Michigan State (twice)
*@Indiana
*Penn State (twice)
*Minnesota
*Northwestern
*@Nebraska
*Wisconsin

Losses

*Clemson (neutral site)
*@Miami
*@Iowa
*@Rutgers
*@Illinois
*Michigan
*@Maryland
*@Minnesota

Net ranking: 21

KenPom ranking: 13

AP ranking: 23

Reasons for Hope: They have defeated some teams twice in Big Ten play which is not easy to do as they beat Ohio State, Michigan State, and Penn State two times each.  Their defense with the exception of a couple of games has been amazing. They have held teams to 65 or fewer points 12 times this season as well as hold teams to 58 or fewer points five times this season. In their last three games, their defense has held teams to an average of just under 59 points per game.

Reasons to be Pessimistic: They have not played well away from their home court overall this season. For example, they lost to Miami (FL) who is currently in the last place in the ACC. All but one of their losses have been away from their home court and to better their seeding for the NCAA tournament, they need to win at least one game on a neutral court in the Big Ten tournament.

Brief Overview of the Season

Coach Matt Painter returned three of his top three scorers in center/forward Trevion Williams, guard Eric Hunter Jr., and guard Sasha Stefanovic from last season’s team and all three have helped the Boilermakers be successful this year. These three have helped guide Purdue this year and they have the Boilermakers ready to compete in the upcoming Big Ten tournament.

They have won ten out of their last thirteen games this season with a relatively young but talented core upfront at the center, forward, and wing positions. The efficiency and production by the frontcourt have allowed their guards to make some open looks from beyond the three-point line to give them some key victories like defeating the Buckeyes twice for example.

Six Purdue players are all averaging eight or more points a game and as long as they can score 70 or more points, they tend to do fairly well. The Boilermakers continue to see exponential growth in junior power forward Williams. He is continuing to have a great and productive season as he is Purdue’s leading scorer averaging almost 16 points a game.

Head coach Matt Painter will continue to focus on getting the Boilermakers ready to compete in the upcoming Big Ten and NCAA tournament. Purdue has had some disappointing losses thus far but they have also had some nice wins as well. Look for the Boilermakers to finish in the top five of the Big Ten regular-season standings. Purdue next plays Indiana on Saturday.

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