NCAA Basketball: Way-too-early top-25 power rankings for 2021-22 season
. Boilermakers . 9. team. 492. .
Despite getting younger during the last offseason, Purdue ended up being better overall this past season, thanks to a pair of key freshmen. Guard Jaden Ivey was second on the team in scoring (11.1 ppg) while 7’4 center Zach Edey gave them a lift off the bench whenever he was on the court.
Of course, the star of the Boilermakers was junior big man Trevion Williams, who produced 15.5 ppg and 9.1 rpg, both leading the team. He’s set to come back for his senior season, along with the other seven leading scorers on the roster. The only rotational player to leave so far this offseason was Aaron Wheeler but it won’t have a major impact.
The Boilermakers also bring in a pair of top-50 freshmen forwards in Caleb Furst and Trey Kaufman. There isn’t much frontcourt depth outside of both Williams and Edey so both will be able to get minutes next season. And their ability to shoot and space the floor will add a different dimension on the offense and open things up for all the players.
With shooters such as Brandon Newman, Eric Hunter, and Sasha Stefanovic, there’s great balance and potential for Purdue to be a top-10 team. I’m not sure if Williams can do anything more than he did last season, so it’ll be up to Ivey to take a major leap to be the go-to guard and lead the Boilermakers to wins and potentially a top spot in the Big Ten.