NCAA Basketball top 25 rankings: Gonzaga, Providence rise, Alabama falls
By Joey Loose
6. Purdue (10-1)
The slip-ups of last week seem far behind this high-powered Boilermakers team, who dropped their first game of the season to Rutgers last week before bouncing back this week. They avoided a second disaster on Sunday, winning in overtime against NC State after a furious comeback near the end. Then, they headed to Indianapolis and disposed of Butler in a 77-48 win; a performance that resembled how this team was playing in the opening weeks of the season, led by Jaden Ivey’s 22 point performance.
No matter what happened in Piscataway a week and a half ago, Purdue looks like one of the top teams in the nation, and when they are on their A-game, look nearly invincible. They’ve stockpiled some impressive wins already and get plenty of opportunities for more when Big Ten play begins in a few weeks. For now, home dates with Incarnate Word and Nicholls State are all the Boilermakers have to worry about before New Year’s.
When that Big Ten play does begin, don’t be surprised to see Purdue as the overwhelming favorite to win the conference title. There have been a few other Big Ten teams that we’ve talked about there that looked pretty good early on, but none of these teams can match what Purdue has brought to the table. From a talent standpoint, Purdue can outclass even those highly ranked classes in the Big Ten and it’ll be interesting to see how the season progresses for these Boilermakers.