NCAA Basketball: North Carolina, Gonzaga tumble on latest top 25 power ranking
By Joey Loose
4. Purdue (7-0)
The Boilermakers are for real. They showed it in Portland when they won the Phil Knight Legacy, scoring impressive wins over Gonzaga and Duke in the process. They’ve actually played four games against Q1-level opposition and have looked spectacular for the most part. At this point, this team is the favorite in the Big Ten until they show us otherwise.
They didn’t show us otherwise this past week, heading to Tallahassee and handing Florida State a 79-69 defeat as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. This was certainly a closer game than many expected, especially with the Seminoles’ struggles this season, but the Boilermakers bucked down and took care of business when necessary. Zach Edey (25 points, 8 rebounds) continues to play like a potential national player of the year, and his supporting cast looks more impressive each week, with a 13-point, 9-rebound, 7-assist effort from Braden Smith this time.
Purdue’s best came out in Portland, but they had more than enough to win this past week down in Florida. They might not have their best every night, but Edey just might be college basketball’s best player. This phenomenal big man is anchoring this fantastic start and looking to keep this train going in the coming weeks and months. Next week, Purdue gets home dates with Minnesota and Hofstra before their first Big Ten road test at Nebraska; suffice to say a 10-0 start is very doable.