Big Ten Basketball: Ranking all 18 programs after adding Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington

4. Purdue

Gene Keady was a legendary head coach at Purdue for 25 years and you can certainly argue that Matt Painter has been just as good if not better since succeeding him back in 2005. The Boilermakers don’t have some long streak of success (though they have been in 8 straight NCAA Tournament’s), but they’ve regularly built great teams with talented players.

We’re not spending too much time focusing on recent seasons, though it’s hard to ignore last year’s success with Zach Edey and a 1-seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, even if that ended in dreadful and historic upset. Purdue has been ranked #1 in the nation multiple times during the last two seasons and have had a few of the nation’s best players during that time as well.

You could certainly argue that Purdue has been one of the two most consistent programs in the Big Ten since Painter was hired, though there’s just one thing missing. Purdue made the Elite Eight in 2019 and Painter also has five other trips to the Sweet Sixteen, but the program hasn’t appeared in the Final Four in more than four decades.

Does that matter? The three teams above them today have all been consistent Final Four competitors across their histories, but we can’t actually punish the Boilermakers for this. With Edey back next season, Purdue should be one of the top teams in the nation, but what about when he leaves? Does Painter keep hitting on these explosive frontcourt weapons and can Purdue actually make a run at their first title?