1. Purdue Boilermakers
It would be a disservice to college basketball if the Purdue Boilermakers -- a consensus preseason No. 1 team in NCAA basketball -- were slotted lower than No. 1 in the Big Ten power rankings.
Matt Painter isn’t going to shy away from Purdue’s lofty preseason expectations, agreeing that it's a national title or bust season for the Boilermakers when interviewing with the Field of 68 last week.
We all know what Braden Smith, the best point guard in NCAA basketball, brings to the table. We all know what Trey Kauffman-Renn brings to the table. We all know what Fletcher Loyer brings to the table.
However, the Boilermakers will have much-needed rim protection this season with the return of 7-foot-4 big man Daniel Jacobsen, who dealt with a season-ending injury in just his second game last season.
They also landed the prized portal addition of South Dakota State transfer Oscar Cluff, who serves as a double-double threat and can fix Purdue’s rebounding struggles from last season.
Returning guards in C.J Cox and Gicarri Harris expect to take significant steps forward, and incoming freshmen Omer Mayer (Maccabi Tel Aviv) and Antoine West Jr. only add to Purdue's depth, making it extremely difficult -- if not impossible -- to pinpoint any sure-fire weakness in the Boilermakers’ roster this season.
Purdue is a well-oiled machine. And perhaps that may be an understatement.