A case can be made that Purdue Basketball has been the top program in the Big Ten in the past decade, making the NCAA Basketball Tournament in each year and even making the national championship in 2024. Yet the golden era core, including All-Americans Zach Edey and Braden Smith, are all gone, leaving a new crop of Boilermakers to keep things going for the program, starting this season.
So far, it hasn’t gone well. Purdue Basketball nearly beat top-15 Gonzaga but ultimately fell, 78-72. But the real problem emerged in the next game, losing 83-80 in overtime at home to Valparaiso, a likely Quad 3 or 4 loss to their resume.
VALPO AT THE BUZZER IN DOUBLE OVERTIME TO KNOCK OFF PURDUE 🤯🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/JNGfIt9VUo
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) November 7, 2026
The Boilermakers look to turn things around on Monday night, taking on a good Illinois State squad at home. Here’s a look at the early takeaways as to why they’re struggling so far.
Lack of breakout guys in the backcourt
Coming into the season, Purdue’s hopes relied on a pair of returning rotation guards in CJ Cox and Gicarri Harris, two breakout candidates who had some moments in the preseason. But so far, they haven’t shown to be clear-cut go-to guys to lead them in scoring, producing 21.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. It’s early so there’s a chance that they’ll get it going and become all-league candidates. But it also could turn out that they’re not just ready to be No. 1 options in a good offense.
Massive downgrade from Braden Smith at Point Guard
Going from the nation’s leading passer and ultimate facilitator in the sport to some underclassmen was going to cause some issues for Purdue. But Omer Mayer and Luke Ertel each had high expectations when arriving. Mayer, a top-tier international prospect, is putting up just 5.0 ppg and 5.0 apg in 26 mpg, shooting just 1/10 from the field. And Ertel, a former top-40 freshman prospect, has scored just five points in 24 total minutes off the bench. Part of why Cox and Harris haven’t done as well could be the issues at point guard, making the entire backcourt a current question mark.
Daniel Jacobsen a long bright spot down low
As a backup last year, the 7’4 center averaged just 5.5 ppg in 12 mpg. Now as a full-time starter, Jacobsen is having a breakout year, leading the Boilermakers with 25 ppg and 8.5 rpg, including 22 points and seven rebounds in the season opener against Gonzaga. While he’s not likely to remain a 20+ ppg scorer, Jacobsen turning into a legit focal point of the offense inside is massive, especially for a backcourt who’ll need the spacing on offense.
There’s still plenty of time for the Boilermakers to get it together and be a top-25 caliber team and in the NCAA Tournament. Still, there are clear warning signs that Purdue Basketball needs to fix, before they end up as a clear bubble team.
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