Purdue Boilermakers - 4-0
Without 2-time National Player of the Year big man Zach Edey, Purdue was supposed to take a step back on the national scene. Instead, they defeat the No. 2 team in the country on Friday night in Alabama, which will be one of the signature resume-builders anyone could get.
Yes, the game was at Mackey, but the veteran Boilermakers did what a top-tier program should do. They have a chance to get an even bigger win later this week when they travel to take on a top-15 Marquette squad.
Wisconsin Badgers - 4-0
The Badgers were flying under the radar to open the season, coming off the loss of key players such as Chucky Hepburn and AJ Storr. Replacing them was John Tonje, a transfer from Missouri who scored a career-high 41 points in the team’s recent upset over top-10 Arizona.
It was a home game, but it will likely be a Quad 1 win, which Wisconsin and the Big Ten needed. This kind of win puts the Badgers in postseason contention early, and they have a pair of opportunities to boost it in the coming week, such as taking on UCF and either Pittsburgh or LSU in the Greenbrier MTE.