13. Purdue (5-1)
Without Zach Edey, this Purdue team looks different this year, but at the same time there’s a lot the same in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers were a fantastic program before Edey and you know that Matt Painter has every ability to recruit and coach up the next wave of talent. For now, junior guards Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer are doing all they can to ensure that Purdue remains a favorite in the Big Ten, even if they took their first hit this week.
Less than a week after a thrilling win over Alabama, the Boilermakers lost 76-58 on the road at Marquette in their first loss of the year. Trey Kaufman-Renn had 16 points and 8 rebounds but the offense came up short in Milwaukee. Saturday presented a nice bounce back effort, as Purdue won 80-45 against Marshall. Kaufman-Renn’s 18 points again led the charge while Camden Heide added 13 points.
After their great win against Alabama, we may have overestimated this Boilermakers squad a little bit, but make no mistake that this team can still win plenty of games this year. Putting aside their rough showing at Marquette, the Boilermakers have talent that knows how to win games and this team can definitely win another Big Ten title. Next week is quite the opportunity at the Rady Children’s Invitational, starting with a wild Final Four rematch against NC State.