10. Purdue (15-4)
Purdue as a program are certainly in one of their best eras and are looking to continue that progress even with Zach Edey in the NBA. This isn’t the same team that made the national title game last season, though Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer are looking to continue competing for Big Ten titles. This team was really battle-tested in nonconference play and that seems to have had a positive effect for these Boilermakers.
A great week started last Sunday with a 104-68 win against Nebraska, with Purdue’s best offensive output of the season. C.J. Cox led the charge with 23 points in that rout. This team headed west and got a nice 69-58 win at Washington, with 19 points from Trey Kaufman-Renn on the road. That road trip continued Saturday with another classic performance, as the Boilermakers won 65-58 at Oregon. Kaufman-Renn had another stellar effort with 23 points and 11 rebounds, surviving a tough shooting day for a big time win.
Now winners of seven in a row, Purdue sits 7-1 in Big Ten play and are playing their most inspired basketball of the season at the right time. They not only add Oregon to a winning resume that already included Alabama and Ole Miss but look more and more like a team that can win this conference in the coming weeks. The Boilermakers get back home for three straight in West Lafayette, starting this week with Ohio State and Michigan coming to town.