18. Purdue (12-4)
In what looks like an exciting and competitive Big Ten race, it shouldn’t come as a shocker that Purdue is right there in the thick of things. This team has a few nice wins and a few tough losses but is in great shape with new faces playing bigger roles for the Boilermakers this season. Things have gone much better for them during conference play after a road loss at Penn State in early December.
That trend continued back on Sunday as Purdue delivered a 79-61 home win over Northwestern. Braden Smith had another nice effort with 22 points and 7 assists while C. J. Cox and Trey Kaufman-Renn each contributed 12 points along the way. Thursday’s action was just as demonstrative, as the Boilermakers scored a 68-50 win at Rutgers. Smith had a double-double (16 points, 14 assists) in impressive fashion while Kaufman-Renn also scored 16 points against the Scarlet Knights.
The 3-point shots didn’t fall in Piscataway, but the Boilermakers had one of their best defensive efforts of the season and got the job done with ease. They’ve won four straight games each by double-figures and are shooting up the Big Ten standings with their recent success. Sunday’s an interesting one against Nebraska before a trip to the northwest. Will this team, led masterfully by Smith, continue doing enough against these league rivals?