1. Purdue (6-0)
If we’ve learned anything through a few weeks of play it’s that a healthy Purdue team is probably the best in the nation. The Boilermakers were at their best in last week’s road win at Alabama, securing their place again atop the national polls, but Purdue was far from done impressing us as another week of action beckoned.
Purdue actually played way back on Sunday, topping Akron 97-79 thanks to a 17-point, 15-rebound effort from Trey Kaufman-Renn, one of three Boilermakers with a double-double. Purdue then headed to the Bahamas and made a splash at the Baha Mar Championship, first downing Memphis 80-71 on Thursday. Fletcher Loyer emerged with 20 points while Braden Smith had double-digit assists yet again. Friday’s effort in the final was their best game of the season, blowing out a great Texas Tech team 86-56. There were 7 different Purdue players in double figures, led by a 15-point, 15-rebound effort out of Oscar Cluff.
All systems were go as the Boilermakers cemented their place perhaps as the nation’s top contender. We pointed out four of their five starters in action this past week as Purdue boasts an incredible starting lineup with the talent and skills to win these types of big games all the way through March. After the rigors of the Bahamas, the Boilermakers rest easy through Thanksgiving, merely hosting Eastern Illinois next week.
Time will tell just how this college basketball season develops even with all the action we’ve seen through three weeks of game play. Which of these teams are really going to stand out in the weeks to come and which won’t we see in these rankings for much longer?