6. Purdue (10-1)
The last time we saw the Boilermakers left a lot of people scratching their heads. After a perfect 8-0 start that included great wins over Alabama and Texas Tech, Purdue was completely outdone at home by Iowa State in a 23-point loss. However, the Boilermakers’ bad day on offense hasn’t leaked into their system too strongly as evident by this week’s efforts.
A slow start was erased with an emphatic second half on Wednesday, as the Boilermakers really delivered in an 85-57 win over Minnesota. Braden Smith had 15 points and 12 assists while both Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn also added double-doubles. Purdue came out the gates much stronger on Saturday in their 79-59 victory against Marquette. Cluff starred with 22 points and 11 rebounds while Fletcher Loyer added 15 points to take down the Golden Eagles.
If this week showed anything it’s that Purdue isn’t letting that performance against the Cyclones get in their head. This remains one of the most talented starting fives in the nation and their 2-0 start to Big Ten play was impressive and hard-earned. Anything could come next in the weeks ahead, but this team looks like one of the heavy favorites yet again in this conference, but we can’t fast forward there yet. Next Saturday brings an intriguing showdown against Auburn.