Fresh off a trip to the national championship game, Purdue put together another fantastic season even with Zach Edey off in the NBA. Matt Painter has now eclipsed twenty years as head coach of the Boilermakers and has this program in the best shape of his long tenure. Purdue has won at least 13 conference games in eight of the last nine seasons and were back in the Sweet Sixteen again this past season.
The return of reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Braden Smith ensures big things are in store yet again for the Boilermakers but that’s just the beginning. Trey Kaufman-Renn averaged more than 20 points per game in Edey’s stead and has developed into one of the league’s best big men. Throw in a reliable sharpshooter like Fletcher Loyer and the fact that this roster suffered minimal losses and next season could be scary for the Boilermakers.
This wasn’t a perfect offseason for Purdue with this team losing a few backup pieces to the transfer portal, but it’s hard not to love what Painter and his staff have put together. There is a pair of intriguing freshman products in the backcourt, though their own portal moves were focused more under the basket. One addition was Liam Murphy, a former North Florida power forward who could become an important depth piece for the Boilermakers.
The second transfer is Oscar Cluff, a 6-11 center from Australia who slides into a major role as Purdue’s newest big man. He did solid work at Cochise College before putting up decent production at Washington State as a junior. Last year marked his sole season out at South Dakota State and it was quite the campaign, averaging 17.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per game for the Jackrabbits. Cluff established himself as one of the nation’s best rebounders and was a reliable scorer around the hoop.
A Sweet Sixteen team returns three massively talented juniors for their senior seasons and then adds the second-leading rebounder in the nation. If Cluff can establish himself as Purdue’s full-time center and play at the same level then this team could be legendary. The Boilermakers have a little bit of everything on this roster: a crafty point guard, elite shooting, and now multiple bigs who can grab boards and cause mayhem on both ends of the court.
With just two transfer additions, this was an easy choice for the most important addition but it’s more than that. If Cluff’s play is at that same type of impressive level, Purdue could legitimately be right back in the Final Four again this season. This is a powerful lineup that got even better and the combination of Cluff and Kaufmann-Renn is going to be a headache for Big Ten defenses all season long.