The Big Ten preview series continues with the Purdue Boilermakers, who rolled through Big Ten play last season. Purdue compiled a 15-5 record against conference opponents – three games better than the next-best finishers (Northwestern and Indiana). After squeaking by Penn State in the final to lift the 2023 Big Ten Tournament trophy, the Boilermakers made history by being just the second No. 1 seed to get bounced by a 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament, losing to Fairleigh Dickinson 63-58.
Big Ten Basketball Preview: Purdue Boilermakers
The Team
Head Coach Matt Painter’s 2023-24 Purdue team returns most of their players from last season. Seven-foot-four center Zach Edey, the reigning Wooden Award winner, is back for his senior season. Point guard Braden Smith, who was honored with a Big Ten All-Freshman team selection, and fellow true freshman shooting guard Fletcher Loyer burst onto the scene last season, and both played over 70% of the team’s minutes. They return for their sophomore campaigns. Power forward Mason Gillis has been a steady contributor over the last three seasons. Small forward Ethan Morton saw his largest role yet in his junior campaign. Both return to complete their collegiate careers.
Power forward Caleb Furst and power forward/center Trey Kaufman-Renn are strong depth pieces hoping to further develop their games as they return for their junior and sophomore seasons, respectively. Arriving to West Lafayette for this season is four-star recruit Myles Colvin, a small forward from nearby Indianapolis. Purdue also brings in Southern Illinois grad transfer and combo guard Lance Jones. The Boilermakers are losing Brandon Newman and David Jenkins Jr., both of whom played under 45% of the team’s minutes in ‘22-23.
Team Strengths
Purdue typically plays through their behemoth inside the paint, relying on Edey’s interior presence to set the tone. He made 61% of his field goals last season and did not attempt a single three-pointer all year. He gets fouled a lot and shot 241 free throws last season – his 73.4 free throw percentage is good, but there is room for improvement. Edey also helps Purdue dominate the offensive glass. As a team, they grabbed rebounds on 38.4% of their missed shots last season – third best in Division I. Purdue also does well to take advantage of playing in front of their fans, going 14-2 at Mackey Arena last year.
Team Weaknesses
Purdue’s team three-point percentage of 32.2% was towards the bottom of Division I last season, though Smith and Gillis shot a respectable 37.6% and 35.6% from behind the arc, respectively. Another area the Boilermakers lacked last season was forcing turnovers, only taking the ball away on 15.4% of opponents’ possessions (Division I average: 18.2%).
The Verdict
College basketball pundits and computers are high on the Purdue Boilermakers ahead of the 2023-24 season. The preseason AP poll ranks them third in the country, while KenPom’s preseason rankings have them first. Returning most of their pieces from last season, Purdue is the clear favorite to repeat as Big Ten champions. They will be in contention for the first seed in the NCAA Tournament. Playing with a chip on their shoulder, they will look to prove the doubters wrong after their early exit from the Big Dance last season, à la 2019 NCAA Champions Virginia.
