Purdue Boilermakers
Big Ten (25-7, 14-4)
Purdue has had a great regular season. After a bit of a slow start to the conference season, Purdue finally emerged as the solid conference favorite alongside Wisconsin. At the end of the wild year in the Big Ten, Purdue indeed emerged as the regular season champion. It’s easy to see why this was Purdue’s year. When you boast a potential player of the year candidate in Caleb Swanigan, good things are bound to happen. This team is tournament ready.
Big Wins: 12/17 vs Notre Dame (86-81), 1/8 Wisconsin (66-55), 2/4 at Maryland (73-72)
Bad Losses: 1/12 at Iowa (78-83), 1/29 at Nebraska (80-83), 2/25 at Michigan (70-82)
Coach: Matt Painter
Why They Can Surprise:
Despite a few hiccups throughout the season, Purdue has looked like the most complete Big Ten team all year. They only lost four conference games all season. Even in a down Big Ten, Purdue proved their mettle by battling excellent teams outside of the conference. They lost really early in the season to defending champion Villanova by three and then battled Louisville on the road before falling. Still those were close games, and Purdue has only gotten better. They are going to be a tough matchup for any tournament opponent mainly because of their size. Swanigan and Isaac Haas are two mountains down low. They do not play a ton together, but the Boilermakers constantly have a presence on the blocks. They are a very good rebounding team as a result – 17th in the country in rebounding margin. Additionally, freshman guard Carsen Edwards has been a steadying force in the backcourt. Guard play has been a question in years past, but Edwards has played with poise all season. This team has enough scoring potential and defense to make a run at the Final Four.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Their head-scratching losses would be cause for someone to question how far this team can really go. Losing to Nebraska and Iowa in conference play was out of character for the Boilermakers. An off shooting night and a hot opponent could create an issue for Purdue going through the postseason. Michigan also found a way to dispatch Purdue late in the season with some timely 3-point shooting. Purdue will also want to watch their turnovers. For all that they do well, they are prone to turnovers in key situations. Foul trouble to Swanigan will also play a key role. Few players are as important to their team as Swanigan is to Purdue. He will need to stay on the floor for this team to go far.
Probable Starters:
Caleb Swanigan, Sophomore, Forward, 18.5 ppg, 12.6 rpg, 2.9 apg
Dakota Mathias, Junior, Guard, 9.9 ppg, 3.6 apg
P.J. Thompson, Junior, Guard, 7.2 ppg, 3.0 apg
Vince Edwards, Junior, Forward, 12.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.2 apg
Carsen Edwards, Freshman, Guard, 10.4 ppg, 1.9 apg
Key Role Players:
Isaac Haas, Junior, Center, 12.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg
Spike Albrecht, Junior, Guard, 1.8 ppg, 1.3 apg
Ryan Cline, Sophomore, Guard, 5.6 ppg, 1.5 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 80.5 (30th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 66.9 (55, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 48.0 (27, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.3 (52, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 9.0 (46, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 40.6 (9, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 77.0 (15, 2)
Rebound Margin: 7.1 (17, 2)
Assists Per Game: 18.2 (2, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.0 (162, 7)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2016 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Arkansas Little Rock
2015 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Cincinnati
2013 CBI First Round win over Western Illinois
2013 CBI Quarterfinal loss to Santa Clara
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over St. Mary's
2012 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Kansas
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over St. Peters
2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to VCU
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Siena
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Texas A&M
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Duke
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Northern Iowa
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Washington
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Connecticut
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Baylor
2008 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Xavier
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Arizona
2007 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Florida
*all team stats through 3/5
