Purdue also has a couple of top 50 recruits coming in which should provide upgrade options at the 4 compared to Wheeler
That roster certainly isn’t bad but it doesn’t have much real pop to it. And I think an Underwood coached team needs a guy or two who really pops (Kofi, Ayo). But thats still solid… at least at the guard spots.
to me it looks elite in the defensive backcourt and mediocre everywhere else. their wing options are notably unathletic IMO.
1 Like
I agree - not necessarily a title contender, but feels like a top-half of the conference team. They have three guards who can play at this level and Curbelo could be due for a jump in performance. I think they are a high floor team.
1 Like
yeah I think top-7 is safe because the B1G is taking a step back.
3 Likes
I’ve been the anti-Purdue guy on this board for the past year. So this conversation suits me well. It’s obvious why people are high on them, but it’s also extremely hard for me to see a Trevion Williams focused team be top 10 in the country. Will Painter build a team that allows him to be a complementary piece in the middle? If so, give me their stock. If he’s the center of their team, I’ll stick with them as a 15-20’s type team who falls in the 2nd round.
Purdue also has a couple of top 50 recruits coming in
Actually, one guy from what I see.
And the fringe dude is the same position. If everyone on the team makes a leap I buy top 10 Purdue. I just didn’t see that as something to be confident in when watching this past season. Several of the freshmen felt like guys who were already pretty dang close to their ceiling. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong. But I’ll also buy 5 UMHoops subscriptions for people if Purdue is a 1 or 2 seed.
6 Likes
I don’t think Purdue has to be a top 10 level team in order to finish top three in the conference.
1 Like
So much Trevion slander on here. Ivey has some real upside. They need some shooters but I could see them having a good season.
I find it interesting that Kaufman and Furst are Purdue’s best collection of incoming talent since the 2007 class (Etwaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson, Robbie Hummel, Scott Martin (who left)) - Kaufman is their best recruit in school history (rankings era) outside Caleb Swanigan and Moore.
The two are good enough recruits (both top 55) but it sort of underscores how Painter is getting it done with under the radar players.
1 Like
Since I started some of the Purdue negativity let me clarify. I do think they are going to be a good team, I think they will be top four in the conference, and I think they have a chance at contending for the B10 title. However, I was pointing out that the hype they built off of the end of last season was a bit of a mirage and that preseason top ten seems very optimistic. They need Ivey to take another step up, Williams to return, Stafanovic to remember how to shoot, and the freshmen to contribute. I like them…don’t love them.
I am also not ready to bury Illinois yet. I think they are in the second tier of the conference but ahead of most teams.
2 Likes
sort of reminds me of the 2010-2011 darius morris um team
1 Like
One of Purdue’s long standing issues seems to be always having two centers among their four best players.
2 Likes
It feels like Purdue didn’t get nearly enough flak for wetting the bed in the NCAA tournament this year. And for that reason alone, I’m out.
1 Like
Purdue would seem a very safe bet to be a top 20 team. They return everyone of note and add some solid newcomers. Whether they can crack the top 10 is going to require at least 1 or 2 guys stepping up. I think they will. Ivey, Newman, and Gillis all looked pretty good as freshman and I expect them to each at least make incremental improvements. Losing Wheeler is addition by subtraction.
1 Like
It was one game and they lost in OT. We lost in the first round as a 4 seed in 2012 also. It didn’t affect us the next year…
2 Likes
I agree with all of this and also could be accused of some Purdue hate earlier. Top 10 Purdue…not buying it. But like @DLhoops says…top 20 Purdue yes.
Part of this is needing to recalibrate the B1G expectations. Last year a top 20 team was a mid tier B1G team. This year a top 20 team will probably get a BTT double bye.
3 Likes
I have seen the comments about Illinois losing assistant coaches. I thought there was a chance they would lose Orlando and Chin to Kentucky, but I haven’t seen any discussion on here that they are losing three assistants! Is this true? From my reading of the Illinois boards tonight it sure seems as if it’s true.
1 Like
who is the third? is he also going to Kentucky?
edit: I see now, it’s Stephen Gentry to Gonzaga. Antigua and Coleman are confirmed to Kentucky. that is pretty rough for Illinois. I wonder if Underpants starts to think about that Kansas State escape clause
6 Likes
sounds like Chester Frazier is at the top of the replacement wish list. He played at Illinois under Weber and is now an assistant at Virginia Tech
1 Like
It seems like a long shot, but OSU sophomore E.J. Liddell and his Belleville family have engaged in serious discussions about him transferring to Illinois. As an All-Big Ten first-team selection by the league’s coaches, he is also weighing professional possibilities while keeping the door open at OSU.
Liddell sees himself as a forward in the NBA, and wants to perfect perimeter skills after being outsized by centers like Cockburn, Iowa’s Luka Garza, Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson and others. It is not clear whether OSU’s acquisition of Indiana’s 6-11 Joey Brunk will affect Liddell’s decision.
Lol, Joey Brunk.
1 Like