With men’s basketball tipping off in just one day I wanted to get the staff on record with what they thought of this upcoming season. There’s been a lot of change in the roster with Purdue losing 4 starters to graduation in the offseason. So, what does that mean for this team? Here’s what I asked the staff and their responses.
In year’s past we have done a hot takes about basketball or something similar. This year though, given all the turnover on the roster, I just want to know your realistic expectations for this team. That could include where they finish in the league, if they make the tournament, etc.. Just give me at least a paragraph about where your heads at.
Ledman:
I’m conflicted about this season. Obviously I’m very excited for men’s basketball to be back, it’s my favorite sport, but I just don’t know if this team has the guy to make it work. It’s not that I don’t believe in the talent on this team, I do, I just wonder if they have someone who can take over games and truly dominate opponents, especially in Big Ten play. The season that I’m getting flashbacks to is the 2012-2013 season. There were a lot of really good players on that team who would end up becoming huge contributors over their Purdue careers but DJ Byrd was supposed to be THE guy on that team and that just isn’t who he was as a player. No shade to him as a player because he did so much for Purdue, but he wasn’t a true #1 guy and that became clear as the season progressed. That team finished 16-18 overall.
CJ Cox is the guy who is meant to take the lead offensively on this team, and he’s a great player, but I just wonder if he can be THE guy. I know that Omer Mayer should carry a lot of the burden offensively as well but I’m worried about the guards on this team being able to dominate.
As far as expectations go I still believe this team can and will make the NCAA Tournament. Purdue can win a first round game and after that it’s all gravy. I’m hoping for a top 6 conference finish.
Travis:
Purdue will make the tournament. That’s just where we are as a program. The bare minimum expectation each season should be a tournament berth, and lately it has been even higher. Purdue has been a 4 seed or better in nine straight NCAA Tournaments. That’s nine straight years where the expectation going into the postseason was to make the second weekend.
All that said, I think it is going to take some time for this team to gel. There is some potential there for a repeat of 2018-19 where Purdue really came together after a slow start. Does that mean Purdue wins the Big Ten this year? That would be a shock, mostly because the league is so good and Purdue is a relatively new team. I trust in Painter. I think we go somewhere in the neighborhood of 21-10 and 12-8 in the Big Ten, comfortably making the tourney and setting the stage for a huge 2027-28. All the hype Miami is getting this year? I expect a Miami 2025-26 result as a setup for next year.
Drew:
I’m going to be difficult and change the prompt slightly. My expectation for this season is that it sets the team up for another deep tournament run next season.
This is a season for Coach Painter to sort out this roster. He’s assembled an impressive collection of talent, but now it’s time to figure out how that talent works together and performs under pressure.
I hope that by the end of the season, we’ll know what this team excels at, and more importantly, which spots need fortification via the transfer portal for next season.
This team should make the tournament, but I’m going to do my best not to overreact to the occasional clunker of a game. I don’t think this team is ready to win the Big Ten or make a tournament run. Managing expectations and frustrations will be hard in what could be the first building season in a long time.
All of this is to say that my expectation for this season is that it sets us up to have unreasonably high expectations for next season.
Ryan:
There is so much unknown with this team but it’s still cause for excitement. Matt Painter is dipping his hands into the blue chip pot more often and has some really talented players on his squad. The problem is that this is a really young team with lots of unproven talent. If we see some of the older players take a step forward into the spotlight and some of the freshmen shine, it could be another great year for the Boilermakers. I am worried about the inside post presence for this team who just doesn’t have the same bruisers we’re accustomed to. I think Purdue will have to change the formula to win games and that change is where even more unknowns come. Ultimately, Purdue can be a top 6 Big Ten team (in a loaded Big Ten this year), make the NCAA tournament as a 5-8 seed and win 1-2 games. Given all of the unknowns, I think most Boilermaker fans would be happy with that and expect growth for the returning players next season.
Jed:
Purdue Basketball, as a program, should have some of the highest expectations in college basketball on a yearly basis. I’m not saying that we should be expecting Final Fours and National Championships every season but a set of realistic but high expectations should be the standard. That’s where this program under Matt Painter has placed themselves over the last 12 years.
What are those expectations?
• Top 4 finish in the B1G
• Semi-Finals of the B1G Tourney
• Top 5 seed in the NCAA Tourney
• Sweet 16 Appearance
The thing is, if you take care of the first two things, you set yourself up for success in the NCAA Tournament to make a run at the Final Four with realistic chances.
Now the question is do I think this team can achieve that? The unfortunate reality for me is I don’t think this team quite gets there. They just seem to be lacking some key elements to get there, notably a prime time player who makes plays with the ball in his hands and the ability to score off the dribble. They also appear to be lacking overall athletic ability outside of Enzo at in the front court, something that was incredibly apparent against UCONN.
This team is going to have to shoot 40%+ from behind the three point arc every game it seems to have a shot against any respectable opponent. They’ll have games where the team clicks and could find themselves going 20/35 from behind the arc but it seems they are also very capable of having the floor fall out from under them, something that wasn’t really an issue for them in the last several years.
This team I think eventually ends up 20-12 on the season prior to the NCAA Tourney as a 9 seed. That’s what I have seen from this team so far from their summer and exhibition games but that doesn’t mean to sell them short as they continue to figure out their roles and Painter continues to sort out the issues that have come up.