BIG TEN TEAM PREVIEW #13 PURDUE BOILERMAKERS

Purdue enters this season seeking its 6th straight NCAA tournament appearance. Head coach Matt Painter's squad has also made the tournament in 10 of the last 11 seasons. Before last season, the Boilers had won the Big Ten regular season title in back-to-back seasons. They finished 13-7 in conference play last year, which was tied for fourth. Purdue enters this year with very high expectations, returning most of their core from last season's team.

Projected Lineup:

G Braden Smith

G Omer Mayer

G Fletcher Loyer

F Trey Kaufman-Renn

C Oscar Cluff (South Dakota State transfer)

Purdue's big three from last season consisted of 6-foot point guard Braden Smith, 6-foot-5 shooting guard Fletcher Loyer, and 6-foot-9 forward Trey Kaufman-Renn. All three of them return for the Boilers this season. Starting with Braden Smith, he's arguably the best guard in the country going into next season. Smith was selected as the Big Ten player of the year last season, after he averaged 15.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game. Trey Kaufmann-Renn is probably Purdue's second most impactful returning player. He was one of the top scorers in the conference last season, averaging 20.1 points. He also led the team in rebounding with 6.5 boards per game. Fletcher Loyer was also huge for Purdue last season. He was third on the team in scoring, averaging 13.8 points, while shooting 44.4 percent from three. Purdue also gets some of their better rotational players from last season back. 6-foot-3 shooting guard CJ Cox had a nice freshman season last year, averaging 6 points and 2.8 rebounds off the bench. 6-foot-3 shooting guard Gicarri Harris was actually a four-star recruit in the 2024 class. During his freshman season last year, Harris averaged 3.8 points and 1.9 rebounds. Purdue's top recruit from their freshman class last season was 7-foot-3 center Daniel Jacobsen. In his freshman season, he was supposed to be the team's starting center, but he only played in two games due to a fractured tibia. Jacobsen enters this season healthy and should play a key role off the bench.

Purdue only added two transfers this offseason, in 6-foot-11 South Dakota State transfer Oscar Cluff and 6-foot-7 North Florida transfer Liam Murphy. Cluff was one of the top bigs available in the portal. He had a huge breakout season last year and was one of the best centers at the mid-major level. Cluff earned first-team all-conference honors in the Summit League, averaging 17.6 points and 12.6 rebounds on the season. Liam Murphy was Purdue's other transfer portal addition. Murphy was one of the best shooters at the mid-major level, connecting on 42.3% of his three-point attempts. He averaged 13 points and 3.3 rebounds on the season for UNF. Another key offseason addition for Matt Painter and company was four-star international recruit Omer Mayer. The 6-foot-4 guard comes over from Israel and was one of the top international recruits available. He is expected to be in Purdue's starting lineup this season.

This Purdue team is insanely good; there's a reason why they're the preseason number one in the AP poll. They have the two best players in the conference with Braden Smith and Trey Kaufmann-Renn, and the supporting cast around them is also insanely good. Oscar Cluff should be one of the best centers in the conference, and Fletcher Loyer is one of the best shooters in the conference. With a deep bench and one of the best starting fives in all of college basketball, Purdue could win a national title this season.