10 teams with the best chance to reach Final Four in 2023-24
4. Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue comes into the 2023-24 season with a sour taste in its mouth after suffering an historic upset to No. 16-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson as a No. 1 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. That may make many skeptical about how far the Boilermakers can realistically go this coming March, but heading into the season, they are absolutely one of the most talented squads in the country. That鈥檚 thanks to reigning national player of the year Zach Edey returning to West Lafayette, while Purdue also retains a lot of pieces from last year鈥檚 core including Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, Mason Gillis, Caleb Furst and Ethan Morton.
Not a lot of the other top teams in the country have that kind of continuity, and Matt Painter will also be able to mix in some talented new pieces including transfer Lance Jones and freshman Myles Colvin. A non-conference schedule with top-25 matchups against Gonzaga, Alabama and Arizona should have Purdue ready to compete for another Big Ten title. Then, it鈥檒l just be about Painter putting what could be one of his most talented teams in contention for the program鈥檚 first Final Four appearance in over four decades.
