Ranking each Big Ten basketball team entering conference play
5. Purdue Boilermakers
Many expected Purdue to be at the top of this list before the campaign, but the Boilermakers have already suffered four losses in 2024-25, nearly matching the five they had all of last season. Each loss has come to a tough opponent, including Marquette, Texas A&M, Auburn and Penn State. The Boilermakers have also picked up nice wins over Maryland, NC State and Alabama, but Matt Painter鈥檚 squad predictably misses Zach Edey鈥檚 domination down low. Purdue鈥檚 defense has been around the middle of the pack in the country, while its offense has taken a step back, ranking 154th in scoring at 77 points per contest. Trey Kaufman-Renn has had a breakout campaign alongside talented guards Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith, but the Boilermakers need more contributions from their role players to contend for a conference title.
