See how Purdue opponents are currently rated and how that affects Purdue’s resume.
Purdue Basketball Opponent Tracker 2-3
Another week down and although Purdue didn’t beat Indiana by as much as expected, a win is a win, especially against your biggest rival. Of course, may games over the course of the week will ultimately affect Purdue when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. Teams are jockeying for seeding position and trying to stack up quality wins while limiting ‘bad’ losses. Check out how the NET rankings look this week and how Purdue is perceived in the field.
As per usual, we have a nifty chart to show you how the Quadrant system works with the NET Rankings.
After this week, we have two changes to Purdue’s non-con opponents in terms of the Quadrants. Texas A&M – CC moved down to 165 in the NET and is now a Q4 win for the Boilermakers. On the flip side, Yale moved to 71 and is now a Q2 win. As a result, Purdue is now 12-5 in Q1 and Q2 games and 5-0 in Q3 and Q4 games. Purdue is one of 4 teams nationally to have 12+ Q1/Q2 wins alongside Auburn (14-1), Alabama (14-3), and Texas A&M (12-5). In fact, of the 7 non-Purdue teams to have 10+ Q1/Q2 wins, Purdue has or will play 5 (Auburn, Alabama, Texas A&M, Marquette, and Wisconsin). It clearly shows that Purdue is continuing on its plan to schedule monster schedules year in and year out for non-conference play.
As for Big Ten play, the strength of the conference is on display as there is not a single Q3 or Q4 game on Purdue’s conference schedule right now. Granted, this is because the Washington and Minnesota games were on the road, but no game is a gimme in Purdue’s 20-game conference schedule. With 7 more Q1 opportunities left in conference play and potentially more to come in the Big Ten Tournament, Purdue has a chance to continue to bolster one of the top resumes in the country and move up the NCAA tournament ladder.
It should also be noted that Purdue is in the territory of getting its choice of a 1st and 2nd round location. This year, the pool of locations are as follows: Lexington, Providence, Wichita, Denver, Seattle, Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Raleigh. The further Purdue rises, the more likely of choosing their ideal location (likely Milwaukee, Cleveland, or Lexington). Last year, the Boilermakers got their dream scenario and went to Indianapolis -> Detroit -> Phoenix. The dream scenario this season would be Milwaukee -> Indianapolis -> San Antonio, but unless Purdue jumps up into the top 3 teams, they won’t be able to choose their location for their potential Sweet 16/ Elite 8 games. Trips to San Francisco, Newark, and Atlanta are also possibilities. No matter what though, we know the Purdue fans will travel incredibly well across the country to support their Boilermakers but Matt Painter and co just need to keep on doing what they do, and the pieces will fall.