Going into Madison and beating the Badgers, in the Kohl Center, wasn’t just a win, it was a statement!
Purdue is 21-2 and 10-2 in the B1G. They are doing things, like winning in Madison & Piscataway, compared to seasons past that makes me think it is scary how good Purdue is right now!
Photo by: Andrew Stein/Purdue Athletics
Purdue is scary.
That could be the entire article because you would understand if you watched them play, but let me lay it out for you.
35 Straight
How scary is Purdue? Well, with the Boilers’ win on December 29th, vs. Eastern Kentucky, they finished their non-conference regular season. That 80-53 victory marked the 35th(!) straight win against a non-conference opponent during the regular season! This season alone, they defeated (KenPom rating): (37) Xavier, (21) Gonzaga*, (6) Tennessee*, (11) Marquette*, (7) Alabama, and (4) Arizona (* denotes Maui Invitational). They keep playing top-level teams in the non-conference season and winning makes Purdue the scariest team in March.
When will they lose a non-con game? Dunno, but we do know it isn’t this season!
Winning In Places They Had Struggled
Piscataway, NJ; Bloomington, IN; College Park, MD; and Madison, WI. What do these four locations have in common?
All four are locations the Boilermakers had struggled in the past but have gone into and won this season. Yes, yes, yes… they STILL lost at Nebraska and Northwestern, but losses happen, and the Cornhuskers and Wildcats got Purdue with a great game plan & execution. This senior class won for the first time in College Park… I’m telling you, this team is a scary team to face.
Going Forward
Going forward, Purdue hosts IU tonight (Saturday, Feb. 1oth). This might not age well, because I expect the Boilers to get revenge on a loss they took at Mackey last season to the Hoosiers!
They still host Michigan St, and Wisconsin, and have to travel to Champagne, IL and take on the Illini so it’s not a foregone conclusion they win the B1G by themselves, but if I actually was a betting man, I’d say they lost MAYBE one more game before the B1G tournament!
Going to Ohio St and Michigan should never be underestimated (ask Wisconsin about Michigan), but I think they have their heads on correctly! They remember playing FDU last year.
It’s never “easy” just saying a team is THE one to win the conference, but the way Purdue is playing it’s pretty close!
The way Purdue is playing right now is scary! BOILER UP!
