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The Big Ten powerhouse Purdue Boilermakers had a strong 2025 season, reaching the Sweet 16. As a No. 4 seed, they were defeated 62-60 by the Houston Cougars. While it was disappointing for the team to lose in such a close game, it was an impressive performance against a team that would reach the finals in the tournament.
Heading into next season, Purdue is viewed by many as a contender in the Big Ten and even one of the top contenders in the nation. On Monday, ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi released his first edition of Men's Bracketology. He compiles data based on transfers, advanced stats, and conference competitiveness to project the March Madness bracket for next season.
In the projection, he had the Big Ten powerhouse Purdue as the top seed. He wrote this about the Boilermakers:
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"For all the talk about bad losses in March, Purdue has been remarkably consistent: The Boilermakers have never been worse than a 5-seed since the 2015-16 season, have reached at least the second weekend in six of the nine tournaments over that span and, despite the ignominy of falling as a 1-seed in 2023, came back with another top seed in 2024 later to emerge as the best team in the country not named UConn."
"Purdue is excelling as an old-school college basketball team in a new wave era — its reward could be a preseason No. 1 ranking for 2025-26. Having been built largely from the ground up, the Boilermakers seem likely to hold the top spot of our forecasted bracket for the foreseeable future."
Lunardi will release the next edition of Men's Bracketology on May 20.
The biggest strengths for the Big Ten powerhouse Purdue Boilermakers next season
Heading into next season, the Purdue Boilermakers are projected to have a deep and effective roster on both sides of the ball.
Braden Smith will be back as one of the top guards in the country after taking a big step last season, averaging 15.8 points per game. The team also has forward Trey Kaufman-Renn returning as a dominant force in the paint.
The most significant addition to the Boilermakers' roster this offseason is South Dakota State transfer Oscar Cluff. He is coming off a breakout season where he averaged 17.6 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists. Having him and Kaufman-Renn down low should give plenty of space to Purdue's shooters.
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