It's difficult to judge Purdue's non-conference at this point, having no idea who the Boilermakers will draw in the Old Spice Classic and really not knowing what to expect from a lot of the other teams on the slate.
But speaking generally, it seems like a decent schedule for Purdue in its current state. Purdue needs to win games and go into conference play with both margin for error and confidence. It was not able to do that this season after going 6-6 in non-conference.
I thought prior to last season that Purdue might have bit off a little more than it could chew with its early season schedule, not because it was any kind of murderer's row, but because the Boilermakers were so young, it didn't afford them a chance to ease into anything. Just the way the schedule fell with 2K Sports right off the bat, Bucknell in Game 1 and Villanova and Oregon State thereafter.
The first thing that jumps off the page with this years schedule is the four presumed snackfoods right out of the gate in Northern Kentucky, located I assume in Kentucky, somewhere above the state's central portion; Central Connecticut State, located somewhere around the middle of that state; Rider, neither Wynona nor J.R.; and Eastern Illinois, located closer to Indiana than it is Missouri, as Purdue's staff well knows since half of it once worked there.
Purdue's going to be more experienced this season, but still young.
So 4-0 will be a good thing heading into Old Spice, where a home game vs. Fran McCaffery-less Siena, a one-time Purdue NCAA Tournament nemesis.
The Happiest Place on Earth will put Purdue against three of the following: Butler, LSU, Memphis, Oklahoma State, Saint Joseph's and Washington State, Marcus Smart being the highlight of that field.
A decent group, but no one unbeatable if Purdue is good. Kind of like the 2K Sports tournament last year, difference being that maybe the Boilermakers will be more ready to play these sorts of teams than they were in MSG this past season.
You'd hope, at least.
Butler's always going to be tough, and it's foolhardy to ever overlook the Bulldogs because they lost this player or that player. But Andrew Smith and Rotnei Clarke won't easily be replaced. That said, Roosevelt Jones, Khyle Marshall and Kellen Dunham won't be easy to guard.
The likelihood of Purdue playing Butler twice is probably minimal. The tournament will be set up to reduce the chances of that happening. But they'll play at least once, in Indianapolis, and it would be a really good thing for Purdue to beat the Bulldogs after a couple years of not faring terribly well against in-state programs, like Butler, Notre Dame, and the past two seasons, Indiana. You don't want to make that a continuing trend.
Boston College is much like Purdue. Some good young players who weren't ready to win last season, sounds like. I like Purdue's chances in that one, on paper, nearly a year before tip-off.
West Virginia, no clue.
They were a dysfunctional bunch this season. I'd bet on Bob Huggins getting that fixed and fielding a team that's going to be very hard to beat in Morgantown. Purdue's hundred-point win over the Mountaineers was an aberration.
So there you have it. Purdue looks like it's going to roll right?
Am I giving Purdue credit it hasn't yet earned? Maybe. Am I overlooking some of these upcoming opponents for the purpose of snark ammo? Obviously, yes.
Who the hell knows? The Boilermakers were so schizo this season that there's no telling.
But giving the benefit of the doubt that they mature during the offseason and shore up some of the debilitating flaws that undercut them this season, it's fair to say Purdue will be able to put itself in a decent position heading into Big Ten play, a critical step toward returning to the NCAA Tournament.
But speaking generally, it seems like a decent schedule for Purdue in its current state. Purdue needs to win games and go into conference play with both margin for error and confidence. It was not able to do that this season after going 6-6 in non-conference.
I thought prior to last season that Purdue might have bit off a little more than it could chew with its early season schedule, not because it was any kind of murderer's row, but because the Boilermakers were so young, it didn't afford them a chance to ease into anything. Just the way the schedule fell with 2K Sports right off the bat, Bucknell in Game 1 and Villanova and Oregon State thereafter.
The first thing that jumps off the page with this years schedule is the four presumed snackfoods right out of the gate in Northern Kentucky, located I assume in Kentucky, somewhere above the state's central portion; Central Connecticut State, located somewhere around the middle of that state; Rider, neither Wynona nor J.R.; and Eastern Illinois, located closer to Indiana than it is Missouri, as Purdue's staff well knows since half of it once worked there.
Purdue's going to be more experienced this season, but still young.
So 4-0 will be a good thing heading into Old Spice, where a home game vs. Fran McCaffery-less Siena, a one-time Purdue NCAA Tournament nemesis.
The Happiest Place on Earth will put Purdue against three of the following: Butler, LSU, Memphis, Oklahoma State, Saint Joseph's and Washington State, Marcus Smart being the highlight of that field.
A decent group, but no one unbeatable if Purdue is good. Kind of like the 2K Sports tournament last year, difference being that maybe the Boilermakers will be more ready to play these sorts of teams than they were in MSG this past season.
You'd hope, at least.
Butler's always going to be tough, and it's foolhardy to ever overlook the Bulldogs because they lost this player or that player. But Andrew Smith and Rotnei Clarke won't easily be replaced. That said, Roosevelt Jones, Khyle Marshall and Kellen Dunham won't be easy to guard.
The likelihood of Purdue playing Butler twice is probably minimal. The tournament will be set up to reduce the chances of that happening. But they'll play at least once, in Indianapolis, and it would be a really good thing for Purdue to beat the Bulldogs after a couple years of not faring terribly well against in-state programs, like Butler, Notre Dame, and the past two seasons, Indiana. You don't want to make that a continuing trend.
Boston College is much like Purdue. Some good young players who weren't ready to win last season, sounds like. I like Purdue's chances in that one, on paper, nearly a year before tip-off.
West Virginia, no clue.
They were a dysfunctional bunch this season. I'd bet on Bob Huggins getting that fixed and fielding a team that's going to be very hard to beat in Morgantown. Purdue's hundred-point win over the Mountaineers was an aberration.
So there you have it. Purdue looks like it's going to roll right?
Am I giving Purdue credit it hasn't yet earned? Maybe. Am I overlooking some of these upcoming opponents for the purpose of snark ammo? Obviously, yes.
Who the hell knows? The Boilermakers were so schizo this season that there's no telling.
But giving the benefit of the doubt that they mature during the offseason and shore up some of the debilitating flaws that undercut them this season, it's fair to say Purdue will be able to put itself in a decent position heading into Big Ten play, a critical step toward returning to the NCAA Tournament.
