I was talking to a friend about Purdue basketball. I summed it up to him in this way. Thought I'd share.
THE GOOD: The 3 year success in the 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, especially considering:
THE BAD: Check out what the results of the last 3 years has produced along with the 2015-16 season.
RECAP: The last 6 years (not counting COVID 2019-2020 year)
So does one complain? Or enjoy the sustained success of the program? That’s the challenge. Expectations have gone up due to the 2016-2019 success and recruiting uptick.
THE GOOD: The 3 year success in the 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, especially considering:
- 2016-17 Sweet 16 loss to #1 Kansas in tournament.
- 2017-18 Sweet 16 loss. Purdue’s center breaking his arm in the previous NCAA tournament game
- 2018-19 Elite 8 miracle shot by #1 Virginia to tie the game on a shot with .3 remaining and send to OT. Virginia was down by 3 with 5.9 seconds to go.
THE BAD: Check out what the results of the last 3 years has produced along with the 2015-16 season.
- 2021-22 Sweet 16 loss to a #15 seed when Purdue had a 91% win probability
- 2020-21 Round 64 loss to a #13 seed (OT) when Purdue had a 74% win probability
- 2019-20 Probably miss the tournament.
- 2015-16 Round 64 loss to a #12 seed (2OT). Purdue was up 13 with 3:33 to go!!!
RECAP: The last 6 years (not counting COVID 2019-2020 year)
- 5 NCAA seeds of #4 or lower; the other seed was a #5
- 4 Sweet 16 games out of 6 tournaments. 1 Elite 8. 3 NCAA OT games (all losses, 2 of which Purdue should have won in regulation)
- BIG10 finish 1st twice and top 4 all 6 seasons
- AP final rank between 10-20 with an average of 13.5
- A heck of a lot of wins, Purdue has won 26, 27, 30, 26, 29 games in full seasons (2020-21 had shortened year).
- 156-52 or 75% win percentage
- If you count the COVID year (2019-2020 not shown), the last 3 years have been disappointing.
So does one complain? Or enjoy the sustained success of the program? That’s the challenge. Expectations have gone up due to the 2016-2019 success and recruiting uptick.
Year | Wins | Losses | AP Final Rank | NCAA Seed | NCAA Result | Opp. Seed | Lost to Team: | Score | Comments: | BIG10 Reg Season Finish |
2021-22 | 29 | 8 | 10 | 3 | Sweet 16 Loss | 15 seed | St. Peter's | 67-64 | Purdue win probability 91.1% Prioritized offensive over defensive players. | 3 |
2020-21 | 18 | 10 | 20 | 4 | Round 64 Loss | 13 seed | North Texas | 78-69 OT | Purdue win probability 74.1% | 4 |
2018-19 | 26 | 10 | 13 | 3 | Elite 8 Loss | 1 seed | Virginia | 80-75 OT | *Should have won that game. Virginia had miracle buzzer beater to tie. | 1 |
2017-18 | 30 | 7 | 11 | 2 | Sweet 16 Loss | 3 seed | Texas Tech | 78-65 | *Center broke his arm in previous game. TT coach is Chris Beard | 2 |
2016-17 | 27 | 8 | 15 | 4 | Sweet 16 Loss | 1 seed | Kansas | 98-66 | 47-40 at half. Got ugly after halftime. | 1 |
2015-16 | 26 | 9 | 12 | 5 | Round 64 Loss | 12 seed | Little Rock | 85-83 2OT | Purdue was up 13 with 3:33 to play. LR coach is Chris Beard. | 3 |