Unranked in ESPN's Way Too Early Top 25

[BoilerStation]

Can't say I'm surprised by this with their overall lack of knowledge about our team. Perception this whole year to outsiders has been that Biggie is our only player. Should provide some nice motivation for next years squad with the complete lack of respect for the rest of the team.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...ketball-way-too-early-top-25-rankings-2017-18

 

[jadeezra]

Yeah that's pretty much ridiculous , but perhaps they are expecting haas and Edwards to leave

 

[Shot Put]

An IU graduate wrote the article. He does a lot of pro IU work on that site so I am pretty sure he is bias to us.

 

[IndySouthsider]

Clicked as I figured they had IU at 11th

 

[Chauncey Hill]

Clicked as I figured they had IU at 11th

Better check that prescription

 

[Boiler Buck]

Can't say I'm surprised by this with their overall lack of knowledge about our team. Perception this whole year to outsiders has been that Biggie is our only player. Should provide some nice motivation for next years squad with the complete lack of respect for the rest of the team.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...ketball-way-too-early-top-25-rankings-2017-18

Well Biggie was the sole of the team. With him gone the rest of these guys are good solid players and seniors. Guys you want on your team as contributors. 3 guys in Haas, VE & CE who might be a difference maker in a game or two. However, who knows what they can do now that the focus of the offense is gone as CS being there created opportunity for others by being there and setting pics as the others were not the focus. If you looked @ our schedule last year their are several games we won because CS was there as the difference maker in the game.

Add to that Purdue has no marquee recruit to take his place.
Typical freshman and many jucos, unless they are top 50 or juco all Americans usually don't make that big of an immediate difference.

Finally, without CS the rest of the team is viewed as also ran lowly ranked players - what was the highest ranked 80? Not necessarily earth shattering, feared bunch of recruits to be blunt(at least that is how outsiders see us). And each, other than CS, had inconstant performances offensively....one day score and the next disappear.

So I guess I can see their point.

However, I have seen MP do better than expected in these situations by coaching these guys up in the past. Looking @ the past, this also is a scenario where Purdue and MP can overachieve if Painter can get the new guys to be better than expected and coach them to blend with the experience of Purdue's seniors. So I would say next year is all on MP as a coach. Another chance to over achieve and be the B1G coach of the year.

 

[punaj]

I'd trade being ranked all year for a national championship with a core of senior players that deserve a deep run.

 

[rgarlitz]

I'd trade being ranked all year for a national championship with a core of senior players that deserve a deep run.

I don't know about national championship, but I do think next year's team will surprise people --- especially if Vincent Edwards and Isaac Haas both return, which I suspect they will.

I'm not disappointed in the "way to early" rankings. At least a couple have had Purdue in the "honorable mention" or "also receiving consideration" category. And that's about where I expect Purdue to begin next year. As others have mentioned, Swanigan has been the national narrative around Purdue the past two seasons.

But I am excited to see what the senior class can do.

Edit: Purdue is actually in Gary Parish's "way to early" ranking --- see below. My mistake.

 

[rgarlitz]

Well Biggie was the sole of the team. With him gone the rest of these guys are good solid players and seniors. Guys you want on your team as contributors. 3 guys in Haas, VE & CE who might be a difference maker in a game or two. However, who knows what they can do now that the focus of the offense is gone as CS being there created opportunity for others by being there and setting pics as the others were not the focus. If you looked @ our schedule last year their are several games we won because CS was there as the difference maker in the game.

Add to that Purdue has no marquee recruit to take his place.
Typical freshman and many jucos, unless they are top 50 or juco all Americans usually don't make that big of an immediate difference.

Finally, without CS the rest of the team is viewed as also ran lowly ranked players - what was the highest ranked 80? Not necessarily earth shattering, feared bunch of recruits to be blunt(at least that is how outsiders see us). And each, other than CS, had inconstant performances offensively....one day score and the next disappear.

So I guess I can see their point.

However, I have seen MP do better than expected in these situations by coaching these guys up in the past. Looking @ the past, this also is a scenario where Purdue and MP can overachieve if Painter can get the new guys to be better than expected and coach them to blend with the experience of Purdue's seniors. So I would say next year is all on MP as a coach. Another chance to over achieve and be the B1G coach of the year.

I generally agree. The only thing I'd add is that V. Edwards, Haas, Mathias, and Thompson will all be seniors next year, so what their careers up to this point should carry more weight than where they were ranked as recruits close to half a decade ago.

 

[rgarlitz]

# 24 in Gary Parish's "Way to Early" top 25 (and 1) --- CBS

His reasoning seems fair.

24. Purdue Boilermakers
Coach: Matt Painter
2016-17 record: 27-8

Notable players definitely gone: Spike Albrecht
Notable players also expected to leave: Caleb Swanigan
Notable players expected to return: Isaac Haas, Carsen Edwards, Vince Edwards, Dakota Mathias, P.J. Thompson, Ryan Cline
Notable newcomers: Nojel Eastern, Sasha Stefanovic, Aaron Wheeler, Eden Ewing, Matt Haarms

Why the Boilermakers are here: The expected loss of Caleb Swanigan will be massive in multiple ways. But there are too many good and experienced winners on Purdue’s roster to expect Matt Painter’s team to slip much, if at all.

 

[TopSecretBoiler]

I'm not really expecting us to improve next year unless one of the freshman guards turns out to be a show stopper and Haas can play 25 minutes EVERY game. I think the 25-30 range is fair. We lost our leading scorer and rebounder who also shoots >40% from 3. just not easy to replace that.

 

[SqueakyClean]

If you think the ESPN one is bad, don't bother clicking on the USA Today version. Purdue is not even in the "honorable mention" level (down to top 31) and they have IU 15th.

 

[Wolegib]

I would believe a lot of our success will be dependent on our new recruits and also on our opponents also losing their better players as well. I don't see Maryland, IU or UW being as good next year with their player losses. Will MSU find itself? Will Michigan be top dog? Looking around, I still expect Purdue to be one of the top 5 in the BIG 10. and that should be good enough for top 25 ranking and Tourney invitation.

It will be interesting to watch and see how Eastern is incorporated into Purdue's rotation and what becomes of PJ. Will Eastern become a starter and star? Will PJ become a 6th man? Will we have a backcourt of C Edwards and Eastern? Will V Edwards remain at SF or shift back to PF? Will Wheeler emerge? Will Dakota start or become an instant offense off the bench?

I see Purdue's biggest problem as it has too much quality depth in the backcourt and not enough minutes to go around. With Eastern, Edwards, PJ and Mathias, what happens to Cline ? Eastern didn't sign with Purdue to sit at the end of the bench or redshirt just to allow our current backcourt players more playing time. Eastern signed with the intention of starting or at least playing as much as C Edwards did last year.

This is going to be a tough coaching job for Painter. He faces the dilemma of having a really long rotation of players which never works. or he's going to have to soothe some egos of players not getting as much playing time as they desire. I believe Wheeler is a team player, but guys like C Edwards and Eastern are used to being the star of their team. Will Painter turn the reigns over to the new more talented kids in town? or will he be loyal to the old guys?

it will be interesting to watch. We'll get a glimpse at the World games if our incoming freshmen are allowed to participate.

 

[SqueakyClean]

Eastern didn't sign with Purdue to sit at the end of the bench or redshirt just to allow our current backcourt players more playing time. Eastern signed with the intention of starting or at least playing as much as C Edwards did last year.

With all due respect to Eastern, No, he will not be a starter unless PJ gets injured. You do not replace a 4 year starter with one of the best assist to turnover ratios in Purdue history with an unproven freshman.

 

[SIBoiler2]

Unless Archie can walk on water I expect IU to struggle to be in the top 1/2 of the B1G.

 

[Boiler Buck]

I'm not really expecting us to improve next year unless one of the freshman guards turns out to be a show stopper and Haas can play 25 minutes EVERY game. I think the 25-30 range is fair. We lost our leading scorer and rebounder who also shoots >40% from 3. just not easy to replace that.

Let's be optimistic here say ALL the newbies (save RS Sasha) are better than advertised, so much so they either break into the starting lineup or all are good enough to play 20+ minutes. The great play of the new guys results in a team better than 2016/17...and another B1G champ and NCAA run, perhaps FF if lucky....that is as good as it could be.

Bottom of the equation is....no new guys contribute or contributions are minimal. With seniors we still are good enough for 3rd to 5th in B1G. Frustrated....but still make NCAA and win a game if match up is favorable. Then 2018-19 looks bleak.

I guess until, next November....I prefer the former. Reality no doubt is somewhere in the middle.

 

[TwinDegrees2]

Can't say I'm surprised by this with their overall lack of knowledge about our team. Perception this whole year to outsiders has been that Biggie is our only player. Should provide some nice motivation for next years squad with the complete lack of respect for the rest of the team.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...ketball-way-too-early-top-25-rankings-2017-18

I know it's early, and I believe that ranking is about right for the Boilers. Gives them a chance to surprise a few teams, and move rapidly up in the rankings. Painter's boys will be good for sure, but is it going to be "good enough", or "scary good". BTW....did I miss the neighbors to the south in the top 25 for next year?

 

[jadeezra]

If you think the ESPN one is bad, don't bother clicking on the USA Today version. Purdue is not even in the "honorable mention" level (down to top 31) and they have IU 15th.

You literally made me pull a rib muscle. Iu?? They lose their best player , we lose our best. Purdue had a way better team and has the better recruiting class.

My main bitch continues it appears ! Preseason rankings, media bias and the uphill battle for a high seed it starts you off with.

Bullshit

 

[TwinDegrees2]

I would believe a lot of our success will be dependent on our new recruits and also on our opponents also losing their better players as well. I don't see Maryland, IU or UW being as good next year with their player losses. Will MSU find itself? Will Michigan be top dog? Looking around, I still expect Purdue to be one of the top 5 in the BIG 10. and that should be good enough for top 25 ranking and Tourney invitation.

It will be interesting to watch and see how Eastern is incorporated into Purdue's rotation and what becomes of PJ. Will Eastern become a starter and star? Will PJ become a 6th man? Will we have a backcourt of C Edwards and Eastern? Will V Edwards remain at SF or shift back to PF? Will Wheeler emerge? Will Dakota start or become an instant offense off the bench?

I see Purdue's biggest problem as it has too much quality depth in the backcourt and not enough minutes to go around. With Eastern, Edwards, PJ and Mathias, what happens to Cline ? Eastern didn't sign with Purdue to sit at the end of the bench or redshirt just to allow our current backcourt players more playing time. Eastern signed with the intention of starting or at least playing as much as C Edwards did last year.

This is going to be a tough coaching job for Painter. He faces the dilemma of having a really long rotation of players which never works. or he's going to have to soothe some egos of players not getting as much playing time as they desire. I believe Wheeler is a team player, but guys like C Edwards and Eastern are used to being the star of their team. Will Painter turn the reigns over to the new more talented kids in town? or will he be loyal to the old guys?

it will be interesting to watch. We'll get a glimpse at the World games if our incoming freshmen are allowed to participate.

PJ has earned the right to be the starting PG next year, and he will be.

 

[rgarlitz]

Unless Archie can walk on water I expect IU to struggle to be in the top 1/2 of the B1G.

I think a lot depends on what Blackmon and Bryant decide to do.

BTW: everybody is talking about Anunoby as if it's a done deal that he'll leave. That seems more than a little risky to me for a guy coming off a major injury --- unless he just wants to be done with Indiana and/or college basketball altogether.

 

[BoilerStation]

I completely agree that losing Biggie is a blow to the team. He's the type of player you don't just replace easily. That being said we essentially have 6 players being added to the roster who play a variety of positions and give the team some much needed athleticism and diversity in what they can do. I am including Taylor in those 6 at this point as well as Haarms who was on the team last year but redshirted. I think we will be insanely balanced and could literally see 10 or 11 guys or honestly the entire team score in double digits in a game this year.

When Haas is in we will see the ball go down low over and over but when he isn't because in reality we likely won't get more than 20 to 25 minutes a game from him we will see an offense that is more open than one we've had going back quite a few years. Eastern is a top 50 kid coming out of high school playing a position we have been considered weak at the last few years. Adding him to our veteran roster of guards plus an explosive CE makes us better whether he plays 8 minutes a game or 20. VE, Wheeler, Haarms and Taylor can all play the stretch 4 or 5 with their abilities to knockdown outside shots. When have we ever had 4 potential players like that who could spread the court and give our guards some room to actually drive and move? I didn't list Ewing because I'm not as familiar with his game and assume he is going to be our junkyard dog down low and provide the little things that are mostly overlooked but still very important in the success Purdue will have.

I've made posts similar to this after we lost to Kansas and said it wouldn't shock me if we started off unranked because of the off perception about Biggie being the entire team for us, which he was not. Biggie is a beast in the paint but you could count at least 3 or 4 rebounds a game he would grab that another teammate easily could have gotten. VE and Mathias are solid on the glass and a lot of the players were content to let CS grab the board because he cared about it more. He hunted rebounds like Westbrook and Harden hunt stats in the NBA. CS didn't play great defense while he was here. In part because we were very thin in the post and in part because he didn't want cheap fouls to take him out of the game and he is somewhat physically limited. Maybe we will be slightly thin at the 5 but what goes unsaid is the improvements on defense that I think we will see. At very worst our defensive ceiling improves dramatically compared to this years team. It may take 1/3rd or 1/2 the season for it to really click for the young guys but the potential is there.

 

[SqueakyClean]

Looking at the mock drafts, Anunoby is either top 20 or not listed at all in the first two rounds. If he is seriously still getting top 20 looks, he absolutely will be gone. There is absolutely no benefit for him coming back. The interesting one to me is Blackmon. If Crean was still there, I absolutely would have assumed that he was gone, likely to Europe. With Archie though, it is conceivable to me that he might consider staying to see if he can improve his game enough to at break into the 2nd or even 1st round with an impressive year.

 

[rgarlitz]

With respect to Blackmon, I think we've seen enough to know that he's a double-edged sword for Indiana.

He's a very talented scorer who also lacks defensive tenacity and sometimes tries to do too much himself. Miller might be able to rein Blackmon in a little bit, but I don't think we're going to see a complete make-over at this point in his career.

 

[BoilerStation]

IU being ranked is just silly. They have to lose players off the team because there isn't room for them all. Best case scenario it's only 1 or 2 but it is going to happen. It's said that OG is 99% going to enter the draft and hire an agent. Bryant and JBJ are the unknowns but we are talking about the 11th place team in the big 10 who may add Hartman and lose OG. Archie could be a good coach but to expect a jump like that is uneducated. You can't undo all those bad habits Crean has been teaching some of them for 3+ years now in the span of a summer. They will have some games where they look very good because they always have those type of games throughout a season. I could even see them winning a big game or two early in the year like they did this year. Hard to truly judge what kind of record they will have and their place in the big ten because schedules haven't been released.

 

[Wolegib]

With all due respect to Eastern, No, he will not be a starter unless PJ gets injured. You do not replace a 4 year starter with one of the best assist to turnover ratios in Purdue history with an unproven freshman.

I have watched Painter give other seniors the bench while starting freshmen or sophomores in their place. Edwards found a lot of playing time this past year. Raphael Davis became a team player his Senior year and saw the bench a lot more than the floor. Smotherman thought his experience and red shirting last season would lead to more playing time this year. Many thought Spike would contribute a more than he did. The list of names of Seniors losing their starting roles is long and goes back to my school days in 1974/75 when Parker and Sichting forced 3 year starting PG Bruce Parkinson to the bench. and Kyle Macy transferred rather than accepting a back seat.

Eastern is rated talent wise to be much better than C Edwards. Reviewing how much playing time painter gave V Edwards, C Edwards and Swanigan, I have to believe Eastern will be given a chance to show his ability . and if he succeeds and lives up to his hype, he will keep his starting roll. this will be especially true if he can play defense against perimeter shooters. PJ may have a tremendous Assist/TO ratio, and he made a couple of clutch shots, and a tremendous Purdue fan base, but his talent level is nowhere close to Eastern's.

So, do you go with? loyalty or talent?

 

[Wolegib]

I looked at their top 25 ratings. I can believe the guy is high on MSU and IU. they always receive a lot of preseason hype. Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see Michigan rated at all. I also cannot believe he included both Northwestern and Minnesota in his top 25. Northwestern's Pg is not that great, and min overachieved this year. I'm disappointed Purdue wasn't even included in the other 8 teams considered.

 

[BoilerStation]

I have watched Painter give other seniors the bench while starting freshmen or sophomores in their place. Edwards found a lot of playing time this past year. Raphael Davis became a team player his Senior year and saw the bench a lot more than the floor. Smotherman thought his experience and red shirting last season would lead to more playing time this year. Many thought Spike would contribute a more than he did. The list of names of Seniors losing their starting roles is long and goes back to my school days in 1974/75 when Parker and Sichting forced 3 year starting PG Bruce Parkinson to the bench. and Kyle Macy transferred rather than accepting a back seat.

Eastern is rated talent wise to be much better than C Edwards. Reviewing how much playing time painter gave V Edwards, C Edwards and Swanigan, I have to believe Eastern will be given a chance to show his ability . and if he succeeds and lives up to his hype, he will keep his starting roll. this will be especially true if he can play defense against perimeter shooters. PJ may have a tremendous Assist/TO ratio, and he made a couple of clutch shots, and a tremendous Purdue fan base, but his talent level is nowhere close to Eastern's.

So, do you go with? loyalty or talent?

I think PJ is likely to start all year but that doesn't mean you won't see the possibility of Eastern playing significant or an equal amount of minutes. PJ is likely a better shooter from 3 at this point and he, Mathias and Cline/CE will be used to spread the floor in hopes of giving Haas room to operate inside. When Haas comes out we will go more athletic in our lineups due to a more open paint. The 18-19 roster will probably have Eastern, CE and Cline in a 3 guard lineup.

 

[jadeezra]

I have watched Painter give other seniors the bench while starting freshmen or sophomores in their place. Edwards found a lot of playing time this past year. Raphael Davis became a team player his Senior year and saw the bench a lot more than the floor. Smotherman thought his experience and red shirting last season would lead to more playing time this year. Many thought Spike would contribute a more than he did. The list of names of Seniors losing their starting roles is long and goes back to my school days in 1974/75 when Parker and Sichting forced 3 year starting PG Bruce Parkinson to the bench. and Kyle Macy transferred rather than accepting a back seat.

Eastern is rated talent wise to be much better than C Edwards. Reviewing how much playing time painter gave V Edwards, C Edwards and Swanigan, I have to believe Eastern will be given a chance to show his ability . and if he succeeds and lives up to his hype, he will keep his starting roll. this will be especially true if he can play defense against perimeter shooters. PJ may have a tremendous Assist/TO ratio, and he made a couple of clutch shots, and a tremendous Purdue fan base, but his talent level is nowhere close to Eastern's.

So, do you go with? loyalty or talent?

PJ will start and I think the bigger competition will be Carson as I don't believe Eastern will be playing pg at Purdue

 

[BoilerStation]

I looked at their top 25 ratings. I can believe the guy is high on MSU and IU. they always receive a lot of preseason hype. Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see Michigan rated at all. I also cannot believe he included both Northwestern and Minnesota in his top 25. Northwestern's Pg is not that great, and min overachieved this year. I'm disappointed Purdue wasn't even included in the other 8 teams considered.

I can understand the Minnesota ranking. They are a very young talented team. I could also see them bomb next year and completely fall off even though the talent is there. The MSU ranking is way off and I feel like they are using the fact that Bridges hasn't declared as a basis to say he is strongly considering returning. Maybe he really is, but I don't know why he would at this point because he is going to be a lottery pick and is NBA ready. MSU will have lots of talent but will still be fairly inexperienced and could lose their top 2 players in Harris/Bridges along with whoever else leaves.

 

[JohnnyDoeBoiler]

I would believe a lot of our success will be dependent on our new recruits and also on our opponents also losing their better players as well. I don't see Maryland, IU or UW being as good next year with their player losses. Will MSU find itself? Will Michigan be top dog? Looking around, I still expect Purdue to be one of the top 5 in the BIG 10. and that should be good enough for top 25 ranking and Tourney invitation.

It will be interesting to watch and see how Eastern is incorporated into Purdue's rotation and what becomes of PJ. Will Eastern become a starter and star? Will PJ become a 6th man? Will we have a backcourt of C Edwards and Eastern? Will V Edwards remain at SF or shift back to PF? Will Wheeler emerge? Will Dakota start or become an instant offense off the bench?

I see Purdue's biggest problem as it has too much quality depth in the backcourt and not enough minutes to go around. With Eastern, Edwards, PJ and Mathias, what happens to Cline ? Eastern didn't sign with Purdue to sit at the end of the bench or redshirt just to allow our current backcourt players more playing time. Eastern signed with the intention of starting or at least playing as much as C Edwards did last year.

This is going to be a tough coaching job for Painter. He faces the dilemma of having a really long rotation of players which never works. or he's going to have to soothe some egos of players not getting as much playing time as they desire. I believe Wheeler is a team player, but guys like C Edwards and Eastern are used to being the star of their team. Will Painter turn the reigns over to the new more talented kids in town? or will he be loyal to the old guys?

it will be interesting to watch. We'll get a glimpse at the World games if our incoming freshmen are allowed to participate.

With the new summer rules for basketball and the summer trips for practices, freshman will be allowed to participate. In fact, freshman can get on campus as soon as they graduate from high school and begin participating in summer workouts and scrimmages. I think this was done to help the 1 and done players get more acclimated and to halt a potential flood of early entrees for basketball mid-season.

 

[BoilerStation]

PJ will start and I think the bigger competition will be Carson as I don't believe Eastern will be playing pg at Purdue

I think Eastern is more likely to play pg than CE at this point. Just because CE is shorter doesn't mean he is better suited to be a PG. Eastern is a solid ball handler who has very good court vision, size and strength and can finish in traffic with both hands. To me that screams pg and he may be matched up with the other teams SG on the defensive end while CE draws pg duties defensively.

 

[SqueakyClean]

I have seen Michigan come up in 1 or 2 of those preseason rankings, usually in the 20 to 25 range. They are kinda in the same boat we are. Lots of good players and decent incoming players, but no superstars. They will also lose their best player.

The x factors next year will be Iowa and Illinois. Will Iowa's four freshmen make a big leap? Will Illinois finally play to it's talent level with the new coach? Illinois has a good class coming in also, so I suspect they will become a factor sooner than later.

 

[M51]

I have watched Painter give other seniors the bench while starting freshmen or sophomores in their place. Edwards found a lot of playing time this past year. Raphael Davis became a team player his Senior year and saw the bench a lot more than the floor. Smotherman thought his experience and red shirting last season would lead to more playing time this year. Many thought Spike would contribute a more than he did. The list of names of Seniors losing their starting roles is long and goes back to my school days in 1974/75 when Parker and Sichting forced 3 year starting PG Bruce Parkinson to the bench. and Kyle Macy transferred rather than accepting a back seat.

Eastern is rated talent wise to be much better than C Edwards. Reviewing how much playing time painter gave V Edwards, C Edwards and Swanigan, I have to believe Eastern will be given a chance to show his ability . and if he succeeds and lives up to his hype, he will keep his starting roll. this will be especially true if he can play defense against perimeter shooters. PJ may have a tremendous Assist/TO ratio, and he made a couple of clutch shots, and a tremendous Purdue fan base, but his talent level is nowhere close to Eastern's.

So, do you go with? loyalty or talent?

Have to refresh my memory. Thought Parkinson had an injury after two games in his senior year. Got a red shirt injury and returned to play the next year. Not sure if that can be labeled as "losing a starting role".

 

[M51]

I completely agree that losing Biggie is a blow to the team. He's the type of player you don't just replace easily. That being said we essentially have 6 players being added to the roster who play a variety of positions and give the team some much needed athleticism and diversity in what they can do. I am including Taylor in those 6 at this point as well as Haarms who was on the team last year but redshirted. I think we will be insanely balanced and could literally see 10 or 11 guys or honestly the entire team score in double digits in a game this year.

When Haas is in we will see the ball go down low over and over but when he isn't because in reality we likely won't get more than 20 to 25 minutes a game from him we will see an offense that is more open than one we've had going back quite a few years. Eastern is a top 50 kid coming out of high school playing a position we have been considered weak at the last few years. Adding him to our veteran roster of guards plus an explosive CE makes us better whether he plays 8 minutes a game or 20. VE, Wheeler, Haarms and Taylor can all play the stretch 4 or 5 with their abilities to knockdown outside shots. When have we ever had 4 potential players like that who could spread the court and give our guards some room to actually drive and move? I didn't list Ewing because I'm not as familiar with his game and assume he is going to be our junkyard dog down low and provide the little things that are mostly overlooked but still very important in the success Purdue will have.

I've made posts similar to this after we lost to Kansas and said it wouldn't shock me if we started off unranked because of the off perception about Biggie being the entire team for us, which he was not. Biggie is a beast in the paint but you could count at least 3 or 4 rebounds a game he would grab that another teammate easily could have gotten. VE and Mathias are solid on the glass and a lot of the players were content to let CS grab the board because he cared about it more. He hunted rebounds like Westbrook and Harden hunt stats in the NBA. CS didn't play great defense while he was here. In part because we were very thin in the post and in part because he didn't want cheap fouls to take him out of the game and he is somewhat physically limited. Maybe we will be slightly thin at the 5 but what goes unsaid is the improvements on defense that I think we will see. At very worst our defensive ceiling improves dramatically compared to this years team. It may take 1/3rd or 1/2 the season for it to really click for the young guys but the potential is there.

10 or 11. Or even the entire team score in double digits. So 110 to 120 or even 130 pts. Very, very doubtful.

Wheeler and Haarms have not played a college game and you have them making outside shots. 3 pointers? And Taylor. He had not played in two yrs. Wheeler a 5?

V. Edwards a stretch 5?

Have not seen Ewing play but is labeled as a "junkyard dog". Whatever that means.

 

[BoilerStation]

10 or 11. Or even the entire team score in double digits. So 110 to 120 or even 130 pts. Very, very doubtful.

Wheeler and Haarms have not played a college game and you have them making outside shots. 3 pointers? And Taylor. He had not played in two yrs. Wheeler a 5?

V. Edwards a stretch 5?

Have not seen Ewing play but is labeled as a "junkyard dog". Whatever that means.

I meant on separate nights. My point is we have an entire team with double digit output potential. Wheeler and Haarms have shown on film the potential to make outside shots so yes I do have them being able to shoot at a moderate level from 3. Taylor has also shown range in his limited game time. I said 4 and 5 when talking about all of those players meaning they cover either if not both of the positions. We have gone small with Vince before at the 5 although I was referring to him being at the 4 once again and having 3 point range. As for junkyard dog I literally spelled out what I meant by it afterwards in him playing tough and being able to do the little things. Keep reaching bud.

 

[JohnnyDoeBoiler]

I think Eastern is more likely to play pg than CE at this point. Just because CE is shorter doesn't mean he is better suited to be a PG. Eastern is a solid ball handler who has very good court vision, size and strength and can finish in traffic with both hands. To me that screams pg and he may be matched up with the other teams SG on the defensive end while CE draws pg duties defensively.

I think CMP is wanting to go towards having two combo style guards on the floor who both have the capabilities to bring the ball up. Having both Carsen and Eastern on the floor at the same time should put a lot of pressure on an opposing team defensively.

 

[Boiler Wolf]

If Carsen and Nojel can become the starting back court by beginning of the Big Ten Tourney, then I think we will have had a very good year. Cline and especially PJ are steady, but have limited growth potential. CE and NE have much more upside, but can they show it in the ample minutes both should receive prior to BIG play? Will be interesting to watch.

 

[cprh9u]

I have watched Painter give other seniors the bench while starting freshmen or sophomores in their place. Edwards found a lot of playing time this past year. Raphael Davis became a team player his Senior year and saw the bench a lot more than the floor. Smotherman thought his experience and red shirting last season would lead to more playing time this year. Many thought Spike would contribute a more than he did. The list of names of Seniors losing their starting roles is long and goes back to my school days in 1974/75 when Parker and Sichting forced 3 year starting PG Bruce Parkinson to the bench. and Kyle Macy transferred rather than accepting a back seat.

Eastern is rated talent wise to be much better than C Edwards. Reviewing how much playing time painter gave V Edwards, C Edwards and Swanigan, I have to believe Eastern will be given a chance to show his ability . and if he succeeds and lives up to his hype, he will keep his starting roll. this will be especially true if he can play defense against perimeter shooters. PJ may have a tremendous Assist/TO ratio, and he made a couple of clutch shots, and a tremendous Purdue fan base, but his talent level is nowhere close to Eastern's.

So, do you go with? loyalty or talent?

Davis went from 31.3 mpg as a Junior to 29.7 as a senior. His last 5 games he saw 30, 24, 29, 34 and 41 minutes, so the idea that he saw a lot more bench than floor is just flat wrong. Smotherman was more into weed than basketball and Spike was a 5th year who virtually no one expected to contribute a lot. Painter will give Eastern a shot, and I expect him to play a fair amount. He won't just arbitrarily bench seniors in favor of freshman though.

 

[BoiledSteel]

I think CMP is wanting to go towards having two combo style guards on the floor who both have the capabilities to bring the ball up. Having both Carsen and Eastern on the floor at the same time should put a lot of pressure on an opposing team defensively.

Agree with this and it frankly has me pretty excited for the future as that is a type of basketball we haven't seen at Purdue in forever if at all. At least not to this degree potentially.

 

[Deathclutch]

I looked at their top 25 ratings. I can believe the guy is high on MSU and IU. they always receive a lot of preseason hype. Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see Michigan rated at all. I also cannot believe he included both Northwestern and Minnesota in his top 25. Northwestern's Pg is not that great, and min overachieved this year. I'm disappointed Purdue wasn't even included in the other 8 teams considered.

PG: Nate Mason- 15.2ppg & 5apg First Team All-Big Ten
SG: Dupree McBrayer- 11.1ppg
SF: Amir Coffey- 12.2ppg & 3.1apg All-Freshman Team
PF: Jordan Murphy- 11.3ppg & 8.8rpg Third Team All-Big Ten
C: Reggie Lynch- 8.4ppg, 6.1rpg & 3.5bpg Big Ten DPotY

Bench
PG: Isaiah Washington- Rated 64th in the 2017 Class
SG: Jamir Harris- One of the best shooters in the 2017 class
SF/PF: Davonte Fitzgerald- Texas A&M transfer
PF/C: Eric Curry- Averaged 5.5ppg and 5.2rpg as Freshman
C: Bakary Konate

We also have an open spot and I expect Pitino to get a grad transfer. Just don't see how you are surprised that Minnesota is ranked in these way-too-early polls, when we bring back a ton of talent.