Also, what seed do you think we ultimately end up with?
Based on ranking, we are in the 6 seed range. We have 1 very good home win vs. Wisky who is currently in the 3 seed range and should move to a 2 if they win the B1G. We have a solid neutral win vs. ND, although it is looking less impressive as they've lost 4 of their last 5. We have a few bad but not terrible losses with Iowa and Nebraska.
All things considered, I would say we are squarely on that 6 line today. We still have opportunity to improve or get worse with projected NCAA or borderline NCAA teams like MD, NW, IU (twice), MSU and Michigan coming up. Ceiling could still be in that 3 range if we go on a terrific run, or could be in the 10 range if things fall apart. I'm going to stick with my pre-season projection of 12-6 in league play for the 3rd straight year, losing a few tough games at NW, MD and a surprise somewhere else (we SHOULD beat a depleted IU team even in Gloomington).
I say we end up about where we are today, a 6 seed when all is said and done. Just curious where others see us now and where they see us finishing.
Personally, I am fine with a 6 seed at this point, as I would just as well assume avoid a 1 as long as possible, which of course assumes that Purdue actually wins a game in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2012 (well, for that to be relevant, it would actually have to win 2, a challenge for sure it would seem).
Purdue very easily could have been ranked in the top 10 at this point with a 2-seed in sight...but it has played itself down to where it is at, and it is likely that it will remain in that range...I could see them moving into the 4 range if they somehow put things together and had a huge run the rest of the way, but based on how things have played out thus far, hard to see that happening...and I really don't know that it makes a tremendous difference anyway...as I had said, best to be away from a 1 seed as long as possible provided it even became an issue.
Given the three losses already, 12-6 seems pretty realistic. And despite IU being "depleted", I still don't see how Purdue goes down there and comes out with a win...IU is a horrible matchup for Purdue personnel-wise anyway, and Purdue simply has not had a lot of historical success there (not that anyone else has for that matter)...even depleted, they have talent and still have depth (something that Purdue unfortunately does not). That said, MSU was seemingly a difficult matchup from a personnel standpoint, and Purdue managed to win there...and MSU is a lot like IU in that there is a lot of talent on hand, but the results have been subpar for sure. (On an unrelated matter...I was just talking yesterday about what the injuries to Blackmon and Anunoby, along with the struggles of Bryant, mean in terms of next year for IU...as I would guess that it means that all are more likely to return than not...and if that happens, they stand to be really good, but, it also presents a scholarship crunch issue I believe again for them as well.)
Purdue has basically traded good wins and bad losses for the first month of conference play...and in that the bad losses have all pretty much happened in the same fashion, it is hard to see that changing, as it is almost as much mental as it is physical at this point. They are going to be hard pressed to win on the road just about anywhere, and they have shown that...not that they are not capable of doing so, but, they have not been very successful thus far...and I just think they are going to have a really difficult time at IU and NW in particular, but they lost in AA a year ago to UM (who just showed last week against IU what they are capable of at home), they ALWAYS struggle in Happy Valley, and who knows which team will show up in College Park on Saturday (and if they win at home tomorrow night, odds are if true to form, then it won't be the same team on Saturday than the one tomorrow night). It is crazy to me that a case could be made that Purdue could (if not should) win just about every game left on the schedule, but, outside of Rutgers (and even they are improved and have played some solid games thus far), there is not a game left that I would say that I feel like Purdue is certainly going to win.
The inconsistency makes things interesting (and equally frustrating) at least I guess.
