Power Rankings: Purdue’s a Big Ten (and national) contender again
Carsen Edwards blocks Michigan State’s shot and Aaron Wheeler finishes a putback dunk at the other end for Purdue. (0:30)
The Big Ten has been an absolute gauntlet so far this season, with upward of 10 teams being able to call themselves realistic contenders for an NCAA tournament berth at various times in the past couple of months. Eight teams are ranked among the top 31 in ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, with 10 in the top 50. It’s the same at KenPom.
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Duke freshman guard Tre Jones, who missed two games after suffering an AC joint separation in his right shoulder, started Saturday’s win against Georgia Tech.
As a result, it’s hard to figure out which team is real and which isn’t — and it has led to a “flavor of the week” feel outside of Michigan and Michigan State. One team, despite its ups and downs, that the metrics have maintained an affinity for is Purdue. The Boilermakers started the season just 6-5, but never dipped outside the top 20 at KenPom. Heading into Sunday’s 10-point win over Michigan State, they were No. 8 at KenPom and No. 10 in the BPI.
It turns out the metrics were right. Purdue has now won five in a row and eight of its past nine, moving to 7-2 in the Big Ten. Carsen Edwards is an All-American in the backcourt, but the Boilermakers proved they can win without a a huge game from him against the Spartans. They’re an elite offensive unit, with several shooters surrounding Edwards, and emerging big men in Trevion Williams and Matt Haarms.
The skeptic will say that we went through this with Wisconsin and Ohio State and Nebraska and Maryland at different points so far this season — all have had a claim as the Big Ten’s third-best team. But Purdue feels different, and its schedule could also help immensely moving forward. The Boilermakers don’t play Michigan, Michigan State or Wisconsin again this season. In fact, their toughest remaining games in the regular season are on the road vs. a Maryland team that just lost by double-digits to Illinois and at Nebraska, a team that just lost Isaac Copeland for the season.
Will there be slip-ups along the way? Of course — the Big Ten has been entirely unpredictable this season. But Matt Painter has this team getting better as the season progresses, and the schedule is opening up for that run to continue moving forward.
1. Tennessee Volunteers (18-1)
Previous ranking: 1
This week: at South Carolina (Tuesday), at Texas A&M (Saturday)
When Lamonte Turner is a factor on the offensive end, Tennessee’s offense becomes that much more difficult to guard. In his past five games, he has hit the double-figure mark three times (including two games with 20-plus points). In those two single-digit games, Tennessee made a combined eight 3-pointers and won by a combined eight points. Turner adds a different dimension.
2. Duke Blue Devils (17-2)
Previous ranking: 2
This week: at Notre Dame (Monday), vs. St. John’s (Saturday)
With Tre Jones back, Duke has three games to work out some of its kinks before Round 2 of Duke/Virginia. One thing the Blue Devils will hope to figure out is their 3-point shooting; in the past four games, they are 20-for-101 from behind the arc. That was skewed by a 9-for-43 performance against Syracuse, but they might not be able to win in Charlottesville going 2-for-14 again.
3. Virginia Cavaliers (18-1)
Previous ranking: 3
This week: at NC State (Tuesday), vs. Miami (Saturday)
After allowing more than one point per possession in back-to-back games two weeks ago, Virginia’s opponents put up 100 points on 123 possessions in two games last week. The Cavaliers have now held opponents below 0.90 points per possession in all but four games this season, after allowing opponents to hit that mark 16 times last season.
4. Michigan Wolverines (19-1)
Previous ranking: 4
This week: vs. Ohio State (Tuesday), at Iowa (Friday)
While Zavier Simpson gets most of the defensive credit, Charles Matthews has proved himself as one of the elite defenders in the country, holding Romeo Langford to 3-for-12 shooting on Friday — one game after limiting Amir Coffey to 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting. Matthews is versatile, he’s got a very good frame and he’s athletic. With Simpson at the point, Matthews on the wing and Jon Teske down low, those are three elite individual defenders.
5. Gonzaga Bulldogs (19-2)
Previous ranking: 5
This week: at BYU (Thursday), vs. San Diego (Saturday)
Gonzaga is set to begin arguably its most difficult remaining stretch of the season — even though three of its next four games are at home. It starts with a road trip to BYU on Thursday, followed by home tilts against San Diego, San Francisco and Saint Mary’s. The Bulldogs will be favored in each game by double figures, but we take the potential drama where we can get it in the WCC.
6. Michigan State Spartans (18-3)
Previous ranking: 6
This week: vs. Indiana (Saturday)
After looking like a 1-seed and arguably the hottest team in college basketball, Michigan State’s 13-game winning streak came to an abrupt halt on Sunday at Purdue. The Spartans were held below one point per possession for the first time all season, and also had their worst defensive performance of the campaign. It could have been the fact that it was their third game of the week, but still, a surprising effort.
7. Kentucky Wildcats (16-3)
Previous ranking: 7
This week: at Vanderbilt (Tuesday), at Florida (Saturday)
With Michigan State losing, does Kentucky take the new mantle as hottest team in the country? The Wildcats are really starting to figure it out, and John Calipari has clearly settled on his go-to lineup. In fact, Kentucky didn’t get a single bench point against Kansas on Saturday. Nick Richards did block five shots in nine minutes, but the Wildcats have clearly defined roles at this point.
8. Kansas Jayhawks (16-4)
Previous ranking: 8
This week: at Texas (Tuesday), vs. Texas Tech (Saturday)
Lagerald Vick‘s splits have been fairly indicative of Kansas’ success. In wins, Vick shoots 50.5 percent from the field and 49 percent from 3 and averages 15.8 points. In the Jayhawks’ four losses, he shoots 35.6 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from 3 and averages 10.8 points. He failed to get open shots against Kentucky, but also needed to do a better job of making himself available.
9. North Carolina Tar Heels (15-4)
Previous ranking: 9
This week: at Georgia Tech (Tuesday), at Louisville (Saturday)
Two road games await the Tar Heels this week, and they’ll be looking for revenge against Louisville on Saturday after the Cardinals blasted them by 21 points in Chapel Hill on Jan. 12. The biggest key in that one for Carolina will be making perimeter shots. The Tar Heels have made at least 40 percent of their attempts in five of their past six games. Against Louisville, they went 3-for-22.
10. Nevada Wolf Pack (19-1)
Previous ranking: 10
This week: at UNLV (Tuesday), vs. Boise State (Saturday)
Nevada will look to continue its high-level performance from last week’s Colorado State win. The Wolf Pack’s in-state rivalry game takes place on Tuesday, as they travel to Las Vegas to play the Runnin’ Rebels. UNLV beat them once last season, although that took place in Reno. Nevada won the game in Vegas by 26 points. Corey Henson should be back for the Wolf Pack.
11. Houston Cougars (20-1)
Previous ranking: 11
This week: vs. Temple (Thursday)
Houston became the first Division-I team to hit the 20-win mark on Sunday, beating Tulsa on the road. The Cougars now have a fairly tough four-game stretch: vs. Temple, at UCF, vs. Cincinnati and at UConn. Temple blew a lead at home to Cincinnati on Sunday, and looked like a tougher out earlier in the month. But Houston could cruise for a while with one loss if it gets out of this stretch.
12. Virginia Tech Hokies (16-3)
Previous ranking: 12
This week: at Miami (Wednesday), at NC State (Saturday)
All three of Virginia Tech’s losses this season have taken place on the road: at Penn State, at Virginia and at North Carolina. The Hokies have won only one true road game, and that was at Georgia Tech by three points in a dreadful 52-49 affair. The significance of that is Buzz Williams’ team now heads to the road to face Miami and NC State. Both teams have struggled lately, so the Hokies will hope to pick up some road wins.
13. Marquette Golden Eagles (18-3)
Previous ranking: 13
This week: at Butler (Wednesday)
A key three-game stretch awaits Marquette: at Butler, vs. St. John’s, vs. Villanova. The Golden Eagles are still behind Villanova in the standings, but they can stay on their heels — and eventually pass them — with a 3-0 run. If Steve Wojciechowski can get Marquette back to playing defense like it was prior to Saturday’s win, while shooting like it did on Saturday, Marquette could be Big East title favorite.
14. Louisville Cardinals (15-5)
Previous ranking: 14
This week: at Wake Forest (Wednesday), vs. North Carolina (Saturday)
After playing just 13 minutes and scoring six points in the ACC opener against Miami, Steven Enoch has become a major factor for Chris Mack and the Cardinals. He has scored double-figures in five of his past six games, including 12 points and 11 rebounds against Pittsburgh on Saturday. Enoch dominated at times in the preseason, and would add a different dimension for Louisville if he continues to produce.
15. Purdue Boilermakers (14-6)
Previous ranking: Unranked
This week: at Penn State (Thursday), vs. Minnesota (Sunday)
Had you said that Purdue would beat Michigan State by double-digits despite Carsen Edwards shooting 4-for-19 from the field, most people would have thought you were crazy. But that’s what Matt Painter’s team did on Sunday. Five players scored in double-figures, including 7-foot-3 Matt Haarms, who is now averaging 10.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in his past three games.
16. Iowa State Cyclones (15-5)
Previous ranking: No. 16
This week: vs. West Virginia (Wednesday), vs. Texas (Saturday)
Iowa State has been difficult to predict since the start of Big 12 play. The Cyclones beat Kansas by 17, won at Texas Tech, dominated Ole Miss on the road — while also losing to Baylor and at home to Kansas State. But if the Cyclones can gain some consistency, they can start to get some momentum in Big 12 play. They’re home for three of their next four games.
Dropped out: Buffalo (No. 15)