Purdue is back on top, but the challenge remains
Photo by: Steven Erler-USA TODAY Sports
By ZACH VOGT (@ZachVogt30)
ISL Contributor
The 2023-24 rendition of Purdue Men’s Basketball is off to a blistering hot start. A start that is eerily similar to that of the 2021-22 team, which was led by the eventual 5th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Jaden Ivey. A start that was then reciprocated by the 2022-23 team, led by Wooden Award winner Zach Edey. Now here we are again, six games into the new campaign, and at this point it is safe to say – Purdue has built a reputation.
It’s a reputation that has fans excited, yet skeptical. Over the last few years, Purdue has solidified itself as arguably the best team in the country in the months of November and December; a title that has been backed by achieving the #1 ranking in the AP Poll for the third consecutive season. In 2021, Purdue defeated #18 North Carolina, and #5 Villanova on their way to that #1 ranking. Last year, they started the season un-ranked and proceeded to steamroll their way through Marquette, West Virginia, #6 Gonzaga and #8 Duke on their way to another #1 ranking. Over the last week, Purdue has accomplished arguably their most impressive week in program history. They went out to Hawaii and defeated #11 Gonzaga, #7 Tennessee and #4 Marquette to secure the Maui Invitational Championship in the most loaded MTE field that college basketball has ever seen.
Purdue had three consecutive performances worthy of winning a National Championship, but here is the catch: National Championships aren’t won in November.
As of November 27, Purdue is now the #1 team in the country. Purdue fans have seen this movie before though-twice actually. The first time was on March 25, 2022, when their world came crashing down in the Sweet 16 vs. St. Peters. The second time was on March 17, 2023, as it came crashing down even harder when the Boilermakers became the 2nd ever #1 seed to lose to a 16 seed.
Again, Purdue Men’s Basketball has built a reputation: November National Champions who crash and burn come March.
Matt Painter has built a reputation. He is one of the best coaches in the country during the regular season, whose stubborn style always seems to fizzle out in March.
Following the Maui Invitational championship game, sophomore guard Braden Smith acknowledged the issue at hand, and knows there are bigger things ahead:
“It’s just a tournament,” Smith said. “We won it, we’re happy we won it. But we still got an end goal that we’re trying to achieve and we’re looking forward to that.”
Braden Smith wasn’t talking about a Big Ten regular season championship. He wasn’t talking about a Big Ten tournament championship. He wasn’t even talking about a Final Four.
This Purdue team is trying to add a chapter to the book of all-time turnarounds, a book currently written by the 2019 Virginia Cavaliers, because just like them, the end goal was created by learning a lesson the hard way:
National championships aren’t won in November.
