5 Reasons Purdue Basketball Should be Ranked in Everyone's Way-Too-Early Top 25
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There's a good chance some folks out there will forget about Purdue. With the 2025-26 college basketball season now over, several outlets will start producing "way-too-early" top 25 rankings for next year. How many will have the Boilermakers listed in their polls?
All of them should.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleSome may be tempted to leave Purdue off their list because of what is leaving West Lafayette. The Boilermakers are losing Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer and Oscar Cluff from the starting lineup. All of those players leave big shoes to fill.
But don't count Matt Painter's team out of becoming one of the top-25 squads in the country next season. There are multiple reasons to be optimistic about what next year looks like for Purdue, and while it should be ranked in everyone's "way-too-early" rankings.
The depth at the guard positions
Purdue has a lot of experience and plenty of options at positions one through three on the floor. Omer Mayer and Luke Ertel will be the primary point guards next season, with C.J. Cox, Gicarri Harris and Antione West Jr. all providing depth at the two spot.
Jack Benter will likely move down to the three spot, a more natural position for the 6-foot-6 guard. That's also a position that Harris, West and incoming freshman Jacob Webber could potentially fill.
Cox has provided Purdue with a spark at times throughout his first two seasons as the team's fifth scoring option. What's he capable of doing when he becomes one of the primary options in the offense? Can Harris take a big leap as a junior? How much better will Mayer perform now that he'll be back in his primary position at the point guard?
Yes, there are still several questions about Purdue's lineup, especially at the guard spots. With so much depth, though, the Boilermakers are in a really good position heading into the 2026-27 season.
Purdue's ability to develop big men
This is the worst-kept secret in college basketball. Over the last decade-plus, assistant coach Brandon Brantley has done an excellent job developing Purdue's bigs into All-Big Ten and All-American-caliber players. He's coached some of the greats, including AJ Hammons, Caleb Swanigan, Isaac Haas, Trevion Williams, Zach Edey and Trey Kaufman-Renn, to name a few.
Purdue currently has three bigs on the roster with Daniel Jacobsen and Raleigh Burgess back, and four-star center Sinan Huan joining as a member of the 2026 recruiting class. That's a good group to develop.
Jacobsen struggled in what was essentially his freshman year, averaging 5.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. He has the potential to make a big jump with a full season and another summer under his belt before the 2026-27 season.
Burgess and Huan may take a little more work to get up to speed, but having three big guys battling in will only serve as a benefit to each individual.
Adding Caden Pierce through the transfer portal
He might be slightly undersized for the four spot at 6-foot-7, but Pierce will give Purdue some much-needed athleticism and rebounding at the four spot. He's a player who likes to get into the paint, but can also step out from behind the three-point line and knock down threes, too.
Pierce was the 2024 Ivy League Player of the Year as a sophomore, averaging 16.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game at Princeton. He's a high-IQ basketball player and can do everything on the floor.
One question regarding Pierce will be his ability to get to the rim at the high-major level. Will he be as effective with his drive against better athletes in the Big Ten? The other concern is his health, coming off an injury and sitting out the entire 2025-26 season. How long will it take him to get conditioned for a full college basketball game?
Pierce provides Purdue versatility at the four position, and he's also a great rebounder for his size. Having him in the mix is a major asset for the Boilermakers.
The incoming recruiting class
Most of the newcomers have already been mentioned, but it's worth bringing up again. The Boilermakers are bringing in the seventh-ranked recruiting class (247Sports), complete with three four-star prospects and a three-star forward.
Ertel is the headliner of the class, a true point guard who averaged more than 24 points per game in his senior season at Mt. Vernon (Ind.) In addition to getting his own shot, he's an excellent passer and a solid rebounder for his size.
Webber is a 6-foot-6 sharpshooter, a player who could step in and fill the void left by Loyer. He has a quick trigger and has a tremendous ability to knock down shots when coming off screens.
Huan is the 7-footer of the class, and his best attribute is on the defensive end, at least coming to West Lafayette. In the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup, he averaged 5.0 blocks per game. He struggles on the glass for his size, an area where he'll need to improve.
Finally, Rivers Knight is a 6-foot-9 forward who has a strong post game. He may be the most likely to redshirt his freshman year, but he provides the Boilers with more size in the frontcourt.
Multiple members of Purdue's 2026 recruiting class have an opportunity to come in and contribute in meaningful ways immediately.
Matt Painter has earned the benefit of the doubt
Over the past decade, Purdue has had one of the best programs in college basketball. The Boilermakers have won four Big Ten regular-season titles, two Big Ten Tournament championships, and have earned a top-four seed in each of their last nine NCAA Tournament appearances.
Hasn't Painter earned the benefit of the doubt as a college basketball coach? The correct answer, of course, is "yes."
People have doubted Purdue when its star players have moved on. The "what will happen to the Boilermakers now?" question has been asked after departures from Caleb Swanigan, Carsen Edwards, Jaden Ivey, and Zach Edey. Yet, each time, Painter's teams have reloaded.
Will Purdue be as talented as it was during the 2025-26 season? We won't know until next year tips off. But why would you ever doubt Painter's ability to put a top-25 product on the court?
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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