March Madness: Purdue, Illinois Labeled 'Biggest Unknowns' by College Hoops Analyst

College basketball analyst Andy Katz has some concerns about both Purdue and Illinois entering the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament this week. He labeled the two teams as the "biggest unknowns" from the Big Ten as March Madness approaches.

This week, Katz provided a breakdown of the Big Ten teams most likely to make a run to the Final Four for Big Ten Network. When he came across Purdue and Illinois, the longtime hoops analyst said both teams are capable of making strong pushes, but they're also susceptible to first-round defeats.

"The two biggest unknowns are Purdue and Illinois," Katz said. "Both could be on upset alert early. If they revert back to the best the way they played, then yeah, they could definitely advance in this bracket. But if they play the way they played in (the Big Ten Tournament), they could be out in either rounds one or two and not get to the Sweet 16. That's my main concern for two traditional powers."

How does @TheAndyKatz like the draw for the 8️⃣ #B1GMBBall teams in the @MarchMadnessMBB field? 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/ZGJlNbUCCQ
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 17, 2025

The Boilermakers earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament after posting a 22-11 record and a 13-7 mark in Big Ten play. However, Matt Painter's team has struggled as of late, dropping six of their last nine games of the season.

At one point, though, Purdue was a team nobody wanted to mess with, especially in January. The Boilers won 11-of-12 games and were atop the conference standings in early February.

Illinois has had flashes of greatness this season, posting wins over Purdue, Michigan, UCLA and Wisconsin during the regular season. But the Fighting Illini have also been inconsistent throughout the year, finishing with a 21-12 record and receiving a No. 6 seed for March Madness.

Both programs had strong runs in the NCAA Tournament a year ago. Purdue reached the National Championship Game for the first time since 1969. Illinois made it to the Elite Eight game for the first time under coach Brad Underwood.

UConn defeated both teams in the NCAA Tournament on its way to a second straight national championship.

So, can the Boilermakers and Fighting Illini make another deep run in March Madness again in 2025? Or will inconsistent play creep up and end Purdue and Illinois' seasons early?

Purdue will play High Point on Thursday and Illinois will play the winner of Xavier/Texas on Friday.

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