Multiple College Basketball Analysts Like Purdue's Final Four Chances
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Purdue's run through the Big Ten Tournament last week in Chicago has some analysts re-evaluating the damage the team can do this month. At least two analysts believe the Boilermakers have an opportunity to make the Final Four and even win a national championship.
During Sunday's Selection Show on CBS, college basketball analyst Clark Kellogg was quick to anoint the Boilermakers as the national champions, believing Purdue will defeat Florida in the title game in April.
His pick came about an hour after Purdue defeated Michigan 80-72 in the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game.
"[Purdue is] finding its rhythm and mojo. They look like a team that could very well have a storybook ending by getting to Indianapolis," Kellogg said. "It's just about 60 miles from campus in Indianapolis; they get it done."
Purdue received a No. 2 seed in the West Region. It will open the NCAA Tournament on Friday evening, playing No. 15 seed Queens at 7:35 p.m. ET at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
The Boilermakers had to win four games in four days to win the Big Ten Tournament championship, which included victories over the top two seeds in the event: No. 2 Nebraska (quarterfinals) and No. 1 Michigan (championship). It was quite the run for the team, which had lost four of its last six regular-season games.
Kellogg was the first college basketball analyst to express his belief in Purdue, but he's not alone. Former Indiana coach and current ESPN analyst Tom Crean also believes Matt Painter's team can make a run this postseason.
Crean likes Purdue's NCAA Tournament matchups
There is no such thing as an "easy" path to the Final Four. Purdue has learned that lesson the hard way a few times throughout its history. But Crean really likes the Boilermakers' path to the Sweet 16 and a potential opportunity to make a run to the Final Four.
Crean thinks Purdue will glide into the second round, where it will face either No. 7 Miami (Florida) or No. 10 Missouri. The former IU coach explained why he likes that matchup for the Boilermakers.
"I love their matchups. I love their matchups, because Missouri and Miami are two different teams, and they're going to try to overpower you with drives," Crean said on Query & Company on 107.5 The Fan. "Missouri really wants to go at you; they want to bring their bigs. But those teams will have a hard time dealing with Matt's ball-screen schemes. Michigan has had a hard time with it."
If Purdue does advance to the Sweet 16, it will head to San Jose, Calif., for the regional round of March Madness. The Boilermakers would likely play either No. 3 Gonzaga or No. 6 seed BYU, followed by a potential matchup with No. 1 Arizona for a trip to the Final Four.
Neither of those games would be easy, but Crean likes what Purdue can do offensively and give other opponents trouble on the defensive end.
"There are so many styles that Purdue can play because of what Trey Kaufman-Renn can do," Crean said. "And everybody says, 'Fletcher Loyer has to do this, he has to do that.' Yeah, he's gotta be good, he doesn't have to be great. Braden Smith has to continue to attack, play out of the pick-and-roll and make the decisions he makes, and operate ... I think Purdue could really get hot here."
Kellogg and Crean have a lot of confidence in the Boilers heading into the NCAA Tournament, but Purdue is only focused on one thing right now: beating Queens in its first game on Friday.
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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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