Preseason Bracketology — Purdue's Projected Seed, Path to Final Four
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Entering the 2025-26 college basketball season, there is plenty of talk that Purdue will be ranked the No. 1 team in the country and will earn the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. ESPN's Joe Lunardi is not one of those individuals, though.
In his preseason Bracketology released recently, Lunardi has Purdue listed as the fourth No. 1 seed in March Madness this year. With that prediction, he believes the Boilermakers will have to go through the West Regional, played in San Jose, Calif., to reach the Final Four in Indianapolis.
Lunardi has projected Houston to be the top overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. He then has Florida as the second No. 1 seed and Duke penciled in as the third No. 1 seed.
Based on his projection, Purdue would play its first- and second-round games in St. Louis, a short four-hour drive from West Lafayette. The Boilermakers would then fly out to San Jose for their Sweet 16 and Elite Eight matchups, before returning to Indianapolis for the Final Four.
What is Purdue's path as top overall seed?
There is a reason many believe Purdue could be the best team in college basketball this year. The Boilermakers return Big Ten Player of the Year Braden Smith, All-American Trey Kaufman-Renn, and All-Big Ten honorable mention Fletcher Loyer.
That's a really solid trio.
Plus, the Boilers added double-double machine Oscar Cluff from the transfer portal, and get 7-foot-4 center Daniel Jacobsen back from injury. Purdue also returns CJ Cox and Gicarri Harris from last year's squad, and brought in four-star guard Omer Mayer and three-star talent Antione West Jr.
With that talent, there's a lot of belief Purdue can secure the top overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. And it would provide the Boilermakers with a geographical advantage if they were able to lock up that spot.
If Purdue earned the No. 1 seed for March Madness, it would play its first- and second-round games in St. Louis. It would then play its Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in Chicago. The Final Four is in Indianapolis, a short drive from West Lafayette.
The Boilermakers wouldn't have to travel further and 260 miles away from Mackey Arena in its quest for a national title. So, yes, there's plenty of incentive to get that top seed.
Locations for 2026 NCAA Tournament
First Four
- March 17-18 — Dayton, Ohio
First and second rounds
- March 19 & 21 — Buffalo, N.Y.
- March 19 & 21 — Greenville, S.C.
- March 19 & 21 — Oklahoma City, OK
- March 19 & 21 — Portland, OR
- March 20 & 22 — Tampa, FL
- March 20 & 22 — Philadelphia, PA
- March 20 & 22 — San Diego, CA
- March 20 & 22 — St. Louis, MO
Regional rounds
- March 26 & 28 — Houston, TX (South)
- March 26 & 28 — San Jose, CA (West)
- March 27 & 29 — Chicago, IL (Midwest)
- March 27 & 29 — Washington, D.C. (Eas)
Final Four
- April 4 & 6 — Indianapolis, IN
Related stories on Purdue basketball
CLUFF'S ACCLIMATION TO PURDUE: The transition into a new program isn't always easy. What has the acclimation process been like for new Purdue center Oscar Cluff since his arrival? CLICK HERE
BOILERS GET LOUD OVATION AT FOOTBALL GAME: Members of Purdue's basketball team made an appearance at Ross-Ade Stadium on Saturday, drawing a large ovation from the Boilermaker crowd.. CLICK HERE
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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