Ranking Each of Purdue Basketball's 9 Remaining Games
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There is no such thing as an easy game in the Big Ten. Purdue has already learned that lesson this season, and life won't get any easier for the Boilermakers in the second half of the season. They'll finish out the year playing one of the most difficult schedules in the conference.
Purdue sits at 8-3 in the Big Ten, still with a chance to make a run for a Big Ten title. It's going to need some help along the way, but with nine games remaining, there's plenty of time to make a push.
Over the next month, the Boilermakers will play three ranked opponents and seven of their last nine opponents currently have a winning record in conference play. Purdue is going to have to play its best basketball to remain in the hunt.
Which matchups pose some serious problems for Purdue? A look at the Boilers' final nine opponents, ranked by difficulty.
9) vs. Oregon Ducks (Feb. 7)
Injuries have derailed Oregon's season. Star guard Jackson Shelstad suffered a hand injury after 12 games and Nate Bittle has been sidelined since Jan. 13 because of a lower-body issue. Combined, those two players were averaging more than 30 points per game for the Ducks this season.
Oregon is just 1-10 in Big Ten play and 8-14 overall. Heading into the Feb. 7 matchup against Purdue, they'll carry an eight-game losing streak into Mackey Arena.
There really isn't a matchup in this game that favors Oregon. With Purdue getting a week to prepare for the Ducks, this is the easiest game remaining on the schedule.
8) at Northwestern Wildcats (March 4)
Northwestern does have the nation's leading scorer in Nick Martinelli, who is averaging 23.7 points per game. His combination of skill and size can pose some problems for Purdue's defense, especially with his ability to stretch the floor. The problem? Martinelli isn't getting much help from anyone else.
A trip to Evanston is rarely easy, as Purdue has learned well over the last few years. The Boilermakers have lost their last two games in Welsh-Ryan Arena, although those were much more skilled Northwestern teams.
Can Martinelli and the Wildcats pose some threats to Purdue? Yes. But this isn't the same team that was anchored by Boo Buie. This Northwestern squad has a lot of gaps on the roster.
7) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (March 7)
This is going to be a tricky way to end the season for Purdue. Wisconsin is playing much better than it was when the Boilermakers made the trip to Madison in early January to reboot Big Ten play. Purdue won that game 89-73, never facing much pressure. The Badgers are 7-1 since that loss, posting impressive wins over UCLA, No. 2 Michigan and Ohio State in that stretch.
Wisconsin's trio of Nick Boyd, John Blackwell and Nolan Winter is averaging more than 52 points per game for the Badgers. This team loves to shoot the three-point shot and is hitting at a respectable 34.6% clip.
But the Badgers come to West Lafayette on Senior Day, when Purdue will be saying goodbye to Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, Trey Kuafman-Renn, Oscar Cluff and Liam Murphy. The Boilers will have a rowdy home-court advantage on a senior class wanting to leave Mackey Arena on a high note.
6) vs. Indiana Hoosiers (Feb. 20)
It was tempting to put this game a little bit higher on the list because of how the first meeting went in Bloomington. The Hoosiers defeated the Boilers 72-67 at Assembly Hall, as their defense and timely three-point shooting helped pull off the upset.
Purdue had a bad afternoon on the glass and didn't come out with the fire necessary to win a road game. It's hard to believe that will happen again, as this senior class plays Indiana for the final time in front of its home crowd. The Boilermakers have the skill to make this a lopsided game.
Lamar Wilkerson's ability to light it up is a concern, though. If he gets into a rhythm, there's a chance that Indiana escapes West Lafayette with a win. This isn't an easy matchup by any stretch, but it speaks to the difficulty of Purdue's remaining schedule.
5) at Ohio State Buckeyes (March 1)
Ohio State gets the bump over Indiana simply because the game is played in Columbus. Plus, Jake Diebler owns a 2-0 record over Purdue, an impressive feat for a coach in his second full season at the helm.
To this point in the season, Ohio State has played well and owns a 6-5 record in league play. The Buckeyes do lack a marquee win, though. Will they pick one up before Purdue comes to town? Or will this team's tournament hopes depend on an upset?
Bruce Thornton is going to pose some problems because of his ability to score and defend at a high level. Plus, the Buckeyes are a solid rebounding team. Over the last two years, Diebler has had the formula for making Purdue uncomfortable. That's what makes this game so interesting.
4) at Iowa Hawkeyes (Feb. 14)
Act I between Purdue and Iowa was a doozy. Both Smith and Bennett Stirtz put on a show, but the Boilermakers left Keady Court with a 79-72 victory. The Hawkeyes get the advantage of home court on Valentine's Day. How much of a difference will that make?
Iowa's slow tempo and efficiency gave Purdue some problems in the first meeting. It also helped that Tavion Banks and Kael Combs went 7-of-8 from behind the three-point line.
Low-possession games forces Purdue's offense to be even more efficient. That hasn't been a problem for the Boilermakers much this season, but it can be an issue against a defense as stingy as Iowa's.
3) vs. #10 Michigan State Spartans (Feb. 26)
Purdue is going to have its hands full with Michigan State to close out February. The Spartans have a lot of athleticism, which can cause problems for the Boilermakers on the defensive end. Tom Izzo also has a team that averages 41.2 rebounds per game. This is a game where Cluff, Kaumfan-Renn and the supporting cast will have to crash the glass at a high rate.
Jaxon Kohler's ability to shoot the three-pointer and rebound at 6-foot-9 is going to be a matchup problem for Purdue, as is Coen Carr's ability to run the floor and throw down lobs with relative ease. Plus, Jeremy Fears Jr. is one of the top point guards in the Big Ten, averaging 14.9 points and 8.8 assists per game.
If Purdue's defense is stuck in rotations and playing in help all day, it's going to be a long afternoon in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers can score on the Spartans, but the defense has to be locked in from start to finish.
2) at #9 Nebraska Cornhuskers (Feb. 10)
The story of Nebraska's success, at least statistically, has been surrounding the three-point line. The Huskers shoot the second-most threes of any team in the Big Ten (30.9 per game) and are hitting just under 36% for the season. Defensively, Nebraska's opponents are hitting from the perimeter at a 30.2% clip, one of the best marks in the conference.
Fred Hoiberg's team doesn't overwhelm you with athleticism, but this is a team full of players who constantly make the right play. Sam Hoiberg is one of the most underrated defenders in the Big Ten, and the Huskers have several knockdown shooters, highlighted by Braden Frager, Jamarques Lawrence and Pryce Sandfort.
Purdue's real problem, though, is going to be Rienk Mast's ability to stretch the floor. The Boilers have struggled with pick-and-pop bigs this year, and Mast is as good in that role as any player in the conference. The Boilermakers should have an advantage on the glass, though, so it will need to end Nebraska's possessions early and clean up the offensive boards.
1) vs. #2 Michigan Wolverines (Feb. 17)
Home or away, this is the toughest remaining opponent on Purdue's schedule. Michigan has tremendous length, rebounds at a high level, has five double-digit scorers and has the ninth-fastest adjusted tempo rate in college basketball. Plus, Dusty May's squad is comfortable going nine deep every night.
Yaxel Lendeborg, at 6-foot-9, probably causes some of the biggest issues for Purdue. He's a 50% shooter averaging 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest. Finding someone who can stay in front of him is going to be a challenge. Meechie Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara have also been efficient this year, both shooting above 65% from the floor.
Purdue hasn't seen an offense that plays with the same tempo as Michigan, making this an even greater challenge. The Boilermakers must hold their own on the glass and need to hit shots from the perimeter in order to take down one of the top teams in the country.
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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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