Purdue is in a dogfight with several other teams atop the bracket.
It seems like there is a lot of competition this season for a No. 1 seed not just across the country, but within the Big Ten itself. There are currently four teams in the top 10 nationally from the Big Ten, and Illinois is just outside at No. 11. Whoever wins the league is almost certain to get a 1 seed, and the runner-up might have the strength to get one as well.
That’s why last night’s loss, while frustrating, is not horrible. Yes, Purdue let a game it should have closed out slip away, but it was still to a probable NCAA Tournament team on its home floor and they were desperate for a marquee win. UCLA, especially Donovan Dent, played hard and eeked out the win. It is virtually impossible to go undfeated in the Big Ten and there are probably at least three losses out there for everyone. I am much more concerned with Saturday’s home game against Illinois, as that is a must-win to really stay in the race.
Purdue is still in control, but its margin for error is a little more slim. Hold serve at home and win another 3-4 away from Mackey and we will be fine. The top 10 nationally are pretty closely bunched anyway right now, so there won’t be a huge difference between a 1 and a 2 seed. Purdue did pick up a pair of Tier 1 wins last week, so it is still fine overall.
Purdue Boilermakers Profile
Record: 17-2, 7-1 Big Ten
NET: 5 (up one from last week)
KenPom: 7 (Down 4 from last week
Bracket Matrix Consensus Seed: 2
Tier 1 Wins (KenPom) Home 1-30; Neutral 1-50; Away 1-75: 17 Alabama (Away), 19 Texas Tech (Neutral), 20 Iowa (Home), 30 Auburn (Neutral), 40 Wisconsin (Away), 46 USC (Away)
Tier 2 Wins (KenPom): Home 31-75 Neutral 51-100; Away 76-135: 51 Washington (Home), 58 Akron (Home), 92 Memphis (Neutral)
Tier 1 Wins (NET) Home 1-30; Neutral 1-50; Away 1-75: 17 Texas Tech (Neutral), 19 Alabama (Away), 20 Iowa (Home), 34 Auburn (Neutral), 39 Wisconsin (Away), 48 USC (Away)
Tier 2: Home 31-75 (NET) Neutral 51-100; Away 76-135: 55 Akron (Home), 60 Washington (Home)
Bad Losses (Sub-100 NET or KenPom): None
Evansville Purple Aces (5-15, 1-8 MVC) – NET 281, KenPom 286 – The Aces are mired at the bottom of the MVC at 1-8 following a 76-49 loss at Illinois-Chicago last night, so expect nothing from them.
Oakland Golden Grizzlies (11-9, 7-2 Horizon) – NET 110, KenPom 110 – The Golden Grizzlies are near the top of the Horizon League, just half a game behind Wright State. Unfortuantely, Wright State has handed them both league losses. They racked up wins at Milwaukee (73-60) and Green Bay (88-63) to stay on pace.
Alabama Crimson Tide (13-5, 3-2 SEC) – NET 19, KenPom 17 – Alabama recovered for an 83-81 win at Oklahoma on Saturday and they are now in the middle of a week off before hosting Tennessee.
Akron Zips (15-4, 6-1 MAC) – NET 55, KenPom 58 – Akron and Miami (OH) will battle for the MAC lead all season, and undefeated Miami already has a win over the Zips. After getting wins over Western Michigan (104-89) and Buffalo (82-63) they are a game and a half out of first place. Any scenario of a two-bid MAC involves both staying hot until the MAC title game.
Memphis Tigers (9-8, 4-1 American) – NET 108, KenPom 92 – After wins over Temple (55-53) and UTSA (95-69) Memphis is just a half game behind Florida Atlantic for the American lead. FAU has the head-to-head win over them on January 11.
Texas Tech Red Raiders (15-4, 5-1 Big 12) – NET 17, KenPom 19 – Texas Tech had a very good week with wins over Utah (88-74), BYU (84-71) and Baylor (92-73). They are a half game behind Houston and Arizona int he Big 12, who are both 5-0.
Eastern Illinois Panthers (8-11, 4-4 Ohio Valley) – NET 309, KenPom 314 – The Panthers lost at Purdue nemesis Little Rock 74-63 before getting a non-D1 win over Blackburn 105-59. There is not going to be much of anything from this win.
Iowa State Cyclones (17-2, 3-1 Big 12) – NET 6, KenPom 5 – Iowa State dropped a second straight game at Cincinnati (79-70), but bounced back to dominate Central Florida 87-57 last night.
Marquette Golden Eagles (7-13, 2-7 Big East) – NET 142, KenPom 123 – The Golden Eagles are now 0-11 against the top two NET tiers following an 80-75 loss at DePaul, but they got a 105-104 overtime win Monday night agaisnt Providence to break a three-game losing streak.
Auburn Tigers (12-7, 3-3 SEC) – NET 34, KenPom 30 – Auburn lost at Missouri 84-74, but grabbed a home winover South Carolina (71-67) and road win at Ole Miss (78-66) to bump their profile up. This is still a solid neutral court win.
Kent State Golden Flashes (14-5, 5-2 MAC) – NET 146, KenPom 148 – Kent State’s 87-84 win over Toledo was good Friday night, but they fell at home last night in overtime to undefeated Miami 107-101. That makes them a solid third in the MAC behind Akron and Miami.
Likely NCAA Teams: Alabama, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Auburn
Possible NCAA teams (Could win Autobids): Akron, Memphis, Kent State, Oakland
Could play to the Bubble: Akron
Category: General Sports
