The Big Ten schedule was released in September and we’ve all had time to look at it so I wanted to ask the staff what they thought the end result would be for Purdue. More precisely I wanted to know how many wins they all think Purdue will have.
Ledman:
First it’s worth noting that the Big Ten moved to 20 games starting with the 2019 season. In that time the best record ever is 17-3 which Purdue did in 2024 and Michigan State achieved just last season. The last time a conference team didn’t lose a single conference game? 1976 when IU did it. That was actually the second season in a row they did it as they didn’t lose a conference game in 1975 either. Insane.
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I get all that out of the way just to note that going 20-0 in conference has never been done and won’t be done this season. There are too many good teams in the conference. Michigan is going to be great, Illinois will challenge for the top, UCLA is expected to be near the top, and even though he’s getting up there and is cantankerous I’d be a fool to count out Michigan State and Tom Izzo.
Going to Rutgers has been a thorn in Purdue’s side for a number of years. To start Big Ten play on the road at Rutgers will be tough. Purdue will head out west to face USC and UCLA in mid-January which will be a tough trip just travel wise, but this is a Purdue team who has traveled west on a number of occasions so I think they should handle that just fine. Here’s where I get optimistic though, Purdue has a good draw with their home slate. Hear me out. Illinois at home only, Oregon at home only, Michigan at home only, Michigan State at home only. That’s four teams that could and should contend for the conference crow. Purdue plays each of them only once and only at home. I’ve seen a lot of complaining about the toughness of the schedule, and it is tough, but this is Big Ten basketball, what did you expect?
I expect Purdue to win the conference and my guess is for Purdue to finish 17-3 and tie the best record in a 20 game Big Ten season.
Travis:
I want to get cocky and say 20-0, but that would be absurd. As good as Purdue should be this coming season, it is virtually impossible to go undefeated in a major conference in college basketball. The last time someone did it in the Big Ten there were only 10 teams, not 18. 2023-24 Purdue was arguably the best team in program history. It went unbeaten through a tough non-conference schedule and won the league by three games. It still lost three times.
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That team is an example of what we will probably see this coming season. You’re gonna have a night where the other team just cannot miss from three (Nebraska 88-72 that year). You’re gonna have a game on the road where a pretty decent team just goes toe-to-toe with you for 40 minutes and comes out on top (92-88 in OT at Northwestern). You’re going to have the game where a desperate team plays out of its mind at home against a highly ranked opponent (73-69 at Ohio State). There is always one game too here, despite the fact that Mackey is Mackey, Purdue just struggles at home (usually that Winter Break game in early January without the full Paint Crew). That early December road game at the faux beginning of conference play has also been an issue for Purdue. Purdue has done pretty well as the hunted team in the conference these past five years or so, but it is still going to be the game circled on a lot of home schedules. Rutgers will be up for it in that weird December game. It is never easy to win in Bloomington. The long midseason trip to LA is gonna be tough. There is not an “easy” place to play on the entire slate.
The Big Ten is just too tough to expect 20-0. Even 18-2 would establish a new standard, as the best record in the 20-game conference season era was 17-3 by MIchigan State last year and Purdue the year before. I will go with 17-3, still winning the Big Ten crown, and with wins in Evanston and at the LA schools to give our senior trio of Braden, Fletch, and TKR the first 18-team Delaney Dozen.
Drew:
Well, I’m on record saying that Purdue has the talent, depth and experience to run the table in the Big 10.
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That makes this question easy, I think Purdue rips through the early season schedule as long as everyone stays healthy.
The game I have circled is the Jan 3 trip to Madison. It’s a tough time of year for any basketball. Students are still out and teams have to generate their own energy on the road.
The West Coast swing against USC and UCLA could be another stumbling block, but I think the Boilermakers have enough experience on the roster to deal with the cross country flight (and more empty gyms?)
This is going to be a historically good Purdue team. I’m not going to back away from that prediction now.
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Ryan:
I will predict 16-4
Purdue has a pretty decent shot at starting conference play 6-0. The hardest of those games will be on the road against Rutgers and Wisconsin as well as playing Iowa at home. Following the first 6 games is Purdue’s hardest stretch where they have to travel to the California schools, come home to face Illinois, then go to Bloomington followed by a trip to Maryland. Then, for good measure, Purdue gets to come back home again and take on Oregon. That is a brutal 6-game stretch and quite honestly, it doesn’t get much easier from there. I personally think that Purdue goes 4-2 during that stretch to get to 10-2 in conference and hopefully set up for a race to another Big Ten Regular Season Championship. The final 8 conference games don’t do Purdue a ton of favors but they do get to take on both Michigan teams and Indiana at home while traveling to Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio State, and Northwestern. In the final 8 games, I like Purdue to go 6-2. By quick math, that puts the Boilermakers at 16-4 in conference play and a really good shot at being the kings of the Big Ten again.
