Purdue

Last Saturday, I gave you a fraud alert in Louisville. This week, it's Purdue who has some similarities to the Cardinals but profile to me as a better team.

Defensively, this is the 5th best team in defensive efficiency and not a surprise in the Matt Painter era. Lead by big man AJ Hammons, Purdue is a tough team to run offense against.

Opponents have an effective fg% of 41.3%. That is 2nd best. They do this without fouling. Teams FTA/FGA rate is 27.1, making Purdue 23rd best at not fouling. They also clean the glass. Opponents only rebound 23.4% of misses. That puts Purdue 10th.

Hammons is 62nd in the nation in defensive rebounding %. Freshman front court mate, Caleb Swanigan is 30th. Hammons is a good shot blocker as well and can erase a lot of defensive breakdowns. Teams only shoot 39% from 2 against Purdue. That's 3rd best.

They're not as good on offense but they do enough well to make a deep run possible. They have an effective fg% of 53.3%, 45th. They also rebound on offense. They're 25th in offensive rebounding %. They also share the ball. They're 10th in fgm/a.

How far they go will depend on how much the guards help them. The group isn't spectacular but does enough. Sr. Johnny Hill is a solid defender. He can be sloppy with ball but does enough good things on offense. Sophomore PJ Thompson is 3rd in the nation in ORating.  Keep an eye on him and how he progresses as B1G play moves along.

At worst, they look like a Sweet 16 team with a legitimate shot at a regional final. Guard play isn't as strong as the interior but not as worrisome as I heard from some national pundits. This might be the best team in the B1G.