Outside of a few bluebloods, going to a Sweet 16 makes a season a resounding success.
But Purdue’s 2021–22 season ending at that stage, particularly against a No. 15 seed, felt like a disappointment. That Boilermakers team was one of the most talented in school history, with a top-five NBA draft pick in Jaden Ivey, dual star bigs in Trevion Williams and Zach Edey and talented role players galore. It often showed glimpses of its tantalizing ceiling, but in large part left us wanting more until the final buzzer sounded against Saint Peter’s. It was one of the rare times under Matt Painter that it felt like the Boilermakers underachieved their talent level.
Purdue’s 2022–23 roster is not as talented as the ‘21–22 Boilermakers were. That’s not up for debate. Ivey and starting point guard Eric Hunter Jr. were replaced with a pair of freshmen ranked outside the top 100 recruits nationally, and third team all-league selection Williams also departed. But sometimes the whole can be better than the sum of its parts, and there’s no doubt this year’s Boilers fit that bill. That’s why this iteration of Purdue may just be better than last year’s, and it was on display in a pair of dominant showings against Gonzaga and Duke to win the Phil Knight Legacy bracket.
