Big Ten Daily (Nov. 23): Purdue Will be College Basketball's New No. 1

Purdue defeated No. 11 Gonzaga, No. 7 Tennessee and No. 4 Marquette to win the Maui Invitational. The Boilermakers will return home with a trophy and the No. 1 ranking.

For the third consecutive season, Purdue will be the No. 1 team in college basketball. The Boilermakers took home the Maui Invitational title on Wednesday, edging out No. 4 Marquette 78-75.

This week served as a mini-March test run for Matt Painter's bunch. Although there were no mid-major programs from the state of New Jersey in the field — Purdue's kryptonite in the NCAA Tournament — the Boilermakers made it through a challenging event, defeating No. 11 Gonzaga, No. 7 Tennessee and No. 4 Marquette to take home The Maui Invitational crown.

Purdue won't just return home with the Maui Invitational title, though. Thanks to Marquette's second-round upset over No. 1 Kansas, the Boilers will also have the top spot in the Associated Press Poll awaiting for them upon their arrival in West Lafayette.

Without question, Purdue has looked like the Big Ten's most dominant team early. Zach Edey continues to make his case to be a back-to-back National Player of the Year winner, averaging 25.3 points, 13 rebounds and shooting over 57% from the floor in the Maui Invitational. 

Did I mention he did that against three ranked opponents ... in three straight days?

Through the first few weeks of the season, the Boilermakers have looked like the best team in the country. Edey appears to be the most dominant player in the nation. 

If this was a preview of what is to come in March, perhaps Painter and his crew have finally figured out the formula for a deep tournament run.

Nebraska Joins Purdue at 6-0

The only other Big Ten team to start this season off 6-0? Nebraska. 

The Cornhuskers caught fire in the second half, overcoming a two-point halftime deficit to knock off Duquesne 89-79, staying perfect on the year. It's the best start for Nebraska since 2008-09. 

Keisei Tominaga led the Huskers with 23 points in the victory, but it was Juwan Gary's 20-point performance off the bench that seemed to spark Nebraska. 

Gary converted on seven of his 10 shot attempts in the game, which included a pair of 3-pointers. His ability to get buckets at the rim and from distance should help Fred Hoiberg's team stretch the floor offensively over the course of the season.

Nebraska is off to its hottest start in over a decade, a great sign for a program looking to make a run at the NCAA Tournament at the end of the year. The Huskers will take on Fullerton on Sunday before an in-state rivalry clash with No. 8 Creighton.

Last year, Nebraska pulled off the upset against the BlueJays, a surprise win early in the college basketball season. Something tells me, though, if the Huskers can do it again, it will be an even more impressive accomplishment.

Pat Narduzzi Denies Michigan State Talks

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi is denying having any conversations with Michigan State about its head coaching vacancy. FootballScoop reported recently that the two sides discussed the job.

Narduzzi was the defensive coordinator at Michigan State from 2007-14 under Mark Dantonio. He took the job at Pitt in 2015. Anytime the Spartans have had an opportunity to make a hire, his name has been mentioned.

Shortly after the reports of Narduzzi's conversations with Michigan State surfaced, the coach denied having any contact.

“Well, I’ll say this, the last time, I turned it down a couple times,” Narduzzi told ACC Radio. “I have had absolutely no contact with them at all. There’s been no contact at all with anybody from their athletic department.”

Coaches usually denies these rumors. What else can they do? So, while Narduzzi might be telling the truth, it's not uncommon for someone to deny interest in another job, only to take it a few weeks later.

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