March Madness 2025: Where Purdue Lands in ESPN's Bracketology After 5-1 Start
We haven't even gotten through November yet, but Purdue is already projected to land a top-three seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. ESPN's Joe Lunardi released his latest Bracketology on Tuesday, with the Boilermakers listed as the No. 3 seed in the South Region.
Lunardi updates his Bracketology every Tuesday in November and December, then moves to twice-weekly updates once January arrives. Although Purdue lost its first game of the season last week — falling to then-No. 15 Marquette — he still has a favorable projection for Matt Painter's squad.
Purdue is the No. 3 seed in the South Region (Atlanta) and would play No. 14 seed Purdue-Fort Wayne. How fitting, right?
Because of the loss to Marquette, Purdue actually dropped a seed line from last week's projection. The Boilermakers were predicted to be a No. 2 seed after a 4-0 start to the year, which included a massive win over then-No. 2 Alabama at Mackey Arena.
Purdue currently owns a 5-1 record and heads to San Diego to play in the Rady Children's Invitational this week. The Boilers will play North Carolina State on Thursday and will play either BYU or Ole Miss on Friday, depending on results.
The Boilermakers have earned a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament each of the last seven seasons — not counting the 2019-20 season, as March Madness was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It's still very early in the season, but Lunardi believes Purdue is in the hunt to continue its streak of top-four seeds again this year. The Boilermakers will have plenty of opportunities to prove they deserve a high seed.
Along with playing a 20-game Big Ten schedule, the Boilers also have games against North Carolina State, No. 24 Ole Miss/BYU, No. 20 Texas A&M and No. 4 Auburn in nonconference play.
Purdue has adopted a mindset of scheduling difficult opponents in nonconference play to prepare for Big Ten play and the NCAA Tournament. It's proven effective, as the Boilers have won the conference's regular season title each of the last two seasons, won the Big Ten Tournament in 2023 and earned a trip to the National Championship Game last season.
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