No. 1 Purdue Basketball Ready for Upcoming Challenges in Big Ten Play
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — No. 1 Purdue basketball ends 2022 with an undefeated record but soon faces the challenges that come with Big Ten play. The Boilermakers are looking forward to conference competition after falling short of its goals a season ago.
The team welcomes Rutgers to Mackey Arena on Monday, Jan. 2, at 7 p.m. ET, and the matchup will be televised on the Big Ten Network. Purdue, which already owns victories over Minnesota and Nebraska in the early part of the season, is aiming for a 3-0 start against conference competition.
"This is not a little kids league," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "We're gonna find out real quick, but I'm excited about it. I think we have some great teams in our league. Obviously, we have great coaches and players. It's gonna be a fun ride."
The Boilermakers are the only team in the country to post unblemished marks during their nonconference schedule in each of the last two seasons. The team won its first eight games of the 2021-22 season, ascending to the No. 1 ranking for the first time in program history.
However, following an undefeated start, it went on to lose on the road against Rutgers on a half-court buzzer beater. Purdue also dropped a home contest against Wisconsin, its only loss at Mackey Arena all season.
The team would later fall to Indiana for the first time in six years, suffering a 68-65 loss at Assembly Hall. As disappointing as it is to have a winning streak snapped by a bitter in-state rival, the biggest loss of the 2021-22 campaign came on an 82-58 drubbing at the hands of Michigan.
The Boilermakers missed out on a Big Ten championship banner, posting a 14-6 record in league play after dropping two of its last three conference games. Illinois and Wisconsin claimed a share of the regular-season title.
Purdue had the opportunity to avenge its shortcomings with an appearance in the Big Ten Tournament Championship game, but the team lost to Iowa 75-66 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
"You don't like to go backwards, but it's frustrating because it was there for us," Painter said. "Not to take anything away from anybody, but it was right there. This is just the start of it.
"All the teams are going to be able to guard, all the teams are going to be physical. But there are just a lot of weapons across the board. And we've lost a lot in our league, but then you see other guys improve, new faces that are really good. So every night is going to be a chore."
Purdue has burst onto the scene early this season, becoming the first Big Ten team since 1976 to attain the top spot in the national rankings in back-to-back seasons. But the conference schedule can be a gauntlet, and the undefeated Boilermakers know just what they're getting into.
This year's iteration of Purdue basketball started the year with uncertainty, but Painter said he feels the team has the best resume in the conference at 13-0. That isn't to say the Boilermakers will prove to be a head above their competitors week in and week out, but high-quality wins speak for themselves at this point in the season.
The quest for a 25th Big Ten Championship banner is in full swing, and Purdue is ready to take on all the challenges that await it in 2023, no matter the outcome.
"I like our team, I like how we're playing, really," junior forward Mason Gillis said. "I'm excited to go into the conference, competition is definitely going to get harder. Other teams are going to know our scout, we're going to know their scout. It's going to be a lot more competitive."
You can keep up to date on everything at Boilermakers Country by liking and following our Facebook page: Purdue Boilermakers on Sports Illustrated/FanNation.
You can also follow D.J. Fezler at @DJFezler on Twitter.
D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.