Purdue's 2024-25 Backcourt Ranked in Top-5 by College Basketball Outlet
Just a few years ago, Purdue was knocked for its lack of talent and depth at the guard position. Now, the Boilermakers are entering the 2024-25 season with one of the best backcourts in college basketball.
Thanks to the return of juniors Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer, as well as sophomores Myles Colvin and Camden Heide and incoming freshmen Gicarri Harris and CJ Cox, Purdue is considered to have the fifth-best backcourt in the sport. This comes from college basketball outlet The Field of 68.
Purdue's No. 5 ranking is also the best in the Big Ten entering the 2024-25 campaign. Ahead of the Boilermakers are Alabama, Kansas, Gonzaga and North Carolina.
The Top 10 Backcourts in CBB💫
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) August 21, 2024
Who is too high or too low?👀
👍 or 👎 pic.twitter.com/LtWSkH5ypR
Both Smith and Loyer are two-year starters and Colvin and Heide saw significant playing time last year during the Boilermakers' run to the National Championship Game. Harris is an incoming four-star prospect and Cox was a three-star talent.
The growth of Purdue's backcourt has been fun to witness. Despite winning a Big Ten regular season title and conference tournament championship in 2023, Smith and Loyer struggled in the NCAA Tournament as freshman. That led to the Boilers losing to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the opening round of March Madness.
Fast forward one year, and Smith and Loyer formed one of the league's top backcourts. Smith ended the season averaging 12.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists while shooting 43.1% from 3-point range. Loyer averaged 10.3 points, 2.1 assists and 1.9 rebounds per contest and knocked down 44.4% of his shots from distance.
Colvin and Heide didn't have big numbers as freshmen, but they did give the Boilermakers great depth off the bench. Both are also incredibly athletic, adding a new dynamic to Purdue's team.
The jury is still out on Harris and Cox, who will be true freshmen this coming season.
With Zach Edey in the NBA, Purdue will likely tweak its style of play this coming season. There's a good chance coach Matt Painter tries to speed up the tempo and play with more space on the floor — putting heavier responsibilities on his guards.
They're more than capable of handling a bigger workload.
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DUSTIN SCHUTTE