Purdue is a unique program. Out of 360+ Division I teams Purdue has risen to a level where the bare minimum expectation is to make the tournament every year. With the non-conference season complete the Boilermakers are already in excellent shape to get into the field. It wasn’t an undefeated run through the non-conference like the last three years, but Purdue still positioned itself to make the field with a decent seed as long as it doesn’t fall too much in conference play.

So far, that is holding true, as the Boilermakers are easily an NCAA Tournament team as of right now. Purdue returned to conference play last night with a 20-point road victory. When it comes to winning a Big Ten title the math is actually very simple: defend your home court and get at least five road wins. Purdue defends Mackey Arena better than any other team in the country. A 9-1 home mark and a 5-5 road mark or better, combined with Purdue’s non-conference profile, should make for another decent seed in March.

If you’re looking at a preferred path in the tournament Purdue obviously would like to be in the Midwest Region. That would put the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium. Lexington, Milwaukee, or Cleveland would likely be preferred destinations for the first and second rounds as well. There is still a lot of work to do, however, and because Purdue actually lost three non-conference games this year, it is more work than in past seasons.