Non-Conference Opponents Update: March 8

It’s time for a final look at Purdue’s non-conference and NCAA Tournament profile. The consensus around college basketball is that the discussion for the final No. 1 seed is down to Purdue and UCLA. Let’s look at the numbers next to each other:

In these numbers there are a few hidden things. Three of Purdue's Tier 2 wins (31 Michigan State at home, 33 Illinois at home, and 78 Wisconsin in Madison) are very close to moving up to the next tier and becoming tier 1 wins. UCLA doesn't have any such wins that can help it in that regard. they have a home win over Utah that could move to Tier 2, but none that are really close to moving to tier 1. That means depending on how the Big Ten Tournament goes, Purdue could gain as many as six more Tier 1 wins.

In that regard, Purdue would be best served today by having Nebraska and Wisconsin win. The Ohio State road win is pretty solidly on Tier 1 with the Buckeyes at 63, but Wisconsin at 78 can transform to Tier 1 if the Badgers move up to 75 since that win came on the road. Nebraska has a lot more work to do, as they sit at 92, but a few wins in Chicago can't hurt.

Michigan State and Illinois getting enough wins in Chicago to move into the top 30 would help a lot too. Rutgers at 42 would be a Tier 1 win in Purdue's first game as opposed to Michigan at 56. Finally, Auburn, Boise State, TCU, and Virginia slipping behind Michigan State and Illinois with early losses can help too.

Purdue Boilermakers Profile

Record: 26-5, 15-5 Big Ten (Big Ten Champion)

NET: 5 (The same as last week)

KenPom: 6 (The same as last week)

Tier 1 Wins (KenPom) Home 1-30; Neutral 1-50; Away 1 75: 7 Gonzaga (Neutral), 13 Marquette (Home), 17 West Virginia (Neutral), 20 Maryland (Home), 27 Michigan State (Away), 27 Michigan State (Home), 31 Duke (Neutral), 38 Michigan (Away), 50 Penn State (Away), 58 Ohio State (Away), 72 Wisconsin (Away)

Tier 2 Wins (KenPom): Home 31-75 Neutral 51-100; Away 76-135: 32 Illinois (Home), 35 Iowa (Home), 50 Penn State (Home), 58 Ohio State (Home), 93 Nebraska (Away)

Tier 1 Wins (NET) Home 1-30; Neutral 1-50; Away 1-75: 6 Gonzaga (Neutral), 13 Marquette (Home), 24 Duke (Neutral), 25 West Virginia (Neutral), 26 Maryland (Home), 31 Michigan State (Away), 54 Michigan (Away), 56 Penn State (Away), 63 Ohio State (Away)

Tier 2: Home 31-75 (NET) Neutral 51-100; Away 76-135: 31 Michigan State (Home), 33 Illinois (Home), 37 Iowa (Home), 56 Penn State (Home), 63 Ohio State (Home), 78 Wisconsin (Away), 92 Nebraska (Away)

Bad Losses (Sub-100 NET or KenPom): None

Milwaukee Panthers (21-11, 14-6 Horizon) KenPom: 221, NET: 211 – Milwaukee made the Horizon League semifinals with an 87-70 win over Wright State, but fell to Cleveland State 93-80 to end their chances at the automatic bid. SEASON COMPLETE

Austin Peay Governors (9-22, 3-15 Atlantic Sun) KenPom: 335, NET: 325 – SEASON COMPLETE

Marquette Golden Eagles (25-6, 17-3 Big East) KenPom: 13, NET: 13 – Marquette got a 96-94 win over St. John's to close the regular season. The will be the No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament and they are a potential 2 seed in the NCAAs.

West Virginia Mountaineers (18-13, 7-11 Big 12) KenPom: 19, NET: 25 – West Virginia is solidly in the at large conversation thanks to an incredibly strong schedule. They beat Kansas State 89-81 in their final regular season game for a big win. Tonight they play Texas Tech to open the Big 12 Tournament.

Gonzaga Bulldogs (27-5, 14-2 West Coast) KenPom: 10, NET: 6 – Gonzaga won the WCC Tournament convincingly with an 84-73 win over San Francisco and a dominant 77-51 win over St. Mary's. They are now waiting around for the NCAAs with an automatic bid. SEASON COMPLETE

Duke Blue Devils (23-8, 14-6 ACC) KenPom: 29, NET: 24 – A 62-57 win over North Carolina had Duke finish a game back in the ACC race. They are the No. 4 seed and they will play Georgia Tech or Pittsburgh tomorrow in the ACC Tournament.

Florida State Seminoles (9-23, 7-13 ACC) KenPom: 206, NET: 219 – Florida State is already out. They lost at Virginia Tech 82-60 in the regular season finale and were knocked out of the ACC Tournament yesterday with a 61-60 loss to Georgia Tech. SEASON COMPLETE

Hofstra Pride (24-9, 16-2 Colonial) KenPom: 91, NET: 86 – Hofstra is off to the NIT as the CAA regular season champion and No. 1 seed. They beat William & Mary 94-46 in the CAA semifinals, but were upset in overtime by North Carolina Wilmington 79-73. Had they won the automatic bid not only would it have given Purdue over another NCAA team, it might have moved them into the top 75 and onto Tier 2. SEASON COMPLETE

Davidson Wildcats (15-15, 8-10 Atlantic 10) KenPom: 136, NET: 148 – The Wildcats lost to George Washington 75-70, but beat Rhode Island 68-54. They are currently playing St. Bonaventure in their opening Atlantic 10 Tournament game.

New Orleans Privateers (14-20, 7-11 Southland) KenPom: 340, NET: 329 – New Orleans made a bit of a run. They lost their regular season finale to McNeese 80-73, but then won Southland Tournament games over Houston Christian 90-69 and SE Louisiana 82-78. They were close to pulling a semifinal upset last night over Northwestern State before losing 82-78. SEASON COMPLETE

Florida A&M Rattlers (7-22, 5-13 SWAC) KenPom: 358, NET 359 – Florida A&M lost its regular season finale to Bethune Cookman 91-70 and did not qualify for the eight team SWAC Tournament. SEASON COMPLETE

Wins Over Likely NCAA Teams: Marquette, Gonzaga, Duke, Maryland, Michigan State x2, Illinois, Iowa.

Possible NCAA Teams (On Bubble): Michigan, Penn State x2, Wisconsin,