2013-2014 Big Ten Basketball Preview: #7 Purdue Boilermakers

Last Season: Since that big three of JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore, and Robbie Hummel, Purdue has naturally experienced some growing pains. Last year saw players like Terone Johnson, Ronnie Johnson, and A.J. Hammons develop, but the Boilermakers ultimately finished below .500 at 16-18.

Departures: D.J. Byrd, Dru Anthrop, Sandi Marcius, Anthony Johnson (transfer), Jacob Lawson (transfer)

Returning Players: Rapheal Davis, A.J. Hammons, Terone Johnson, Ronnie Johnson, Jay Simpson, Donnie Hale

Newcomers: Kendall Stephens, Bryson Scott, Basil Smotherman (Yes, that's a real name)

What to Expect: I'm secretly terrified that Robbie Hummel will be granted another year of eligibility based on a technicality, but hey, this team may not need him. The only significant loss comes in the way of D.J. Byrd, who actually accounted for over half of Purdue's 3 pointers last season. Yet, the conference's second super-brother tandem of Terone and Ronnie Johnson return to anchor the backcourt. Top 100 freshmen Kendall Stephens and Bryson Scott, along with Junior Rapheal Davis, will add depth at  each guard spot. The key to the season though, and the player who could make a leap big enough to be a top 5 player in the conference, is A.J. Hammons. He is massive (legit 7-footer), he blocks shots (2nd in B1G), and he has a fairly polished offensive game. Hammons is going to be very tough for everyone to deal with, especially for teams like Penn State that don't have any players over 6'9". This team has talent, more experience than they had last year, and a very good coach. Things are trending up in West Lafayette.

A.J. Hammons

Storyline to Watch: Does Purdue freshman Basil Smotherman have the greatest name in college basketball (you decide). On a more serious note, can Purdue replace D.J. Byrd's 3 point shooting? Last year, outside of Byrd, Purdue was a 28% 3-point shooting team. If they can't find some realistic outside threats, teams could theoretically collapse on Hammons and to some extent negate the advantage Purdue will have in him. I'm willing to bet that Hammons' presence is going to give their outside shooters a lot of open jumpers, and that they will connect at an acceptable rate.

Final Prediction: 19-10 (9-9)
As long as this team shoots 3 pointers at an acceptable level and Hammons keeps improving as expected, this should be an NCAA tournament team, with the potential to have a better record than what I have listed above. Great coach, plenty of talent, and additional experience is a good formula for a successful season.