NCAA Bracket Preview: Complete Purdue Tournament Primer

Intro: The Boilermakers have had a solid season heading into March Madness, finishing second in the Big Ten to Ohio State and they are one of only two teams to knock off the Buckeyes this year. Their regular season success was somewhat of a surprise to some considering the team lost star player Robbie Hummel early to a second torn ACL. Big Ten Player of the Year JaJuan Johnson stepped up and lead the Big Ten in scoring at 20.5 points per game. E`Twaun Moore was also a first team all-Big Ten selection and averaged 18.3 points per game. The duo is the winningest senior class in Purdue history

Record: 25-6, 14-4 Big Ten

RPI: 5

Key wins: Feb. 20 vs. Ohio State 76-63 – The Buckeyes are easily the No. 1 team in the nation, but E’Twaun Moore scored a career high 38 points as the Boilers avenged a 23 point loss in Columbus. Feb. 16 vs. Wisconsin 70-62 – The Badgers had beaten Purdue in Madison, and Purdue was lacking a win over a top 10 team before this game. Purdue absolutely dominated at home, separating themselves from Wisconsin for second place in the Big Ten

Key losses: Mar. 5 at Iowa 67-65 – Purdue was stunned by the Hawkeyes as E’Twaun Moore battled illness and Purdue still had a chance to tie for the Big Ten title. Iowa out-rebounded the Boilermakers for just their fourth Big Ten win of the season. Nov. 27 vs. Richmond (Hoffman Estates, IL) 65-54 – Purdue shot poorly and allowed the Spiders to build a big early lead. This is a signature win for a Richmond team that is clinging to the bubble.

Player(s) to watch: JaJuan Johnson – Big Ten Player of the Year E’Twaun Moore – 1st Team All-Big Ten selection Lewis Jackson – Honorable Mention all-Big Ten, averaging better than eight points and four assists per game.

For more NCAA Tournament coverage of the Purdue Boilermakers, please visit Hammer & Rails and SB Nation Indiana.