After two seasons of pretty much the same lineup, Purdue basketball is going to look very different in 2022-23. Coach Painter is very big on getting old and staying old. That is one of many reasons why the 2021-22 season had such ridiculously high expectations. Purdue had three players (Sasha Stefanovic, Trevion Williams, and Eric Hunter Jr.) that had been around forever and were part of a team that came within a hair of the Final Four. It also had a second year lottery pick and a wealth of experience returning from a team that got better as the 2020-21 season went along.
Unfortunately, Purdue came up short. The 29 wins yielded only Cheez-its in cup from a November tournament. Even that was ultimately frustrating, as the two wins to earn said trophy came over teams that made the Final Four. I honestly feel like this season was very similar to the 2018 season. Both won the most games in school history (30 in 2018, 29 this year) but ultimately won nothing of consequence. That 2018 team felt like it consistently played 10-15% above its projected ceiling, while this year felt like it played 10-15% below it. Purdue was very good, but should have been even better, and with five losses by three points or less (all in games where Purdue beat itself more than anything) fans were left with a sour taste.
We have to look ahead though, and the 2022-23 should still be a decent team. ESPN already rates Purdue as 23rd on its way-too-early top 25. That means we should solidly be in the NCAA field, and that is before any transfers in or NBA departures for other schools. Michigan at 11 (before Hunter Dickinson makes a decision), Illinois at 17 (before Kofi Cockburn decides), and Indiana at 21 (before Trayce Jackson-Davis decides) are the only other Big Ten teams in said top 25, so getting the lost Big Ten title we all expected this year is possible.
Trevion and Sasha have already announced their intentions to not use their COVID year, Jaden Ivey is off to the NBA, and Isaiah…