#45 PURDUE BOILERMAKERS

#45 PURDUE BOILERMAKERS

Last Season: 22-12 (9-7), beat Arizona and lost to Florida in NCAA tournament
Key Losses: F Carl Landry (18.9 ppg/7.3 rpg), G David Teague (14.3 ppg/5.0 rpg)
Key Adds: G E'Twaun Moore (#8 SG), F/C JaJuan Johnson (#11 PF), F Robbie Hummel (#12 SF), F Scott Martin (#4 SF)

BACKCOURT:
I've mentioned before how it's bizarre that Purdue ended up with the #5 recruiting class in the nation according to Athlon, and the one place they didn't get help was at point guard. Senior Tarrance Crump and sophomore Chris Kramer will look to battle it out. Crump struggled last season, his first in D-I, while Kramer was the opposite, finishing second in the Big Ten in steals with 2.1 per game and scoring 7.2 points per game. I'd bet on Kramer.

Shooting guard will likely go to one of Purdue's highly ranked freshman in E'Twaun Moore. Coach Matt Painter describes Moore as Purdue's top recruit since Glenn Robinson in 1993. Moore is already an excellent defensive player, and has improved his perimeter game. Moore is a combo guard, who could end up playing some point if nobody else steps up.

Depth in the backcourt will come from sophomores Keaton Grant and Marcus Green, as well as freshman Greg Hill.

FRONTCOURT:
Painter was able to snag a couple of very good small forwards, who were also high school teammates, in Robbie Hummel and Scott Martin, the #29 and #51 overall prospects in the country. Martin is a big (6-7), lanky (190 lbs.) lefty who can really shoot the ball. He'll need to get stronger to handle the Big Ten, but his offensive game is top notch. Hummel is a smart player who can influence a game without taking a lot of shots.

Purdue is going to have some big shoes to fill with Carl Landry graduating. Even though Martin and Hummel are more wing-type players, they may have to swing down and play in the paint, as the only size Purdue has coming back this year is 6-6 Gordon Watt, who started 33 games last season but is a bit undersized for PF. He's a tough, dirty work type player though, so don't count him out.

The final freshman in the mix could end up starting as well in 6-10 JaJuan Johnson, #47 overall prospect. Like Martin and Hummel, Johnson needs to bulk up (weighs only 200 lbs) but he can impact a game on the defensive end right now. No much of a scorer, but he's an excellent shot blocker and rebounder.

OVERALL:
Purdue is a tough team to evaluate. They lost their two best players in David Teague and Carl Landry, but they have the #5 recruiting class in the country, with four immediate impact type freshmen. You can't ignore this kind of class. I think they'll be a bubble team for the NCAA tournament, with significant upside.