ESPN's NCAA Tournament bracket expert Joe Lunardi released his latest predictions for the 2021-22 season on Tuesday. He included eight Big Ten Conference programs among the 64-team bracket.
Coming off earning a No. 4 seed after an 18-10 season, which included 13-6 against league opponents, Lunardi projects Purdue to slot in as a No. 2 seed this upcoming season.
Lunardi has Purdue grouped with No. 7 Memphis, No. 10 LSU and No. 15 Louisiana in the East Region.
The Boilermakers are returning 91.3% of their minutes this upcoming season, which ranks second among all high-major programs in the country. So far, the team has only lost two members of last year's roster via the transfer portal.
Assuming starting center Trevion Williams returns to the program, Purdue is expected to be one of the best in the Big Ten and the country.
Here are the rest of the Big Ten programs included on Lunardi's most recent bracket:
- Indiana, No. 9 Seed
- Maryland, No. 3 Seed
- Michigan State, No. 5 Seed
- Iowa, No. 8 Seed
- Illinois, No. 6 Seed
- Michigan, No. 1 Seed
- Ohio State, No. 2 Seed
Related Stories
- CAMDEN HEIDE COMMITS TO PURDUE: Wayzata High School forward Camden Heide committed to Purdue on Tuesday. The rising senior is a four-star recruit and the 13th-ranked player at his position in the country. CLICK HERE
- ANDY KATZ RANKS MACKEY ARENA: College basketball expert Andy Katz recently ranked his top-5 home venues in the Big Ten for the upcoming season. At the top of the list was Purdue's Mackey Arena. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA ALL-STARS SWEEP KENTUCKY: Caleb Furst was named the MVP of the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star game on Saturday. He recorded a team-high 14 points and 17 rebounds. However, fellow Purdue commit trey Kaufman-Renn missed the second half with an injury. CLICK HERE
More must-reads: