Predictions Revisited: Purdue’s 2023-24 season
Every year prior to Purdue’s basketball season, GoldandBlack.com shares its annual Fearful Predictions. And every year for the purpose of transparency and good humor we revisit those predictions, to highlight what we got right what we got, sometimes hilariously wrong.
You can read this year’s preseason predictions right here.
We will assess our predictions solely is gif format, just because.
Some excerpts.
ON BRADEN SMITH
From November: Braden Smith will be no worse than second-team All-Big Ten
This seems like more formality than prediction as the Boilermaker sophomore point guard is about to erupt into stardom.
Smith was first-team All-Big Ten, a borderline All-American and a transformational player for Purdue.
ON FLETCHER LOYER
From November: Fletcher Loyer will shoot 35-plus-percent from three on high volume, but also blow a few games wide open
Loyer shot 44.4 percent for the season, nearly 49 percent in Big Ten play and dominated in wins over Tennessee and Arizona. He sparked Purdue’s game-winning run at Illinois late in the regular. We did get the volume part only half right, as it didn’t really change all that much, though it was still what we’d call “high volume.”
ON EDEY AND TREY KAUFMAN-RENN PAIRING
From November: The Zach Edey-TKR pairing won’t be that big a deal
The two started every game together and both fared well this season, but it’s up to the beholder to decide whether the pairing really took Purdue to another level. It was ball-screen offense that did that.
ON ZACH EDEY
From November: Zach Edey‘s scoring numbers will dip some
This would actually be great news for Purdue, more than likely, if it happens, because it would reflect more balance, better shooting and slightly less burden being carried by one guy. Edey’s not going to take any nights off, but if there’s a game in which he just can’t get the ball or something, Purdue may be better insulated against better than it would have been a year ago.
This is part of the reason repeating as national player-of-the-year may be a lot to ask of Edey. Purdue may not desperately need as much from him as it did last season.
It should be noted, too, that the book is out there now on Edey. A year ago at this time, he hit college basketball like a meteor. Now people are damn well aware of what he is and have a whole season of tape to dissect.
His decision-making may be more important than his scoring.
LOL. Might just have over-thought this one, though the logic was sound, that Edey’s production could dip due to improvement from those around him. Turned out he was just that much better.
Beyond that, it could be presumed that something new and shiny could show up as Edey did the year prior. There was a world where that player could have been Dalton Knecht. But Edey basically slammed that door shut within weeks of the season tipping off.
ON PURDUE’S SEASON
From November: Good as it is, Purdue will not win the Maui Invitational nor will it be No. 1 for the third straight year
Purdue did both of those things, hitting the ground running despite considerable changes from the year prior.
MORE ON PURDUE’S SEASON
From November: Purdue will repeat as Big Ten champs and Purdue will make the Final Four
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