Braden Smith is a nice little player but if he’s the preseason pick for POY in the B1G, the league is in for a long year in the power ratings. Also, although I’d be very surprised if Rutgers does better than Purdue as a team, Harper should easily be better him by the end of the season, if he isn’t already, IMO.Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings (Vol. 1): Can Purdue Pull Off 3-Peat? Where Do New Teams Fall?
Can Purdue win a third straight Big Ten title? How will the four new teams fit in? Is Indiana back? A look at the first 2024-25 basketball power rankings.www.si.com
Agree with you that Harper is a better player, but these awards usually go to a handpicked player by the media on a winning team. If Purdue wins the Big regular season title, and Smith is their best player then he likely wins the award. Put that together with media having to affirm their preseason predictions and what they hyped before the season, that’s another thing in Smith’s favor. Dylan is better and will be better than Smith down the road, but that doesn’t mean Smith won’t get the award if Purdue delivers the wins as a team this year.
All I know is that when UConn single covered Edey and played the rest of the team straight up, Purdue got nothing from the supporting cast. I would not be surprised if they are a pretty middling team this year.
I understand but I don’t even think Purdue will be all that good this year anyway. I think Eddy’s supporting cast will be exposed without him. Regardless, if Purdue is the best team AND Smith is the best player on that team, the B1G is in for a long year.
