Why not Purdue?

Somedays, you just dive right in. Like on a rainy Wednesday in the Northeast, or a sweltering summer in the Northwest. Stay inside on catch up on hoops.

1. The case for Purdue

It’s almost time for an updated consensus Too Early Top 25 graphic. The last one was June 6, and now that school’s almost here, it’d be a good time for another snapshot.

It’ll also give me time to decide if I keep Purdue at No. 1.

As some of you know, I’m a Kansas graduate. I love the Jayhawks. Yet, I had the Boilermakers atop my Daily rankings in June — and this was after Hunter Dickinson, Arterio Morris and Nick Timberlake all committed, and after Kevin McCullar withdrew from the NBA Draft.

So why Purdue at No. 1? Rob Dauster and Greg Waddell maintain it’s just a reverse jinx to benefit Kansas. But it’s not so much about the Jayhawks — who are going to be awesome, btw — but about Purdue.

Simply put, no team has a higher floor in 2023-24. With basically everyone back from a 29-6 team that ran away with the Big Ten, how can it not be?

The Boilermakers return the NPOY in Zach Edey, who is as dominant as any college hoops player in recent history. That’s a helluva place to start. They also have every other starter back, including their backcourt of Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer, who should be fabulous with the jump from their freshmen to sophomore seasons. (Nevermind that Smith has been excellent during Purdue’s overseas tour this summer.) They added Myles Colvin, a 6-5 wing who adds dynamic athleticism and scoring. And Matt Painter remains one of the game’s elite coaches.

Add it all up, and it’s a Top 3 team. Hell, Waddell takes it one step further and maintains that even without Edey, it’s a Top 10 squad.

OK, it must be August. Greg’s over here trying out takes. Not sure they’re Top 10 without a guy who elevates his team just by being on the court, but it’s probably close.

And that’s the point. The roster is really good and deep. There’s motivation for this season after the ignominy of losing to a 16-seed last March.

There’s a lot to like about Purdue. It’ll be solid all season, and shouldn’t have any moments where players are adjusting to one another. In that way, it’s a throwback team that benefits from continuity and talent.

Sure seems like a No. 1 team.

Essential summer reading

Look, it’s more than 600,000 words about the upcoming season, which means anyone who pre-orders it now — at just $15.99 — can read at their leisure, rather than the people who buy it in late October when it’s $19.99 and spend weeks cramming to ensure they’re not behind to start the season.

Don’t wait. Order The Almanac, Vol. 2 today.

2. An ideal fit for K-State

Kansas State opened its exhibition tour on Tuesday with a 94-87 win over the Israeli Select Team, led by Arthur Kaluma’s 23 points, and 17 each from guards Cam Carter and Tylor Perry.

Is now the time to try to read into what the result means, given Arizona beat the same team by nearly 50 points a day earlier? With Kaluma, Perry, Carter and Nae’Quan Tomlin all playing more than 31 minutes (Likely starter David N’Guessan is playing for The Netherlands at FIBA Olympic pre-qualifying), it’s most likely just adjusting to a new roster and new teammates.

Yeah. I’m not gonna overthink this. Especially when K-State has more talent joining soon.

Glover, a graduate transfer, was originally headed to BYU in May but reopened his recruitment a few weeks ago. It’s a big benefit to K-State’s depth and scoring.

The 6-foot guard averaged 14.7 points and 2.1 assists last season at Samford, a dip from the previous season where he put up nearly 20 points a game. Part of that wasn’t quite as efficient scoring, but that’s because he dealt with a torn meniscus in November, and returned to the lineup in late January.

In 11 games after the injury, he still had four outings of at least 20 points.

So yeah, Glover can score. He would be an ideal sixth man for the Wildcats, providing leadership and scoring off the bench. If he plays with Perry, there will be questions about the defense, given both are six feet tall.

Regardless, it’s a good get for K-State. And one that came awfully late in the summer. Glover isn’t the only one making a move in August.

And if you’re wondering why you should care about what Trilly Donovan is tweeting, you’re in luck.

3. ‘It’s like he’s sitting in people’s staff meetings’

Trilly Donovan’s Twitter bio describes himself as a “college hoops box score enthusiast & ‘usually accurate’ burner account,” which probably underscores how useful the account is to folks like myself who have Twitter/X open all day.

Especially when the transfer portal opened and coaching dominoes started to fall.

Trilly had Caleb Love and Michigan breaking up before anyone else and frequently sends cryptic tweets about players headed to programs days before they announce. And then there’s this beauty from back in April.

Is it all possible because Trilly doesn’t have to have his name and face out there? Sure. But the info is still correct. And that’s the point. And it’s also why this feature from CJ Moore at The Athletic was such a delightful read.

Moore detailed Trilly’s history as a Twitter account, some of his more notable tweets and wove thoughts about his identity throughout. He talked to Trilly over Zoom, trying to get a sense of who he is. That’s the fun part. As Moore notes, guessing Trilly’s ID is a fun conversation among college hoopheads.

From the article:

Some claim they know who Trilly is (looking at you, Dauster). But for my money, it’s far more fun to have it as an anonymous account that serves as a guidepost and a way to not just be another news chaser. For those of us of a certain age, that was always some of the appeal of Fire Joe Morgan. Yes, the writing was great, but it was just as fun to wonder who the hell those writers were, taking apart the lamentable sports writing of the mid-2000s.

Burn on, Trilly. I’m here for it.

Appointment viewing

Is A.J. Dybantsa the best high school prospect right now, regardless of class? Would he eventually reclassify to 2025? Those are the two biggest questions surrounding the 6-7 wing right now, but there’s far more to learn about the Massachusetts star. Tune in at 9 am for our one-on-one interview with Dybantsa.

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Links as you decide if you’re gonna have three or four fantasy football teams.

• C’mon Louisville fans. Be better. No need for Trentyn Flowers death threats.

• The WCC Network is dead. The conference now has an extended partnership with ESPN+.

• Georgia Tech and Cincinnati announced a two-game series for this season and next.

• Tired of trying to piece together the preseason tournament and MTE schedule? Here’s a helpful link.

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