Those following the NCAA Basketball odds at BetUs know that the season ended pretty much the same way it started for Purdue: with disappointment.
It began on a sour note when senior forward Robbie Hummel was lost for the season on October 16th to his second right torn ACL in an eight-month span. It ended with the Boilermakers lose three of their final four games including a 94-76 NCAA Tournament third-round loss to No. 11 seed Virginia Commonwealth.
While E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson were the key constituents to their team’s success this year, both will be gone next year, which means head coach Matt Painter is going to be building around Hummel. Losing the latter two is quite a big hole to fill as the tandem won 107 games during their college careers.
Hummel is a good player in his own right but a lot of people are wondering just how good he’ll be after two major knee surgeries. There were already skeptics when he was making his way back the first time and before they even got a chance to evaluate his play, he was lost once again.
While Hummel is going to be the key piece to next year’s team, he won’t be alone. Point guard Lewis Jackson is back as is shooting guard. But any way you cut it, it’s going to be tough for the Boilermakers to be as good as this year’s 26-8 squad.
The loss of Johnson is a big one as it leaves a gaping hole at center. 6-9 freshman center Travis Carroll will likely get the first crack at filling the full-time job at center but that’s still a big drop-off.
The Boilermakers aren’t in bad shape but there is still a lingering sour taste in the mouths of the fans. With Hummel in the lineup, this season could have potentially been truly special but instead, they’re left with the remnants and some hope for next year.
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