"Judged by what happens in the NCAA Tournament": NCAAB analyst questions value of Purdue's Big Ten title amid disappointing March Madness record
The parameters of success keeps vary for different teams in college basketball. A team that is not finding much success, might feel ecstatic about an NCAA appearance. But, for a prestigious program like the Purdue Boilermakers, who have dominated the competition throughout, the demand is that much higher.
According to NCAA analyst Jon Rothstein, last year's disappointment for Purdue proved that the team's regular season accomplishments aren't the standard that they're judged on.
"That's a great comment on March 6th. In two weeks, that's not gonna matter. Purdue last year won the Big Ten regular season title. Purdue won the Big Ten Tournament title. Nobody remembers that...You are judged by what happens in the NCAA Tournament."
On the opposite end of the spectrum stands NCAA analyst and former NBA superstar Wally Szczerbiak, who believes that the accomplishments of the regular season are just as important, given their value to the players, fans, and coaches.
"Don't underestimate how hard it is to win a regular season conference championship. Tennessee did it, Richmond got it, Utah State got a share. It's something that when you accomplish that with your teammates, with your coaches, with your fanbase, it's a banner that's gonna hang for a long time up in your rafters."
He did add that the NCAA Tournament, where he believes Tennessee is the biggest favorite, will be what ultimately matters.
Purdue have a 128-year-old demon to exercise in the NCAA
The script for Purdue is almost the same as last year. Zach Edey, a National Player of the Year Award contender, led the team to the 1-seed and made them a primary contender in the NCAA tournament. However, with a regular season Championship to their name already, last year's efforts ended in a upset for the Boilermakers.
That is the script that Purdue is trying to change this year. While their regular season success has been phenomenal once again, there is a hint of skepticism from analysts like Jon Rothstein about how they'll fare when it matters most. With a 128-year drought without an NCAA Championship, their history in the tournament does feel a little empty.