College basketball is fully back. We got upsets to start the month and end the month. We got terrific matchups all over the place and, in a great change of pace, not just in multi-team events.
There’s a long way to go, but the first month has provided us with plenty of insight. As we flip the calendar to December, here’s the best of November.
There were a lot of really good teams in November. No one was as good as Purdue, and it wasn’t close. The Boilermakers took down then-No. 11 Gonzaga, No. 7 Tennessee and No. 4 Marquette in a marvelous three-day stretch to win the Maui Invitational and become the first team to go 3-0 in November against teams ranked in the top dozen since Duke in 2012.
Zach Edey continues to be a monumental force. The box score numbers speak for themselves, but it’s the defensive efficiency that’s really eye-catching. The Boilermakers are allowing 84.6 points per 100 possessions with him on the court; that figure was 93.6 last season. Edey’s 11.2 block rate is in the top 25 nationally and way, way up from 7.2% last year. Purdue allowed 64.8% shooting at the rim last year. That’s down to 52.1% this year.
But it’s not just “Edey and everyone else” this year, like it felt at times last year. The Boilermakers go 10 players deep, and two key sophomores are showing great growth: Braden Smith’s scoring, shooting, rebounds and assists are all up, and Fletcher Loyer scored 27 in the win over Tennessee. Southern Illinois transfer Lance Jones has added more backcourt scoring. Purdue won’t continue to shoot over 42% from 3-point range, but considering its 32% mark last year, the improvement is obvious.
Purdue’s path doesn’t get any easier. The Boilermakers head to Northwestern on Friday — they lost in Evanston, Illinois, as the No. 1 team last year — and face Alabama and Arizona before the new year. For now, though, there’s no doubting their spot atop the sport.
Other teams…
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