Losing Robbie Hummel for the season certainly hurts Purdue’s chances of winning a Big Ten title. But as ESPN.com’s Andy Katz writes, the jury is still out as to how Hummel’s injury affects the Boilermakers’ tournament seed.
How Does The Loss Of Hummel Affect Purdue’s NCAA Tournament Seeding?
[NCAA tournament selection committee chair Dan] Guerrero didn’t want to get into the specifics of Purdue’s case, but did acknowledge that there was an assumption among the public that Purdue is in contention for a No. 1 seed. Of course, that’s subject to change depending on what happens from now until when the committee convenes.
“What if that team were to win its conference, win its postseason tournament and was knocking off quality teams?” Guerrero said. “Why wouldn’t you take that into consideration.”
In 2000, Cincinnati was on its way to a No. 1 seed. But the Bearcats lost Kenyon Martin, the country’s best player, to a broken leg in a loss to Saint Louis in the Conference USA tournament. The committee gave Cincinnati a No. 2 seed and it lost to No. 7 seed Tulsa in the second round.
Normally, taking away a team’s best player would be detrimental enough to send them spiraling downward, as noted in the Kenyon Martin example. However, Purdue doesn’t necessarily rely on Hummel as much as the Bearcats relied on Martin. Matt Painter’s team is very balanced, and while they won’t be near the same team that they were with Hummel on the floor, they’re not exactly about to become pushovers either. E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson can vouch for that.
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