March Madness 2023 bracket busters: 5 high seeds that will go down early

4. Potential bracket busters – Purdue Boilermakers

One of the worst-case scenarios for a top seed in March Madness is peaking too early. That may be the case for Purdue, which looked like the best team in the country from late November until the end of January but has looked more mortal of late.

The Boilermakers dropped four out of six at one point in February and have played tighter games against a relatively average Big Ten since Feb. 1. The Big Ten Tournament hasn’t instilled a ton more confidence that Purdue has its groove back after they struggled to get by Rutgers in their opener and let Ohio State hang around for way too long in the semifinals.

Having the nation’s best big man in Zach Edey is a help but head coach Matt Painter has had more than a few March disappointments in his tenure at Purdue. A prime example occurred last season when a key tactical error allowed the Boilermakers to get upset by Saint Peter’s during the Peacocks’ Cinderella run to the Elite Eight.

A Big Ten Tournament title helped Purdue get the final No. 1 seed but they got a very tough 8-9 draw with Memphis and Florida Atlantic set to face them in the Round of 32. The Tigers are playing as well as anyone in the country and the Owls are one of the nation’s best mid-majors, making it likely that the Boilermakers head for the exits early.