Purdue basketball has expectations in 2023-24, depending on Zach Edey

One college basketball season just ended, so of course it's time to project into next season.

Purdue basketball surprised many this year in multiple ways, going from unranked at the start of the season to a No. 1 NCAA tournament seed. And then losing in the first round.

Though there's more volatility than ever involving rosters, that seems to be missing with the Boilermakers – except for one very large question: Will National Player of the Year Zach Edey return?

Here are some way-too-early outlooks for the 2023-24 college basketball season.

What's missing with the Boilers: Painter identifies his team's biggest need

Jeff Goodman, Watch Stadium: No. 5

Obviously, the big question is whether Zach Edey returns or turns pro. The two freshman guards in Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer now have a year under their belt. The Boilermakers also bring back Mason Gillis, Trey Kaufman-Renn, Brandon Newman, Caleb Furst and Ethan Morton. Look for Matt Painter to add a combo or point guard to take some pressure off Smith.

Jeff Borzello, ESPN: No. 15

Obviously, this ranking assumes Zach Edey doesn't return to West Lafayette. The consensus national player of the year is ranked just inside ESPN's top 60 for the NBA draft, meaning we consider him gone until told otherwise. If Edey comes back, the Boilermakers vault into the top five, as they bring back everyone else besides David Jenkins Jr. With another year of experience under their belts, Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer should be better late in the season too.

Kevin Flaherty, 247 Sports: No. 6

For the purpose of these rankings, Edey projects to return to school after he averaged 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game and won National Player of the Year. And with another year’s experience, the guards around Edey may be better equipped to make plays when teams sag on Edey in key moments. Remember: Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer were just freshmen last year. And neither Ethan Morton nor Mason Gillis connected at the percentages they did before from deep. If that quartet, along with some other Purdue reserves who can return in 2023-24 step up and make shots when it matters most, the Boilermakers can put this year’s early exit behind them and reach the second weekend of next year’s NCAA Tournament, if not go further.

Kevin Sweeney, Sports Illustrated: No. 4

The Boilermakers’ shocking loss to Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the NCAA tournament exposed a lot of the flaws that need to be addressed with this roster athletically to win in March. That said, if Zach Edey returns, Purdue will be among the best regular-season teams in the land. Purdue got more mileage than anyone predicted out of Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer in the backcourt this season, and that experience should pay off for the sophomore duo in 2023–24.

Mike DeCourcy, Sporting News: No. 4

This Boilers team will be more experienced, with more physical maturity and ideally more dynamism with freshman Myles Colvin arriving and potentially more shooting with redshirt freshman Camden Heide becoming active.

All of this is dependent on the Sporting News Player of the Year Zach Edey returning for another season, but every indication is he will remain a Boiler in 2023-24.

John Fanta, Fox Sports: No. 3

An incredible season ended with a thud in the stunning loss to FDU, but evidence suggests the Boilermakers will be back and fully loaded to flip the script next season. If Zach Edey in fact returns to West Lafayette, with that backcourt, Purdue will be the class of the Big Ten and a top-five team.

Gary Parrish, CBS Sports: No. 2

This ranking is based on the Boilermakers returning the top seven scorers from a team that won the Big Ten regular-season title and the Big Ten Tournament before securing a No. 1 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. CBS Sports National Player of the Year Zach Edey has a decision to make, obviously, but for now I'm projecting him to return to Purdue.

USA Today: No. 3

Yes, yes, we know, and until the Boilermakers do something meaningful in March, they won’t shed the underachiever label. But Matt Painter’s team should have most key contributors back, including Zach Edey in the middle. Guards Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith should also improve as sophomores after some growing pains. Finding consistent shooters would be huge to punish defenses that will collapse on Edey.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball has expectations in 2023-24, depending on Zach Edey