Big Ten Banter: Purdue, Indiana Take Different Paths to Roster Management

Both Purdue and Indiana are welcoming several new faces this offseason. But how coaches Matt Painter and Mike Woodson approached roster management couldn’t be more different.

Painter went the “old school” route. Purdue is adding six freshmen to the roster as members of the 2024 recruiting class. The Boilermakers are still focused on bringing in young talent and developing players into key contributors down the road.

Woodson has changed with the times. Instead of focusing attention on recruits at the high school level, he and his staff have raided the NCAA transfer portal. The Hoosiers are bringing the top-ranked transfer class to Bloomington in hopes of turning into a Big Ten contender overnight.

Is one path more advantageous than the other? Not necessarily. But it is an interesting contrast in styles between two programs whose fan bases genuinely dislike each other. 

So, which program is in the best position for success? There are a few avenues to explore in answering that question.

It doesn’t need repeating that Purdue is losing a lot from last season’s squad, which finished with a 34-5 record, won a second straight Big Ten regular season title and reached the program’s first national championship game since 1969.

Two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey is gone, as is Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year Mason Gillis and graduate transfer Lance Jones. All three were major contributors throughout last season.

Yet there’s still a lot of optimism surrounding Painter’s team in West Lafayette for the 2024-25 season. Yes, a big part of that is that the Boilers return starting guards Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer, as well as big man Trey Kaufman-Renn. There’s also an expectation that Myles Colvin, Caleb Furst and Camden Heide will have bigger roles.

But Purdue’s incoming recruiting class has also created plenty of excitement. Painter’s 2024 class ranks No. 10 nationally, per 247Sports. It’s a six-man class that includes a pair of top-100 prospects: guards Kanon Catchings (No. 34) and Gicarri Harris (No. 91). 

For Painter and the Boilermakers, having a top-10 recruiting class locked up created a sense of relief for the offseason. With all six prospects signing in the fall, there was no work that needed to be done regarding the incoming class when the 2023-24 season concluded.

“It’s been great for us because we’re not in the portal,” Painter said in an interview with Andy Katz. “Everybody, at the end of their season and even during the tournament, are working for next year. We signed a big class in the fall …

We have a young group. We signed six freshmen, so getting those guys up to speed and having a great summer and a great fall before practice officially starts is gonna be really important.”

Even with so many newcomers to the roster, there’s an expectation that Purdue will still be a contender in the Big Ten next season. It’s a combination of returning experience, incoming talent and Painter’s reputation of producing quality teams on an annual basis.

And perhaps Painter’s success — and longevity at Purdue — is why he feels comfortable sticking with the “old school” recruiting route. His job is secure. There’s no urgency to go out and entice the biggest name in the transfer portal to come to West Lafayette.

That’s not a bad thing.

Just 117 miles south of West Lafayette, Woodson and his staff in Bloomington have taken a completely different approach to roster management. Rather than loading up on high school players, Indiana has decided to raid the transfer portal — and did a damn good job of it.

The Hoosiers have assembled the top-ranked transfer class during the 2024 offseason. It’s headlined by former Arizona star Oumar Ballo, a 7-footer who averaged 12.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game for the Wildcats last year.

Additionally, Indiana landed transfer pledges from Myles Rice (Washington State), Kanaan Carlyle (Stanford) and Luke Goode (Illinois). Rice averaged 14.8 points per game and was named the Pac-12 Rookie of the Year last season. Carlyle scored 11.5 points per game, and Goode has shot nearly 39% from 3-point range in his career.

On paper, Indiana will have one of the top rosters in college basketball this upcoming season. That was Woodson’s plan from the moment the Hoosiers were blown off the court by Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament in March.

“The bottom line is we’ve got to get better,” he said. “From a talent standpoint, this summer will be spent watching a lot of film on players because we’re going to lose some players, I’m sure, and we’re going to have to build around the core guys that are coming back.

“We’ve just got a lot of work to do this summer to get better. I don’t want to sit here this time next year and not be playing in the (NCAA) tournament.”

Because of the transfer additions, there’s restored excitement in Bloomington after a 19-14 campaign last season. But because of that less-than-stellar year, was Woodson’s hand forced a little bit?

Warranted or not, Indiana fans grew frustrated with Woodson during the 2023-24 season. It (probably) makes his fourth season with the Hoosiers a make-or-break year.

That doesn’t allow time for Woodson and his staff to recruit and develop players over a four-year period. It makes sense as to why the Hoosiers have a one-man recruiting class — landing five-star talent Bryson Tucker.

Confession: I wanted to straddle the fence when answering this question. I wanted to say that Indiana has the better chance to find immediate success while Purdue is in much better shape for the long haul. But … I can’t. 

Woodson has done an admiral job in the transfer portal. Bringing a wave of talent to Bloomington was essential for the Hoosiers. He fulfilled his promise of adding more quality players to the roster.

Building through the portal is a high-risk, high-reward business, though. Trying to make all the puzzle pieces fit together can be a challenging task. Even if Woodson does make it work, this group has a short lifespan.

Yes, Purdue is replacing a lot of key contributors, but it’s also returning six significant contributors. The Boilermakers may have gotten younger, but there’s still a lot of experience on the roster.

Plus, Painter has set the Boilers up for future success by bringing in a six-man class. He’s also brought in a lot of talent and athleticism with the addition of Catchings and Harris.

West Lafayette may not be home to the same star-level talent that’s soon coming to Bloomington, but Painter has built a Final Four program without that caliber of skill — at least according to the recruiting boards.

Maybe it’s a trust thing. And when it comes to trust, I have more in Painter than Woodson.