Good morning to everyone but especially to...
THE PURDUE BOILERMAKERS
Led by the shoo-in player of the year? Check. First team to be unanimous No. 1 in the AP Poll this season? Also check.
No. 1 Purdue received all 62 first-place votes in Monday's AP Top 25 after beating Michigan and Michigan State last week while then-No. 2 Alabama get blown out by Oklahoma. Here's the entire top five:
1. Purdue (prev. 1)2. Tennessee (prev. 4)3. Houston (prev. 3)4. Alabama (prev. 2)5. Arizona (prev. 6)The Boilermakers are also atop the Coaches Poll and our Gary Parrish's Top 25 And 1, thanks in large (like, 7-foot-4 large) part to dominant center Zach Edey. Our Matt Norlander got to see Edey go for 38 points and 13 rebounds in the win over Michigan State and came away impressed, to say the least.
Purdue also occupies the top spot in our Jerry Palm's latest Bracketology, and Jerry says that gap is growing. Also on his 1-line currently are Alabama, Kansas State and Arizona. You can see his full field of 68 here.
Purdue's eight-game winning streak is the longest active of any major-conference squad, but the Boilermakers will have to be on top of their game this week. They host a solid Penn State team tomorrow and then head to No. 21 Indiana over the weekend in a can't-miss game. If you want a preview of all of the can't-miss games this week from yours truly, click here.
Honorable mentions
And not such a good morning for...
BROCK PURDY AND THE SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
The dreaded back-to-back "not such a good morning" strikes the 49ers. One day after getting crushed, 31-7, by the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, San Francisco found out Brock Purdy has a torn UCL in his throwing elbow, an injury suffered in the first quarter Sunday. He will be out at least six months.
Purdy, the seventh-round rookie revelation who went 7-1 (including playoffs) as starter, got hurt when Haason Reddick came bursting through and jostled Purdy's arm as he looked to throw, resulting in a fumble.Josh Johnson replaced Purdy but then suffered a head injury, forcing Purdy back in the game even though he couldn't throw the ball more than a few yards downfield.The six-month timeline is an estimate for now, as Purdy is getting a second opinion on if he needs surgery. The 49ers reportedly want him to go through with the surgery, and both parties are hoping he can avoid reconstructive surgery (aka Tommy John).This is a brutal blow for the 49ers, who are about to embark on a very odd offseason, as we talked about Monday. Trey Lance had to undergo a second surgery for his ankle, and the most established quarterback on the roster, Jimmy Garoppolo, is set to become a free agent, meaning there are no healthy, active-roster quarterbacks under contract.
All three are expected to be ready for next season, but this is still far from ideal. The 49ers probably won't (or at least don't want to) re-sign Garoppolo considering the resources they invested in Lance and the success Purdy had. But now they have very little margin for error. What if Lance struggles again and Purdy -- who will miss much of the offseason at least -- isn't quite right? Just hours after their season ended, the 49ers already have major uncertainty regarding next season.
