There haven’t been may teams in the B1G hotter than Purdue lately. Winners of their last five straight, the Boilers are right in the thick of the conference race.

But at 7-2 in league play and 14-6 overall, is No. 17 Purdue really a contender to add another conference title to its trophy case? More directly, can Matt Painter’s bunch really compete with Michigan and Michigan State for the top spot?

BTN basketball analyst Brian Hamilton seems convinced that Purdue has a legitimate shot to sneak into the top spot of the B1G. Why? He looks at the schedule and Carsen Edwards as the primary reasons.

Here’s what Hamilton had to say about the Boilermakers’ chances:

There are still 11 conference games remaining for Purdue, including Thursday night’s matchup against Penn State at the Bryce-Jordan Center. While there are still six road games remaining, Purdue has just one game against a ranked opponent — Feb. 12 at Maryland.

Minnesota, Nebraska, Indiana and Ohio State could still complicate things for the Boilers, but without Michigan State, Michigan, Wisconsin or Iowa on the schedule, Purdue is in pretty good position.

Purdue is shooting for its sixth straight win on Thursday night against Penn State. It would be the ninth win in 10 games for the Boilermakers.