West Lafayette, Indiana - In a nail-biting 1-point finish, the Purdue Boilermakers defeated the Michigan State Spartans 64-63 and reaffirmed their title on the basketball court as the Big Ten's best.

For much of the second half of the Boilermakers' road game against the Spartans on Monday, Purdue and Michigan State went back and forth leading on the scoreboard.

For the Spartans, the game came with the stakes of upsetting a top-ranked team and soaring in the conference rankings.

Yet, the road game presented even bigger stakes for Purdue, which included distancing their lead in the Big Ten and cementing their place in the national rankings as the sole Midwest top-10 team in the AP Poll's top 25 and the NCAA Coaches Poll. And the Boilermakers delivered.

After a short-lived No. 1 ranking and March Madness tournament run last season, the Boilermakers have are continuing to impress this year as a real national title contending team.

Led by National Player of the Year candidate Zach Edey, can Purdue become the first from the Big Ten to win a national title in 23 years?

The last time the Big Ten was represented in the NCAA National Championship game was Wisconsin in 2015. The conference's most recent national title win was Michigan's in 2000.

With a 23-year drought, the Midwest is long overdue for another national title victory, and Purdue is shaping up to be the strongest team yet to bring back the crown.

The Boilermakers are arguably the favorites to win in every game they're set to play between now and Selection Sunday - the day the March Madness tournament bracket is revealed.

With Edey and star freshman Fletcher Loyer, Purdue could very well remain undefeated until the start of March Madness. This season, 7-foot-4 Edey has played in 18 games and has established himself as one of the country's best players. The junior has averaged 31.5 points and 13.4 rebounds per game and is hugely credited for the Boilermakers' success this year.

Freshman newcomer Loyer has also proven he is one of the best new faces in the league. Against Michigan State, Loyer finished with 17 points, including two clutch baskets that put Purdue ahead 62-61 with 32.5 seconds remaining on the clock.

It was enough for Purdue to seal the deal.

The Loyer/Edey duo is set to hit the basketball court again on Thursday against Minnesota on the road at 7PM EST.