WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Brackets are being filled out as we speak — and Purdue may be a popular choice for the national championship around here.

At least one Boilermaker — 6-foot-7 junior guard and Butler graduate Ethan Morton — appreciates that thought.

“I love being from Butler because the support from there never ends,” Morton said. “People from back home are following us, rooting for us. March Madness is always an exciting time. Hopefully, we can make it even more fun for everybody if we can get on a roll.”

Morton recalled filling out a bracket for the Butler Eagle’s March Madness contest while growing up in the area. Being a part of college basketball, he does not fill one out anymore.

“I haven’t done a bracket for a few years now ... I don’t think we’re even allowed to fill one out now,” he said.

Then again, he would much rather play in the NCAA Tournament than watch it.

“That’s one of the reasons I came here,” Morton said. “It’s been special. Not many people get to play on as many good teams as I have. And, hopefully, we have a lot more success ahead of us.”

Purdue (29-5) won the Big Ten regular season championship by three games, then defeated Rutgers, Ohio State and Penn State to claim the Big Ten Tournament title as well. The Boilermakers are the No. 1 seed in the East Region, the program’s first No. 1 seed since 1996.

Purdue’s 29 wins are the second-most in program history.

“We knew we had to go after the (conference tourney) championship in Chicago after seeing other teams contending for top seeds get to their conference finals,” Morton said. “It definitely motivated us. You want to give yourself the best path possible.”

The Boilermakers’ first-round game will be against the winner of the First Four matchup between Fairleigh Dickinson (19-15) of the Northeast Conference and Texas Southern (14-20), which won the SWAC tourney title. They will play at 6:50 p.m. Friday in Columbus, Ohio.

Other top teams in the East Regional include Marquette, Kansas State, Tennessee and Duke, seeded 2 through 5.

“Marquette looks really good and Duke is one of the hottest teams in the country right now,” Morton said. “The 8-9 matchup of Memphis and Florida Atlantic won’t be easy. Everybody deserves to be here. Everybody’s good.

“We’ll prepare for our first game like we prepare for any other.”

Purdue dropped three of four games late in the regular season, prompting coach Matt Painter to insert junior guard Brandon Newman into the starting lineup. The move sent Morton to the bench as the team’s sixth man after 29 successive starts.

The Boilermakers have won five straight games since, all against Big Ten opponents.

“Every team goes through a struggle like that at some point,” Morton said. “Unfortunately, ours happened toward the end of the season and some people lost faith in us. But losing on the road to Northwestern and Maryland, then at home to Indiana ... This is a tough league.

“Brandon’s done a great job since becoming a starter. He’s been a big boost. gave us the spark we needed. Sure, as a competitor, I want to be on the floor, but I’m still playing a lot and I have to continue finding ways to contribute.”

Morton is averaging 3.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while averaging 25.5 minutes per game. He is second to Braden Smith on the team with 84 assists and 28 steals.

“I just want to make a positive impact, do anything I can to help us win,” Morton said.

He’s become best friends with Purdue’s 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey, the Big Ten Player of the Year and a prime contender for national honors.

“Zach is a great person with unbelievable ability, yet he’s so humble,” Morton said. “He works so hard at his game. I love being around the guy.”

He loves the atmosphere of major college basketball as well.

“Our home games at Mackey Arena are crazy,” he said. “So is the atmosphere at every road game in the Big Ten. We’ve won on neutral floors, too, like in Portland, Indianapolis, just last weekend in Chicago.

“We’re as prepared as we can be for this tournament. Now it’s a matter of going one game at a time and see how far we can get.”