Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen.....and welcome to another Big Ten Tournament. Today, the #4-seed Purdue Boilermakers take on the #5-seed Ohio State Buckeyes in what shapes up to be a terrific match-up. Scheduled tip is for approximately 2:00 pm (Eastern time) with television coverage on the Big Ten Network. It will be the third meeting for these teams, as Purdue swept the two regular season games. Purdue took the first meeting at home in mid-December 67-60, and EJ Liddell did not play in that game. About a month later, they met in Columbus, and Purdue battled back to take that game 67-65 on Jaden Ivey's three-point FG in the closing seconds.
Although Ohio State ended the regular season losing four straight, they are a very good team and pose a lot of challenges for the Boilers. EJ Liddell was selected all-conference first team and has an inside-outside game....he will pose problems, especially if he's knocking down his opportunities from beyond the arc. Duane Washington made the all-conference third team and had 13 points in the first game and 21 points in the second game. I would guess the Boilers' defense will try to limit/contain those two, but Justice Sueing, Kyle Young, and Justin Ahrens are also quite capable of scoring. CJ Walker can also provide a spark and key experienced senior leadership, so the Boilers will have their hands full.
The Boilers certainly have some weapons to give Ohio State fits, as they did in the previous two meetings. Trevion Williams went for 16/9 and 16/7, and I expect he'll still be the focal point of the initial offense. He's had a little trouble in the last couple of games waiting for the double teams....I'll be interested to see what adjustments Purdue may make here in anticipation of what Ohio State may do. Either way, Zach Edey has continued to become more of an impact, and Ohio State will likely get a few doses of him in the line-up and maybe more so than the earlier games. Sasha Stefanovic has started to round back into form, and the Boilers will need him to knock down a few shots more efficiently....he was 3-12 from deep against Ohio State in the two games, but he did attack the paint a little more and was 8-8 on FT attempts. Jaden Ivey had the game-winner the last time, and I expect he'll have some confidence for this game.....can he continue to improve on his decision making.....his driving ability was and will be a key if the Boilers are to prevail. I think the Boilers will need another good effort from either of Eric Hunter, Jr. or Brandon Newman to take out Ohio State. I think they'll get some opportunities. Brandon Newman has been a little quiet lately, adjusting to coming off the bench. He had a limited role the last game; maybe this could be another break-out performance. Mason Gillis and Aaron Wheeler will need to keep the Buckeyes from exploiting the offensive glass and limit their impact in the paint....a tall order.
This game should be one of the better contests over the whole BTT. Ohio State has been really really good most of the year and is well coached. Purdue has had its ups and downs, but the Boilers have turned the corner and are on a five-game win streak. In the post-season, things tend to get played a little closer.....Purdue certainly needs to value each possession and limit extra opportunities. If they do that and hit a little bit better of a percentage from beyond the arc, I like their chances. Hopefully, the extra rest has helped, and the Boilers come out strong. They can't afford an early hole against a team as strong as Ohio State. Can the Boilers pull off a third victory? We shall see.
Boiler up, my friends.
Although Ohio State ended the regular season losing four straight, they are a very good team and pose a lot of challenges for the Boilers. EJ Liddell was selected all-conference first team and has an inside-outside game....he will pose problems, especially if he's knocking down his opportunities from beyond the arc. Duane Washington made the all-conference third team and had 13 points in the first game and 21 points in the second game. I would guess the Boilers' defense will try to limit/contain those two, but Justice Sueing, Kyle Young, and Justin Ahrens are also quite capable of scoring. CJ Walker can also provide a spark and key experienced senior leadership, so the Boilers will have their hands full.
The Boilers certainly have some weapons to give Ohio State fits, as they did in the previous two meetings. Trevion Williams went for 16/9 and 16/7, and I expect he'll still be the focal point of the initial offense. He's had a little trouble in the last couple of games waiting for the double teams....I'll be interested to see what adjustments Purdue may make here in anticipation of what Ohio State may do. Either way, Zach Edey has continued to become more of an impact, and Ohio State will likely get a few doses of him in the line-up and maybe more so than the earlier games. Sasha Stefanovic has started to round back into form, and the Boilers will need him to knock down a few shots more efficiently....he was 3-12 from deep against Ohio State in the two games, but he did attack the paint a little more and was 8-8 on FT attempts. Jaden Ivey had the game-winner the last time, and I expect he'll have some confidence for this game.....can he continue to improve on his decision making.....his driving ability was and will be a key if the Boilers are to prevail. I think the Boilers will need another good effort from either of Eric Hunter, Jr. or Brandon Newman to take out Ohio State. I think they'll get some opportunities. Brandon Newman has been a little quiet lately, adjusting to coming off the bench. He had a limited role the last game; maybe this could be another break-out performance. Mason Gillis and Aaron Wheeler will need to keep the Buckeyes from exploiting the offensive glass and limit their impact in the paint....a tall order.
This game should be one of the better contests over the whole BTT. Ohio State has been really really good most of the year and is well coached. Purdue has had its ups and downs, but the Boilers have turned the corner and are on a five-game win streak. In the post-season, things tend to get played a little closer.....Purdue certainly needs to value each possession and limit extra opportunities. If they do that and hit a little bit better of a percentage from beyond the arc, I like their chances. Hopefully, the extra rest has helped, and the Boilers come out strong. They can't afford an early hole against a team as strong as Ohio State. Can the Boilers pull off a third victory? We shall see.
Boiler up, my friends.
