Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It's selection Sunday, and this afternoon it's the #24-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes (5-seed) against the #9-ranked Purdue Boilermakers (3-seed) in the 2022 Big Ten Tournament Championship game. Iowa defeated Indiana (9-seed) in a thriller yesterday on Jordan Bohannon's last-second three-pointer, and Purdue held off Michigan State (7-seed) in the second semi-final yesterday, paced by Jaden Ivey's 22 points and nine rebounds. This is Purdue's third BTT title game (5th overall) in the last six ('16, '18) and Iowa's first since '06 when they won their second title. Purdue's lone BTT championship was in 2009. Tip is scheduled for around 3:30 pm (Eastern) with television coverage on CBS, just ahead of the NCAA Tournament Selection Show.
These two schools met twice in the regular season with Purdue winning both - first conference game of the season @ Purdue and in February @ Iowa. Keegan Murray did not play in the first game and was saddled with foul trouble in the second game. Purdue is going to have a match-up problem there, and I expect they'll put multiple defenders on him throughout the game. Regardless, Murray will get his points - Purdue needs to make him work for it and perhaps force him inside more. He was 8/10 from long-range against Indiana, ending up with 32 points. If he has that type of efficiency, it could be a long day for the Boilers.
Purdue has the advantage inside, so I'd expect them to continue to work inside (with Zach Edey/Trevion Williams) and then look for opportunities on the perimeter with Sasha Stefanovic, Eric Hunter, Jr. and Mason Gillis. Iowa doesn't quite have the post-presence to deal one on one like Michigan State could....think they'll try to double some.....also look for them to pressure Purdue's guards.....they hurt Indiana late with some pressure. Like Purdue with Keegan Murray, Iowa doesn't really have a good answer for Jaden Ivey....so, his ability to create opportunities without turnovers will be another key.
This game could be a higher scoring game than most - Iowa likes to push the pace.....the Boilers will need to slow some of that down but also take advantage of their own opportunities. It really comes down to the same formula for Purdue - if they execute and play with energy for 40 minutes, I like their chances. Iowa can score, though - so if they're knocking down enough shots, they're never out of it. Purdue needs to get enough stops and limit the turnovers - they had 17 in the first game and 15 in the second. They need to stay in single digits to up their chances.
Should be a highly entertaining spirited game - can the Boilers make it a complete success and bring home its second BTT crown?
We shall see later this afternoon.
Boiler up, my friends.
These two schools met twice in the regular season with Purdue winning both - first conference game of the season @ Purdue and in February @ Iowa. Keegan Murray did not play in the first game and was saddled with foul trouble in the second game. Purdue is going to have a match-up problem there, and I expect they'll put multiple defenders on him throughout the game. Regardless, Murray will get his points - Purdue needs to make him work for it and perhaps force him inside more. He was 8/10 from long-range against Indiana, ending up with 32 points. If he has that type of efficiency, it could be a long day for the Boilers.
Purdue has the advantage inside, so I'd expect them to continue to work inside (with Zach Edey/Trevion Williams) and then look for opportunities on the perimeter with Sasha Stefanovic, Eric Hunter, Jr. and Mason Gillis. Iowa doesn't quite have the post-presence to deal one on one like Michigan State could....think they'll try to double some.....also look for them to pressure Purdue's guards.....they hurt Indiana late with some pressure. Like Purdue with Keegan Murray, Iowa doesn't really have a good answer for Jaden Ivey....so, his ability to create opportunities without turnovers will be another key.
This game could be a higher scoring game than most - Iowa likes to push the pace.....the Boilers will need to slow some of that down but also take advantage of their own opportunities. It really comes down to the same formula for Purdue - if they execute and play with energy for 40 minutes, I like their chances. Iowa can score, though - so if they're knocking down enough shots, they're never out of it. Purdue needs to get enough stops and limit the turnovers - they had 17 in the first game and 15 in the second. They need to stay in single digits to up their chances.
Should be a highly entertaining spirited game - can the Boilers make it a complete success and bring home its second BTT crown?
We shall see later this afternoon.
Boiler up, my friends.
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