The Boilers take on the Golden Eagles @ the Bradley Center in Milwaukee this evening in a Gavitt Games contest matching teams from the Big Ten and the Big East conferences. Purdue's squad has fond memories of its last trip to this facility, having advanced to the NCAA Regional after defeating Vermont and Iowa State last March.
Purdue (2-0) is coming off two impressive victories last week against over-match foes, ISU-Edwardsville and Chicago State, but tonight, the Boilers will face its toughest test of the season to date. It's the first meeting between Purdue and Marquette since the 1969 NCAA Regional Final, where the Rick Mount led Boilers prevailed in overtime to advance to the Final Four.
Marquette (1-0) defeated Mount St. Mary's 80-59 on Friday.
Vincent Edwards, who is the only active player in the nation with at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists, believes Purdue's margin of victory their first two games indicates growth from last season.
"That just goes to show that we're growing and we're more mature. It doesn't matter who we're playing, we can't take the game lightly."
Edwards notched his fifth career double-double against Chicago State, scoring 15 points to go with 12 rebounds. Carsen Edwards led all scorers with a career-high 26 points, and is averaging a team-best 21 points through two games.
The Golden Eagles shot 51 percent from the field in their opener but were just 6 of 21 from 3-point range, where they've excelled in recent years.
Purdue coach Matt Painter is among those who respect Marquette's ability to shoot from distance.
"It's two totally different styles. Marquette is one of the best shooting teams in the country. They had the best 3-point percentage in the country last year, so they have a lot of guys who can play and they spread you out well."
Can the Boilers' defense handle Marquette's perimeter threat without surrendering too much in the paint? Can Purdue maintain its offensive surge and keep a balanced rotation of contributors? How will the newcomers Nojel Eastern and Matt Haarms respond in their first true road test?
We'll find out soon......should be a good contest.
Boiler up, my friends.
Purdue (2-0) is coming off two impressive victories last week against over-match foes, ISU-Edwardsville and Chicago State, but tonight, the Boilers will face its toughest test of the season to date. It's the first meeting between Purdue and Marquette since the 1969 NCAA Regional Final, where the Rick Mount led Boilers prevailed in overtime to advance to the Final Four.
Marquette (1-0) defeated Mount St. Mary's 80-59 on Friday.
Vincent Edwards, who is the only active player in the nation with at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists, believes Purdue's margin of victory their first two games indicates growth from last season.
"That just goes to show that we're growing and we're more mature. It doesn't matter who we're playing, we can't take the game lightly."
Edwards notched his fifth career double-double against Chicago State, scoring 15 points to go with 12 rebounds. Carsen Edwards led all scorers with a career-high 26 points, and is averaging a team-best 21 points through two games.
The Golden Eagles shot 51 percent from the field in their opener but were just 6 of 21 from 3-point range, where they've excelled in recent years.
Purdue coach Matt Painter is among those who respect Marquette's ability to shoot from distance.
"It's two totally different styles. Marquette is one of the best shooting teams in the country. They had the best 3-point percentage in the country last year, so they have a lot of guys who can play and they spread you out well."
Can the Boilers' defense handle Marquette's perimeter threat without surrendering too much in the paint? Can Purdue maintain its offensive surge and keep a balanced rotation of contributors? How will the newcomers Nojel Eastern and Matt Haarms respond in their first true road test?
We'll find out soon......should be a good contest.
Boiler up, my friends.
