Good Evening, Ladies & Gentlemen. The #4-ranked Purdue Boilermakers come into Williams Arena in Minneapolis to take on the host Minnesota Golden Gophers. Tip-off is set for around 7:00 pm (Eastern) with television coverage on the Big Ten Network (BTN). The Boilers are looking to continue a surge toward the top of the conference standings, coming off a thrilling (if not cardiac arrest-inducing) victory over Ohio State and are 18-3 (7-3 in conference). Minnesota has faced a juggernaut conference schedule so far and are down the pack @ 2-7 in conference, 11-7 overall. With the coaching change this year and a lot of departures, the Golden Gophers have had a lot of additional obstacles, yet they are still capable of pulling the upset if Purdue runs into some difficulty and doesn't execute well enough. These two schools have had a recent habit of playing close contests, and Minnesota has won four of the last six played in The Barn.
Jamison Battle and Payton Willis combine to be one of the most potent one-two punches in the B10, averaging nearly 18 and 17 points respectively, but the Golden Gophers season has been disappointingly predictable in an opening Big Ten schedule that’s been nothing short of brutal. A pair of numbers to keep in mind before tip-off: Minnesota enters the game with only 9.4 turnovers per game on average, good for sixth-best in college basketball. On the flip side, Purdue is fifth-worst in college basketball in takeaways, with only 10.2 on average.
The Boilers should have a decided match-up edge on offense, and they are one of the best offensive teams in the country. They've been consistently outstanding on that end of the floor all year, and at any time can fuel a run of double-digits. Now, when the shots aren't quite falling, or they get impatient.....then the turnovers or otherwise poor possessions can keep opponents in the game because of break-downs on the other end of the floor - it showed up again last weekend.
This perhaps may sound like a broken record, but the key again tonight falls on their execution and limiting extra possessions.....do that, and they should be able to continue on toward a difficult stretch with Michigan (twice) and Illinois in between from the re-scheduled game with Michigan. Last time on the road was a solid performance in Iowa City. Eric Hunter, Jr. has strung together some really nice efforts, which hopefully continues. Jaden Ivey seems to be healthy and past his hip flexor issue. I'd like to see Trevion Williams have a more dominant game (with some FT success) and also see Sasha Stefanovic string together another good road performance.
Purdue needs to try and take control early - that's what the really good teams do in games like these if they want to make a championship run.....are the Boilers up to the task? We shall see.
Boiler up, my friends...
Jamison Battle and Payton Willis combine to be one of the most potent one-two punches in the B10, averaging nearly 18 and 17 points respectively, but the Golden Gophers season has been disappointingly predictable in an opening Big Ten schedule that’s been nothing short of brutal. A pair of numbers to keep in mind before tip-off: Minnesota enters the game with only 9.4 turnovers per game on average, good for sixth-best in college basketball. On the flip side, Purdue is fifth-worst in college basketball in takeaways, with only 10.2 on average.
The Boilers should have a decided match-up edge on offense, and they are one of the best offensive teams in the country. They've been consistently outstanding on that end of the floor all year, and at any time can fuel a run of double-digits. Now, when the shots aren't quite falling, or they get impatient.....then the turnovers or otherwise poor possessions can keep opponents in the game because of break-downs on the other end of the floor - it showed up again last weekend.
This perhaps may sound like a broken record, but the key again tonight falls on their execution and limiting extra possessions.....do that, and they should be able to continue on toward a difficult stretch with Michigan (twice) and Illinois in between from the re-scheduled game with Michigan. Last time on the road was a solid performance in Iowa City. Eric Hunter, Jr. has strung together some really nice efforts, which hopefully continues. Jaden Ivey seems to be healthy and past his hip flexor issue. I'd like to see Trevion Williams have a more dominant game (with some FT success) and also see Sasha Stefanovic string together another good road performance.
Purdue needs to try and take control early - that's what the really good teams do in games like these if they want to make a championship run.....are the Boilers up to the task? We shall see.
Boiler up, my friends...
