Good evening ladies and gentlemen. The #3-ranked Purdue Boilermakers (17-1; 6-1) are in Minneapolis tonight to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-9; 1-5). Tip is scheduled for approximately 7:00 pm (Eastern time) with television coverage on ESPN2. This is the second game of the season between the two schools, as Purdue defeated Minnesota in West Lafayette last month, 89-70 in the first conference game for both. Purdue is in the midst of a stretch of four games in 11 days and recently defeated Michigan State on the road on Monday. Minnesota lost to Illinois at home this week after getting its first conference win at Ohio State just before that.
Expected Starting Line-ups:
Purdue - Caleb Furst, Zach Edey, Ethan Morton, Fletcher Loyer, and Braden Smith
Minnesota - Joshua Ola-Joseph, Dawson Garcia, Jamison Battle (could be a game-time decision as he suffered a back injury against Illinois), Ta'Lon Cooper, and Taurus Samuels.
Life on the road in the conference can be difficult, and historically, Purdue teams have had mixed results in Williams Arena (aka The Barn). Although on paper this game might be thought of as a mismatch, the Boilers cannot afford to take any opponent lightly nor can they afford to have stretches of unfocused or sloppy play. I expect Minnesota will be energized at the start playing in front of the home crowd and try to attack the Purdue defense. Despite being out-sized, they have some athletic players on the wing. If Jamison Battle can't go, that will be a tough loss to the line-up to over come. I also don't expect Minnesota to play Zach Edey straight up as much as Michigan State did. Zach Edey had 31 point and 22 rebounds last time out against the Gophers, but he did shoot under 50% from the field. Look for some variety of looks against him, and just a hunch - I also expect more physical play again in the paint.
The Boilers will get some opportunities from the outside, and they'll need to make some - last game against Minnesota, Purdue shot 7-17 from beyond the arc. If they did something similar tonight, I like their chances. Purdue also had only seven turnovers - again, another good measuring stick as well as a 41-21 edge on the glass. It's a fairly basic recipe for Purdue, but it works well. Now, the bench production has been spotty of late - hopefully, Purdue can get a better game tonight. Trey Kaufman-Renn had a good outing last time out against Minnesota with 10/6/3 in 28 minutes.....Purdue would gladly take something like that from him tonight. Brandon Newman had 13 points in 20 minutes of action.
The Boilers need a 40-minute focused effort and to execute the game plan with poise and discipline. If they do that, it will be a tough up-hill battle for the Gophers. Can this young Purdue team keep things going in a tough road environment and stay on top of the conference?
We shall see, starting in a couple of hours.
Boiler Up, my friends.
Expected Starting Line-ups:
Purdue - Caleb Furst, Zach Edey, Ethan Morton, Fletcher Loyer, and Braden Smith
Minnesota - Joshua Ola-Joseph, Dawson Garcia, Jamison Battle (could be a game-time decision as he suffered a back injury against Illinois), Ta'Lon Cooper, and Taurus Samuels.
Life on the road in the conference can be difficult, and historically, Purdue teams have had mixed results in Williams Arena (aka The Barn). Although on paper this game might be thought of as a mismatch, the Boilers cannot afford to take any opponent lightly nor can they afford to have stretches of unfocused or sloppy play. I expect Minnesota will be energized at the start playing in front of the home crowd and try to attack the Purdue defense. Despite being out-sized, they have some athletic players on the wing. If Jamison Battle can't go, that will be a tough loss to the line-up to over come. I also don't expect Minnesota to play Zach Edey straight up as much as Michigan State did. Zach Edey had 31 point and 22 rebounds last time out against the Gophers, but he did shoot under 50% from the field. Look for some variety of looks against him, and just a hunch - I also expect more physical play again in the paint.
The Boilers will get some opportunities from the outside, and they'll need to make some - last game against Minnesota, Purdue shot 7-17 from beyond the arc. If they did something similar tonight, I like their chances. Purdue also had only seven turnovers - again, another good measuring stick as well as a 41-21 edge on the glass. It's a fairly basic recipe for Purdue, but it works well. Now, the bench production has been spotty of late - hopefully, Purdue can get a better game tonight. Trey Kaufman-Renn had a good outing last time out against Minnesota with 10/6/3 in 28 minutes.....Purdue would gladly take something like that from him tonight. Brandon Newman had 13 points in 20 minutes of action.
The Boilers need a 40-minute focused effort and to execute the game plan with poise and discipline. If they do that, it will be a tough up-hill battle for the Gophers. Can this young Purdue team keep things going in a tough road environment and stay on top of the conference?
We shall see, starting in a couple of hours.
Boiler Up, my friends.
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