Good evening Ladies & Gentlemen. The Purdue Boilermakers (14-1; 3-1) are in Philadelphia to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions (11-4; 2-2) in the historic Palestra. Tip is scheduled for approximately 6:00 pm (Eastern time) with television coverage on the Big Ten Network.
Expected Starting Line-ups:
Purdue - Caleb Furst, Zach Edey, Ethan Morton, Fletcher Loyer, and Braden Smith
Penn State - Kebba Njie, Seth Lundy, Jalen Pickett, Andrew Funk, and Camren Wynter
Purdue is coming off a tough road win at Ohio State on Thursday after dropping its first game of the year on Monday. This will be Purdue's third game in seven days. Penn State lost at Michigan most recently earlier this week. Penn State plays a different style on offense, primarily on the perimeter with four guards and uses Jalen Pinkett to back down defenders in the paint at times. If the long range shots are falling, they can be a handful. Purdue will need to stay with the shooters and also not let Pickett drive and dish off to open shooters. The Boilers should have an edge inside, but it's imperative they control the glass defensively and not let the Nittany Lions get second chance opportunities.
I expect this game is going to be similar to the last two, a physical grind-it-out possession-to-possession style of game. Penn State will try to pressure Purdue, and one of the keys will be how well Purdue (and particular the guards) handle that. Turnovers were a problem against Ohio State (14) and Rutgers (13), leading to some empty possessions. Penn State is also adept with avoiding turnovers.
With Penn State's lack of size up front, Purdue should try to work that advantage, not only with Zach Edey, but also with Caleb Furst and Trey Kaufman-Renn when he comes off the bench. If Purdue executes (and makes some shots like they did in the second half at Ohio State) and also maintains its poise in what should be a really tough arena atmosphere, they'll have a really good chance to stay at the top of the conference standings.
Micah Shrewsberry, Penn State's coach, certainly knows Matt Painter's strategy and philosophy having serves as an assistant at Purdue. I expect Penn State to play a really tough game. and even though it's not a campus game, the crowd should help them. Can the Boilers fight through and maintain a competitive edge consistently to end the week on a positive note? We shall see, starting in less than an hour.
Boiler Up, my friends.
Expected Starting Line-ups:
Purdue - Caleb Furst, Zach Edey, Ethan Morton, Fletcher Loyer, and Braden Smith
Penn State - Kebba Njie, Seth Lundy, Jalen Pickett, Andrew Funk, and Camren Wynter
Purdue is coming off a tough road win at Ohio State on Thursday after dropping its first game of the year on Monday. This will be Purdue's third game in seven days. Penn State lost at Michigan most recently earlier this week. Penn State plays a different style on offense, primarily on the perimeter with four guards and uses Jalen Pinkett to back down defenders in the paint at times. If the long range shots are falling, they can be a handful. Purdue will need to stay with the shooters and also not let Pickett drive and dish off to open shooters. The Boilers should have an edge inside, but it's imperative they control the glass defensively and not let the Nittany Lions get second chance opportunities.
I expect this game is going to be similar to the last two, a physical grind-it-out possession-to-possession style of game. Penn State will try to pressure Purdue, and one of the keys will be how well Purdue (and particular the guards) handle that. Turnovers were a problem against Ohio State (14) and Rutgers (13), leading to some empty possessions. Penn State is also adept with avoiding turnovers.
With Penn State's lack of size up front, Purdue should try to work that advantage, not only with Zach Edey, but also with Caleb Furst and Trey Kaufman-Renn when he comes off the bench. If Purdue executes (and makes some shots like they did in the second half at Ohio State) and also maintains its poise in what should be a really tough arena atmosphere, they'll have a really good chance to stay at the top of the conference standings.
Micah Shrewsberry, Penn State's coach, certainly knows Matt Painter's strategy and philosophy having serves as an assistant at Purdue. I expect Penn State to play a really tough game. and even though it's not a campus game, the crowd should help them. Can the Boilers fight through and maintain a competitive edge consistently to end the week on a positive note? We shall see, starting in less than an hour.
Boiler Up, my friends.
