No. 4 Purdue Looks to Stay Atop Big Ten Race With Challenge at Michigan State

by | Feb 25, 2022 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

No. 4 Purdue Looks to Stay Atop Big Ten Race With Challenge at Michigan State

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
[4 / 7] Purdue (24-4, 12-4) vs. Michigan State (18-9, 9-7)
Saturday, Feb. 26 | Noon ET | Breslin Center
ESPN (Jason Benetti, Robbie Hummel, Myron Medcalf)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – With just one week left in the regular season, the No. 4-ranked Purdue Boilermakers remain on their quest for their 25th Big Ten Championship, facing a talented and hungry Michigan State squad on Saturday in East Lansing. The Boilermakers remain tied for the league lead with Wisconsin with three games to play and this weekend’s games will go a long way in determining the regular-season champion.

Purdue enters with a 24-4 mark, while the Spartans are 18-9. The Spartans own victories over UConn, Wisconsin, Loyola and Michigan.

The contest will be televised on ESPN with Jason Benetti, Robbie Hummel and Myron Medcalf on the call. On the radio waves, Rob Blackman and Bobby Riddell will be courtside on the 22-station Purdue Radio Network and online on the Varsity Sports Network (app). Live stats will be provided on PurdueSports.com and updates will be provided on Purdue’s official Twitter account (@BoilerBall).

THE NOTES TO KNOW
1) Purdue needs one win for 25 this season, which would mark the 15th season in school history with 25 wins, including nine under Painter.
2) Though mathematically still possible with a tremendous longshot, Purdue has essentially clinched a double-bye in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. To make it official, Purdue needs one more victory in its last three games. Purdue has had a double-bye in every year of the current format.
3) Purdue has won 13 of its last 15 games after starting league play 1-2, and nine of its last 10 games after starting Big Ten action 4-3.
4) Purdue is a nation’s-best 6-0 against teams ranked in the NCAA NET and the KenPom top 20 rankings.
5) Purdue is 10-3 in the month of February since last year, having won six of the games by double-digits.
6) Purdue has trailed by double-digits in five games this year (Villanova, North Carolina State, Indiana, Michigan, Maryland) and won three of them. All three comeback wins came in the last 11 minutes of the game.
7) Purdue leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage (by 23 points), 3-point percentage (23 points), 3-pointers, rebound margin and assists.
8) Purdue has won at least 12 league games for the seventh time in the last eight years. During that span, just three other programs have done it at least five times (Wisconsin – 6; Maryland, Michigan State – 5).
9) Purdue’s 80 Big Ten wins since the 2016-17 season are the third-most conference wins for a power-conference team during that span.
10) Zach Edey and Jaden Ivey were named to the Wooden Award late-season top-20 list. Ivey was tabbed one of 10 finalists for the West Award given to the nation’s best shooting guard, while Edey is one of 10 finalists for the Abdul-Jabbar Award given to the nation’s top center.