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Purdue opens Big Ten Tournament play, as the No. 4 seed, vs. fifth-seeded Ohio State, which advanced past Minnesota on Thursday, to set up a third meeting with the Boilermakers. Purdue won both meetings with the Buckeyes — a projected 2 seed to the NCAA Tournament — during the regular season, a 67-60 home win back in December, then a 67-65 thriller in Columbus a little more than a month later, on Jaden Ivey's game-winning three-pointer, the signature moment of Purdue's season.

This will presumably be the first time Purdue meets Ohio State with the Buckeyes at full strength. First-team All-Big Ten forward E.J. Liddell missed the December game and veteran point guard C.J. Walker sat out the January rematch.

The winner will advance to Saturday's 1 p.m. semifinal against either Michigan or Maryland.

Schedule | Statistics | Roster

The Boilermakers closed the regular season on a five-game winning streak, clinching a Big Ten Tournament double bye with their win over Indiana in the regular season finale. Purdue closed the season In the top-20 nationally in the AP poll.

C — 50 TREVION WILLIAMS (6-10, 265, Junior)

15.8 PPG • 8.4 RPG • 2.0 APG • 53.9% FG

The first-team All-Big Ten big man closed the season atypically quiet from a numbers perspective, a void Zach Edey has filled lately. Purdue would love to get him going again. He scored 16 in both games against Ohio State this season.

F — 0 MASON GILLIS (6-6, 230, Redshirt Freshman)

4.8 PPG • 3.9 RPG • 32.4% 3-PT • 83.3% FT

Gillis' grit and whatnot really brought a needed element to Purdue this season, but his ability to stretch defenses as a three-point shooter, his passing ability and his offensive rebounding helped the Boilermakers offensively, too.

G — 2 ERIC HUNTER JR. (6-4, 170, Junior)

8.2 PPG • 26.8% 3-PT • 2.5 APG • 78.4% FT • 20 STL

Snubbed for the Big Ten's All-Defense team, Hunter has been an essential piece to Purdue's winning mix this season, especially down the stretch. Even when he's not scoring, his presence for the Boilermakers is really important in more ways than one.

G — 55 SASHA STEFANOVIC (6-5, 200, Junior)

8.3 PPG • 2.8 RPG • 2.4 APG • 33.3% 3-PT • 87.5% FT

Perhaps the best 33-percent three-point shooter in the country — the aftermath of his COVID disruption undercut his percentage considerably — Stefanovic has rounded back into form of late. And he's handed out 14 assists to just two turnovers the past two games.

G — 23 JADEN IVEY (6-4, 200, Freshman)

10.3 PPG • 3.6 RPG • 2.1 AST • 15 STL • 13 BLK

Ivey is quickly becoming a star, and no one knows this as well as Ohio State, which saw him make the game-winner in Columbus to cap a 15-point outing. The freshman may be on the verge of having to learn to live with being a marked man, if he's not already.

C — 15 ZACH EDEY (7-4, 285, Freshman)

7.5 PPG • 4.7 RPG • 55.3% FG • 22 BLK

Edey finished the season on a tear, with 21 and 20 points, respectively, against Wisconsin and Indiana, probably pushing him across the goal line for a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman team. After struggling against Ohio State in December — his first Big Ten game — Edey was really good in Columbus, with eight points and five rebounds in 19 minutes.

G — 5 BRANDON NEWMAN (6-5, 195, Redshirt Freshman)

8.2 PPG • 3.9 RPG • 37.1% 3-PT • 92.3% FT • 14 STL

Now coming off the bench for Purdue, there's been an adjustment for the redshirt freshman to make. He's shown flashes, though, of being really productive. His three-pointer against Indiana in the regular season finale was the biggest shot of the game.

G — 11 ISAIAH THOMPSON (6-1, 160, Sophomore)

3.2 PPG • 37.9% 3-PT

Thompson seems to be giving Purdue solid minutes off the bench behind Hunter and Ivey, though he hasn't gotten many opportunities to score.

F — 1 AARON WHEELER (6-9, 205, Junior)

3.5 PPG • 3.9 RPG

Wheeler's playing the best and most consistent basketball of his Purdue career at the right time. He's doing everything right right now, more or less, and the shots are starting to go down, too.

G — 25 ETHAN MORTON (6-6, 215, Freshman)

Morton missed the Indiana game due to a death in his family. He's expected to be back for the Big Ten Tournament.

C — 4 EMMANUEL DOWUONA (6-10, 245, Sophomore) (O)

Schedule | Statistics | Roster

The Buckeyes lost their last four games of the regular season, three of those games at home, albeit to three of the best teams in the country — Michigan, Iowa and Illinois. The slide seems to have done nothing to move Ohio State off the No. 2 line for the NCAA Tournament. ... In Big Ten play, Ohio State was third in the league in scoring at 76 points per game, but showed some vulnerability at times defensively. The Buckeyes were are just 78th nationally in defensive efficiency according to KenPom. By comparison, Purdue is 21st.

F — 14 JUSTICE SUEING (6-7, 215, Senior)

10.7 PPG • 5.5 RPG • 49.5% FG • 34.5% 3-PT

The athletic and versatile forward has been a real matchup problem for Purdue at times this season.

F — 10 JUSTIN AHRENS (6-6, 195, Junior)

6.3 PPG • 44.4% 3-PT

One of the top shooters Purdue has faced all season.

F — 25 KYLE YOUNG (6-8, 225, Senior)

8.3 PPG • 5.6 RPG • 53.3% FG

The scrappy veteran gives up a lot of size to Purdue on the interior, but he plays harder than most he crosses paths with, energy the Boilermaker bigs will want to try to match.

F— 32 EJ LIDDELL (6-7, 240, Sophomore)

16.0 PPG • 6.5 RPG • 49.1% FG • 36.1% 3-PT

The first-team All-Big Ten big man is a dangerous low-post scorer and potent three-point shooter. Purdue kept him to just 11 points in their only meeting with him this season, though.

G — 4 DUANE WASHINGTON (6-3, 210, Junior)

15.3 PPG • 36.9% 3-PT

Washington went off against Purdue in Columbus, making six threes and finishing with 21 in a losing effort. It was one of those nights for him, as it didn't seem like there was much Purdue could do about the types of shots he was making.

G - 13 CJ WALKER (6-1, 195, Senior)

9.2 PPG • 4.3 AST • 94.7 FT%

Walker is coming off the bench for the Buckeyes after battling injuries this season, but is one of Ohio State's most important players. This is likely to be the fifth-year senior's last meeting with the school he was once committed to.

F — 23 ZED KEY (6-8, 245, Freshman)

5.5 PPG • 62.9% FG • 3.6 RPG

One of the Big Ten's top freshman big men, the rookie has given Ohio State a valuable front-line presence and badly needed size this season.

G — 0 MEECHIE JOHNSON (6-2, 172, Freshman)

1.5 PPG

The freshman enrolled in January and logging modest minutes right away. Just a few months ago he was playing grassroots with Purdue signee Caleb Furst.

F — 31 SETH TOWNS (6-8, 230, Senior)

3.6 PPG • 1.6 RPG • 32.4% 3-PT

G — 2 MUSA JALLOW (6-5, 210, Senior)

3.2 PPG • 2.2 RPG

Purdue's won a pair of narrow outcomes over the Buckeyes, which guarantees it nothing in Round 3, but the Boilermakers have done a good enough job defensively against the Buckeyes, allowing an average of just 62.5 points over those two games. Ohio State's numbers are good offensively, but its numbers may be more robust than its personnel is formidable. Don't underestimate the value of Ohio State having a game in Lucas Oil under its belt already, but the Buckeyes have still lost four of five and the Boilermakers have won five straight, albeit not against the same type of schedule. This will be a coin flip of a game, but it feels like Purdue has earned the pick here.

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