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Sunday, Jan. 27, 2019 • 1 p.m. ET | Mackey Arena (West Lafayette) | TV: CBS | Radio: Purdue Radio Network

In-game updates: Twitter.com — @GoldandBlackcom | @brianneubert

Our premium board game thread and pre-game thoughts can be found roughly an hour prior to tip-off

ABOUT THIS GAME

• This is Purdue's first double-play meeting of the Big Ten season, after it fell at Michigan State 77-59 Jan. 8.

The Spartans have never been 10-0 in Big Ten play. They're 9-0 now.

The Boilermakers are surging, though, winners of seven of eight and four straight since the loss in East Lansing.

• Purdue shot just 31.4 percent in the first meeting between these two teams, and leading scorer Carsen Edwards was 3-of-16 with four turnovers and no assists.

• Michigan State, by most any measure, is one of the best teams in the country, ranked third nationally in offensive efficiency by KenPom.com and sixth in defensive efficiency.

The Spartans' effective field goal percentage — weighted to reflect the added value of threes — is 57.2 percent, good for sixth nationally; opponents' effective field goal percentage of 42.2 percent is fourth-lowest nationally. Opponents are shooting 40.5 percent on two-point field goals. That's No. 1 nationally.

Michigan State is top-20 nationally in offensive rebounding percentage, and in the first meeting between these two teams turned 18 offensive rebounds into 28 points, including a number of threes.

Roster | Schedule | Statistics

Projected Rotation

50 C Trevion Williams (6-8, 220, Jr.)

The freshman sucker-punched Michigan State with 13 points and 12 rebounds in nearly 21 minutes in East Lansing, required to carry big minutes after Evan Boudreaux was hurt and Matt Haarms slipped into foul trouble. Michigan State will have a plan for him this time around. Don't think for a second the Spartans won't build a plan around Williams, a prototypical Michigan State-type player from Detroit who got away from the Spartans.

24 F Grady Eifert (6-6, 220, Sr.)

Eifert's coming off a win at Ohio State in which he was a significant difference-maker. This is a wholly different matchup against a Spartan frontcourt that'll cannibalize opponents with its size, strength, relentlessness and depth if they're not careful, or even if they are.

14 G/F Ryan Cline (6-6, 195, Sr.)

Cline's on a shooting tear, now shooting 46.8 percent from three-point range in Big Ten play, still weighed down by the 0-for-6 Maryland game almost two months ago. He's well over 50 percent since league play resumed. He was only 4-of-12 overall from the floor against Michigan State in Round 1.

20 G Nojel Eastern (6-6, 220, So.)

Maybe the most impactful perimeter defender in the league — Zavier Simpson may have a case, too — Eastern draws once again one of the best point guards in college basketball, Cassius Winston, the straw that stirs Michigan State's drink. Winston got 23 points against Purdue last time out, but that wasn't necessarily a reflection of him controlling the matchup. Many of his points came off offensive rebounds, including a few threes, or in transition. When Eastern was set on defense, Winston may have gotten him a few times — including a weird foul at the end of the first half — but not as much as the numbers suggest. And Winston turned it over five times.

3 G Carsen Edwards (6-1, 200, Jr.)

Clearly, the biggest difference for Purdue against Michigan State this time around needs to lie with its best player. The first meeting with the Spartans didn't go well, and though Matt McQuaid and to a lesser extent Aaron Henry did a good job defending him, Edwards often fell into the over-aggressiveness he sometimes is prone to, dribbling into trouble instead of making simple passes to keep the ball moving. He's played well in such a regard ever since, and Purdue will need him to do so against the Spartans this time around. Michigan State was hell bent on taking away Edwards' dribble in East Lansing, and it probably will be again.

KEY PLAYERS

32 C - Matt Haarms (7-3, 250, So.)

Haarms wasn't much of a factor in the first game, because of foul trouble, but like everyone else in the Purdue frontcourt, this is sort of the ultimate physical test, and he's a different type of player, and body, than the wave of barrel-chested 20-somethings that Michigan State will run at Purdue. The sophomore has been playing his best basketball of the season lately and slipping enough screens for buckets to really make people pay for blitzing Edwards off ball screens.

1 F Aaron Wheeler (6-9, 200, R-Fr.)

Wheeler is going to have guard players who are more physical, and the Boilermakers are just going to need his best effort in that regard. Though his up-side on defense remains significant, he's been using his athleticism to make plays here and there, and the harder he plays, the more that athleticism comes out.

2 G Eric Hunter (6-3, 170, Fr.)

Hunter's giving Purdue solid minutes off the bench and at Ohio State gave it some important first-half scoring during its game-turning run. In a situation where you might have worried he'd be eaten alive by a veteran, he did OK against Winston on D in the first meeting between these two teams.

55 G Sasha Stefanovic (6-4, 195, R-Fr.)

Games like this sometimes require someone outside your mainstream scoring sources to make shots to win. Stefanovic is shooting 40 percent from three for the season, but has been particularly effective in Mackey Arena. Shots are hard to come by against Michigan State, but he'd have gotten some in East Lansing had Purdue shared the ball more.

12 F/C Evan Boudreaux (6-8, 220, Jr.)

Boudreaux was playing well at Michigan State before aggravating the thigh issue that forced him to miss the next two-and-a-half games. Where he fits in to Purdue's center mix right now is sort of an unknown with Williams and Haarms being as productive as they are, but depth is a nice luxury to have.

Roster | Schedule | Stats

G - 5 Cassius Winston (6-1, 185, Jr.)

Winston does it all, commanding Michigan State's offense, leading, spearheading maybe the most formidable transition offense in the country, making threes at a 45-percent clip and on down the line. He may be the best there is at his position, and he's the reason above all others that this has been one of Michigan State's best regular season teams to this point.

F - 44 Nick Ward (6-9, 245, Jr.)

Ward got 16 points and nine rebounds in the first meeting between these two teams, some of his scoring coming in the second half against Williams, who was carrying abnormally high minutes that night. Michigan State attacked Williams on offense, went quick to take away Purdue's helping options, and they'll probably do more of the same in Mackey. It may really matter in this game how things are officiated around the basket.

G - 20 Matt McQuaid (6-5, 200, Sr.)

Michigan State is being carried this season by its stars, but also a collection of elite role players, and McQuaid's 3-and-D element was crucial in the Spartans' first meeting with Purdue.

F - 0 Kyle Ahrens (6-6, 210, Sr.)

Ahrens hurt his back at Iowa and may not be available for the Purdue game.

F - 25 Kenny Goins (6-7, 230, Sr.)

Another one of those elite role players, Goins is a force on the glass and a strong defender. He's not a scorer, per se, but he always seems to make jumpers against Purdue.

KEY PLAYERS

F - 23 Xavier Tillman (6-8, 245, So.)

Tillman is sort of Goins 2.0, a grinder who plays hard and has the physical tools to be a real problem for people around the basket.

F - 11 Aaron Henry (6-6, 210, Fr.)

The standout freshman from Indy is a force in transition, a perfect fit for what Michigan State does in that sense. If Purdue can keep the Spartans out of transition — easier said than done — then Henry won't have as many chances to hurt it. Henry will see bigger minutes if Ahrens is out.

G - 13 Gabe Brown (6-7, 210, Fr.)

Purdue has to guard Brown, has to close out on him better than it did in East Lansing. He can really shoot.

G - 3 Foster Loyer (6-0, 170, Fr.)

Michigan State's backup point guard averages just six-and-a-half minutes per game, as the Spartans ride Winston.

LIKELY OUT - 1 Joshua Langford (6-5, 210, Jr.)

Michigan State's third-leading scorer is a significant loss, but it's not held the Spartans back much, the results suggest.

Purdue can win this game. It's playing really well right now, has been excellent and consistent at home, and should have some increased basketball self-awareness about it after the first meeting between these two teams. But Michigan State has an extra gear, as it showed at Iowa, and just has too much experience and toughness, and elite point guard play, to bet against.

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