Purdue's probably been the best offensive team in college basketball through the first seven games of the season.
If there's anyone, though, against which the second-ranked Boilermakers might meet their match, that team might be visiting Mackey Arena on Friday night to open Big Ten play.
Iowa doesn't have Luka Garza or Joe Wieskamp anymore, but though the names and faces change, the Hawkeyes always score points, and this season's been no exception.
Whereas Purdue ranks No. 1 nationally in points per possession (per Synergy Sports), Iowa comes in at No. 2. Where the Boilermakers rank No. 1 nationally in offensive efficiency (per KenPom), Iowa's fourth. These are the first- and second-ranked three-point shooting percentages among Big Ten teams.
For Purdue, the matchup dynamics start with playing the game on its terms as much as possible. The Boilermakers have been virtually flawless as a transition offense this season and more than willing and able to play fast when opportunities present themselves. But they'd like to keep Iowa from doing those very same things on Friday night.
"We have to stop their transition," said guard Isaiah Thompson, who'll combine with Eric Hunter to defend improved Hawkeye point guard Joe Touissant, fresh off making the game-winner at Virginia. "They're a really great transition team. They really want to push the ball, get paint touches and kick out to their shooters. If we do a good job jamming the ball and not allowing kick-aheads, that can be a really big factor in the game."
Hawkeye forward Keegan Murray has done for Iowa what Jaden Ivey and Zach Edey have done at Purdue. He's emerged as an elite player as a sophomore, averaging nearly 25 points per game thus far. He'll be freshman forward Caleb Furst's and sophomore Mason Gillis' matchup but will require a team-wide effort to stop, considering Purdue historically switches 1 through 4.
Murray hurt his knee at Virginia, but every indication from Iowa has been that he expects to play in West Lafayette.
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Jordan Bohannon — back for his extra COVID year — is the most familiar face on this Iowa team, but playing a different role, moved to the shooting guard position this year, as Touissant has become Iowa's primary point guard.
Bohannon's shooting nearly 45 percent from three-point range.
That matchup will be a big one for Purdue's Jaden Ivey.
"I just have to stop him from getting the looks that he likes," Ivey said. "He likes a lot of space to get to his threes, and he runs off a lot of ball screens and actions. I just have to make sure I'm on him and keeping him from getting in a rhythm. As a team, we just have to stop them from getting a lot of open looks and getting in rhythm."
Purdue's priority list defensively is a long one, with a lot of bases to cover. Iowa has four players averaging double-digit scoring, one of the Big Ten's best players in Keegan Murray, and shoots nearly 40 percent, collectively, from three.
But the game plan starts on offense.
"The first thing for both teams is that when we play better on offense, it really helps our defense," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "... Our offensive execution helps us defensively, and I know they feel the same way. One leads into the other."
Iowa plays fast, but has done so while averaging only 8.3 turnovers per game. That's the best turnover percentage in college basketball.
Purdue will need sound offensive possessions to set its defensive tone.
That's not been a problem for the Boilermakers thus far given their offensive efficiency, the very potency that has them poised to almost certainly jump to No. 1 for the first time in school history with a win over the Hawkeyes.
"We've got a good test with Iowa coming up," Ivey said, "and we're not really worried about anything else other than that."
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