Third-ranked Purdue looks to even its Big Ten record at 2-2 at Penn State, which has won two straight since league play resumed.

This will be the Boilermakers' first meeting with the Nittany Lions since former Purdue assistant coach Micah Shrewsberry took over at Penn State. It will be Matt Painter's first game coaching against one of his former Purdue staff members.

Date: Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022

Time: Noon ET

TV: BTN

Radio: Purdue Radio Network (96.5 WAZY locally)

Schedule | Roster | Stats

• Despite some difficulties against Wisconsin, Purdue remains No. 1 nationally in offensive efficiency, per KenPom.

• Matt Painter said that lineup changes have been considered for the Penn State game, but that nothing was final as of Thursday. A move back to Zach Edey as the starting center has been on the table.

STARTERS

C — 50 Trevion Williams (6-10, 255, Sr.)

13.0 PPG • 59.5% FG • 8.0 REB • 3.1 AST

Couple things here: As good a season as Williams is having, there are two areas where he can be part of the solution for Purdue in the leadership role he seems to be trying to embrace. Defensively, he can set an example with increased effort and attention to detail. On the glass, where Purdue's been hurt by offensive rebounds the past two games, if he blocks out more consistently and proactively, that might get contagious.

F — 0 Mason Gillis (6-6, 230, So.)

6.8 PPG • 3.2 REB • 57.1% FG • 52.4% 3-PT

Where would Purdue have been against Wisconsin without its power forward's three first-half threes? Gillis has sort of become defined by his grit and such, but he can really shoot and is exuding real confidence doing so.

G —23 Jaden Ivey (6-4, 195, So.)

16.5 PPG • 51.7% FG • 44.8% 3-PT • 4.9 REB • 3.1 AST • 1.2 STL

The star guard's foul trouble against Wisconsin mattered, as it forced Purdue to play more without him on the floor, but also juggle its defensive matchups some. Ivey also can be part of the Boilermakers' solution on defense with better fpcus.

G — 55 Sasha Stefanovic (6-5, 205, Sr.)

11.2 PPG • 42.4% 3-PT • 3.9 AST

Wisconsin obviously prioritized Stefanovic with its defensive game plan and Brad Davison did a good job staying with him through screens or making sure help was there when he couldn't. That said, Stefanovic had two of the most open threes he'll see all season that didn't go down. One of those games.

G —11 Isaiah Thompson (6-1, 160, Jr.)

6.1 PPG • 49.1% FG • 50% 3-PT

In three Big Ten games now, Thompson's gotten only four shots off. Two of them were open threes that rimmed out against Rutgers and Wisconsin. Purdue would like to get him more looks, but Big Ten opponents know what he can do.

ROTATION

C — 15 Zach Edey (7-4, 295, So.)

15.6 PPG • 70.8% FG • 7.5 REB • 1.4 BLK

Edey admitted he didn't play with needed "toughness" in the first half against Wisconsin, but turned it on before halftime and wound up with 24 points in 20 minutes. In Big Ten play, he's been up and down, and has gotten off to slow starts. Perhaps the second half against Wisconsin can be a turning point.

G — 25 Ethan Morton (6-6, 215, So.)

3.0 PPG • 2.5 AST • 54.5% 3-PT

Morton's played 18 or more minutes six games straight and is doing so over a variety of positions. His versatility, decision-making and savvy on offense and his genuine effort to become a good defensive player have earned him such opportunities and he's providing real and multi-faceted value.

G — 2 Eric Hunter (6-4, 175, Sr.)

3.1 PPG • 1.6 AST

The veteran guard has been solid on defense, but has turned the ball over more than he or Purdue would like and has struggled shooting, in all shooting's forms.

G — 5 Brandon Newman (6-5, 200, So.)

6.5 PPG • 33.3% 3-PT • 85% FT

Newman played just six minutes against Wisconsin. Morton is occupying more of those wing minutes, but the sophomore will keep getting first half opportunities and will always be a threat to knock down a shot or two and play himself into a rhythm, but Matt Painter has to be able to trust him at both ends of the floor before his role expands significantly.

F — 3 Caleb Furst (6-10, 230, Fr.)

5.7 PPG • 5.3 RPG • 54% FG

In his first game post-Protocols, Furst played sparingly, not surprisingly. It'll be a process for the freshman forward to get back in the swing of things. Purdue might be missing his tenacity on the defensive glass.

Freshmen Trey Kaufman-Renn and Brian Waddell will redshirt this season. Waddell will miss most of the season after tearing his ACL and Kaufman-Renn is now sidelined up to six weeks after undergoing foot surgery.

Schedule | Roster | Stats

• The Nittany Lions have won two straight since Big Ten play resumed, beating Indiana at home, then coming from behind in the final five minutes or so to win at Northwestern.

• On paper, at least, Penn State has been pretty deliberate on offense, as Its average possession spans 20 seconds and the Lions rank 348th nationally In tempo, according to KenPom.

• In overall play, Penn State is last in the Big Ten scoring, averaging 67.3 points, but having Ohio State and Michigan State to start Big Ten play and playing at a relatively low pace skews those numbers some. Penn State missed three non-conference games, too, and those games tend to be higher scoring.

Penn State's averaging 65.8 points in Big Ten play.

• Forward Seth Lundy is shooting 50 percent from three in Big Ten games.

STARTERS

F - 1 Seth Lundy (6-6, 217, Jr.)

14.8 PPG • 6.0 RPG • 36.8% 3-PT

This is the guy who could be the most problematic matchup for the Boilermakers as his athleticism and three-point shooting ability could be tricky for Purdue's bigger frontcourt. Lundy just made five threes as part of a 23-point performance at Northwestern. Lundy made six threes in Mackey Arena a few years back.

F - 5 Greg Lee (6-9, 217, Sr.)

6.3 PPG • 4.3 RPG

The transfer newcomer has moved into the starting five since returning from an injury that sidelined him most of the non-conference season. He's a grinder up front, a player Purdue will want to keep off the glass. In his pre-Penn State career, he showed he can make threes. Lee could move to the 5 at times to give Penn State more of a small-ball look.

C - 21 John Harrar (6-9, 240, Sr.)

10.8 PPG • 10.8 RPG • 69.3% FG

One of the most under-rated players in the Big Ten, Penn State's high-energy center is going to make Purdue's bigs work. The Boilermakers' ability to keep him off the offensive glass will be one of the biggest keys to this game. Harrar averages 3.1 offensive rebounds per game.

G - 22 Jalen Pickett (6-4, 202, Sr.)

12.7 PPG • 4.3 RPG • 4.2 AST • 32.2% 3-PT

The Siena transfer has been a really important addition for Penn State. He's averaging 17.3 points through four Big Ten games. He leads the Big Ten in minutes, averaging 37.5 in conference play.

G - 11 Jaheam Cornwall (6-0, 190, Sr.)

3.3 PPG

KEY RESERVES

G - 3 Sam Sessoms (6-0, 189, Sr.)

12.4 PPG • 4.2 RPG • 3.3 AST • 42.4% 3-PT

Sessoms is an exciting and explosive guard who'll put Purdue's dribble containment to the test. He's shooting very well this season.

F - 14 Jalani White (6-8, 205, Sr.)

3.6 • 4.1 RPG • 62.1% FG

The Canisius transfer is essentially Penn State's backup center. Again, Purdue's got to keep these guys off the offensive glass.

G - 2 Myles Dread (6-4, 235, Sr.)

6.2 PPG • 2.5 RPG • 39.7% 3-PT

It would be cause for great Dread on Purdue's part should it leave Myles open from three-point range.

Stay dialed in to GoldandBlack.com during the game for our pre-game First Thoughts analysis. During the game, follow along with our game thread and follow @brianneubert on Twitter for additional insight.

Following the game, we'll have post-game press conference video, game coverage, analysis, our Wrap Video and Final Thoughts, plus a Gold and Black Radio podcast within a few hours of the end of the game.

Stay tuned.

Penn State can give Purdue real problems If the Boilermakers aren't markedly better defensively. Seth Lundy's ability to shoot threes at the 4 and John Harrar's offensive rebounding at the 5 jibe directly with Boilermaker sore spots. And it's not like Micah Shrewsberry won't know that. The Lions are guard- and dribble-oriented, and Purdue's dribble defense this season has been suspect at times.

That said, Purdue's still a really, really good team and even though the Wisconsin game was disappointing, defining the Boilermakers by their worst moments wouldn't reflect reality.

Purdue's got to take care of the ball, get on the glass and be more cohesive on defense. If it does those things, or any combination of those things, here's guessing they will get this done.

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