In what now represents the biggest game of the season to date for third-ranked Purdue, the Boilermakers host No. 13 Illinois with a share of first place in the Big Ten — and a regular-season sweep of the Illinois — on the line.

This game was originally scheduled for Thursday, but moved up two days as part of the trip to Michigan being fit in.

Date: Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022

Place: Mackey Arena (West Lafayette, Ind.)

Time: 9 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Radio: Purdue Radio Network (96.5 WAZY locally)

Schedule | Roster | Stats

• With a win, Purdue would tie Illinois atop the league at 10-3 and claim the tie-breaker over the Illini for Big Ten Tournament seeding.

As of Monday, Purdue, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State all sat with three losses. A Purdue win over Illinois would mean a five-way tie in the loss column.

• The Boilermakers won the meeting with Illinois 96-88 in double overtime in Champaign back on Jan. 17.

• Purdue remains No. 1 in the Big Ten in scoring in conference games, averaging 79.6 points. The Boilermakers are still No. 1 nationally in offensive efficiency, per KenPom, the perch they've held most of the season.

STARTERS

C — 15 Zach Edey (7-4, 295, So.)

14.9 PPG • 68.5% FG • 7.6 REB

In Round 1 with Illinois — and fighting lexicon is more than appropriate here — Edey did what no one in the Big Ten has probably ever done. He beat Kofi Cockburn at his own game, as he was the physical tone-setter at both ends of the floor. Repeating this feat will be difficult, but the possibility exists that Edey's superior height and length are the cheat code to facing Cockburn.

F — 0 Mason Gillis (6-6, 230, So.)

7.1 PPG • 4.1 REB • 56.4% FG • 51% 3-PT • 88% FT

Gillis' value really comes out even more in these bloodbath types of games. Purdue needs him all over the glass, or better put, all over the Illinois guys trying to get to the glass. His matchup with Jacob Grandison is an interesting one. Let's see which of the 4 men make more threes.

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

12.1 PPG • 41.9% 3-PT • 3.7 AST

After Stefanovic ripped off five threes in Champaign, you'd better believe he's going to be a marked man for the Illini. Run him off the line, though, and look what he's been doing in the lane the past few games. He's scored six two-point field goals the past two games. That's a big number for him.

G — 2 Eric Hunter (6-4, 175, Sr.)

5.0 PPG • 2.0 AST • 43.2% 3-PT

The first Illinois meeting was right at the front end of Hunter's mid-season surge and represents one of the biggest differences in Purdue between then and now. Against a team with two 23-year-olds and a 24-year-old in the backcourt, maybe Purdue's older guys matter even more.

G —23 Jaden Ivey (6-4, 195, So.) (?)

17.3 PPG • 47.7% FG • 41.1% 3-PT • 5.2 REB • 3.2 AST

The improvement Ivey has been showing the past several games is another huge difference in Purdue. He's become more patient, more poised and more savvy, and that might be a really troubling development for the rest of the Big Ten.

ROTATION

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

12.4 PPG • 56.9% FG • 7.6 REB • 3.0 AST • 4-9 3-PT

Williams was just 5-of-18 from the floor at Illinois last night, but the funny thing was there was no real rhyme or reason to it. It wasn't him struggling against Cockburn's size, as has happened before in his career. He just missed, and that allowed lllinois to hang around longer than it would have otherwise. That was an outlier unlikely to repeat itself.

G —11 Isaiah Thompson (6-1, 160, Jr.)

5.6 PPG • 40.8% 3-PT

For just the second time this season, Thompson didn't get a three off against Michigan, as the Wolverines' close-outs forced him to put the ball on the floor.

G — 25 Ethan Morton (6-6, 215, So.)

2.6 PPG • 1.8 AST • 45% 3-PT

Morton played nine out of the 50 minutes against Illinois last time, which we can assume was the product of matchups, but his place in Purdue's rotation is different now.

F — 3 Caleb Furst (6-10, 230, Fr.)

4.7 PPG • 4.0 RPG • 59.4% FG • 41.2% 3-PT

Furst can't be judged by numbers. The energy he's bringing to the floor is his biggest contribution right now. People will go after him on offense in switches, but there's so much value for Purdue in just having a player always trying to just get the ball.

G — 5 Brandon Newman (6-5, 200, So.)

5.3 PPG • 32.5% 3-PT • 85% FT

Newman's played just one minute the past four games, since starting against Northwestern. Best we can tell, he simply hasn't shown enough with his offensive decision-making and defensive discipline to crack a rotation where Purdue has two of its biggest-minutes guys, especially when he's not making shots.

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 back practicing after undergoing foot surgery.

Schedule | Roster | Stats

• Illinois has won four straight since losing at Maryland without Kofi Cockburn.

The four-game winning streak has included wins against fellow contenders Michigan State (without Cockburn and Andre Curbelo) and Wisconsin, as well as a one-sided win at Indiana this weekend. Cockburn went for 37 against Wisconsin.

• Illinois is No. 1 in the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing just 64.7 points, and it's third in scoring, at 74.7 points.

Keep in mind that both Purdue's and Illinois' numbers are bloated by the double-overtime game they played against one another.

• Big Ten opponents shoot just 40.1 percent against Illinois. (Purdue shot 45.6 in Champaign.)

Big Ten opponents shoot just 30.5 percent from three-point range against Illinois. (Purdue was 8-of-18 in Champaign.)

• Illinois is No. 17 nationally in offensive efficiency and 15th in offensive rebounding percentage, that latter part representing one of the biggest keys to the game for both teams.

STARTERS

C - 21 Kofi Cockburn (7-0, 285, Jr.)

21.8 PPG • 11.4 RPG • 60.3% FG

The Big Ten's third-leading scorer and No. 1 rebounder by a wide margin, the Illinois big man is one of the most formidable matchups in the game. Zach Edey outplayed him in Champaign, but foul trouble kept Cockburn on the bench far more than can be expected to happen again.

Job 1: Crowd Cockburn on his post touches.

Job 2: Keep him off the offensive glass.

Job 3: Make him guard at the rim and away from it.

F - 3 Jacob Grandison (6-6, 210, Sr.)

10.7 PPG • 4.0 RPG • 2.3 APG • 43.4% 3-PT

Grandison is essentially a fourth perimeter player who really stretches the floor for Illinois. He'll shoot a robust volume from three, and he may be riding a heater, as he's 5-of-10 the past two games.

G - 11 Alfonso Plummer (6-1, 180, Sr.)

15.3 PPG • 39.9% 3-PT

Plummer's averaging 2.5 made threes per game in Big Ten play, on 35.3-percent shooting. Purdue knows first-hand what he can do, as he scored a season-best 24 against them in Champaign, 18 of them off his six threes on a dozen attempts.

G - 1 Trent Frazier (6-2, 175, Sr.)

13.3 PPG • 3.1 RPG • 3.8 AST • 35.3% 3-PT

One of the best guards and top two-way players in the Big Ten and a real gamer, the super-senior is having a great year for the Illini. He just scored 23 at Indiana.

G - 20 Da'Monte Williams (6-3, 215, Sr.)

4.1 PPG • 5.8 RPG • 3.1 AST • 34.7% 3-PT

One of the Big Ten's best glue guys and another super-senior, Williams is a hard-nosed defender and rebounder who has really become a dangerous shooter, too. Illinois is going to want him on Jaden Ivey most likely.

KEY RESERVES

G - 5 Andre Curbelo (6-1, 175, So.)

8.9 PPG • 3.4 RPG • 3.5 AST • 2.8 TO

The dynamic guard has endured a trying season, but his season debut came against Purdue a few weeks back and he sucker-punched the Boilermakers with a career-high 20 points. This time, Purdue will prepare for him, and hope that a player who sometimes runs hot and cold will be more the latter this time around.

F - 33 Coleman Hawkins (6-10, 215, So.)

5.7 PPG • 4.2 RPG

Hawkins gives Illinois great height, length and versatility off the bench.

F - 13 Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk (6-8, 235, Jr.)

2.2 PPG • 2.5 RPG

In a pinch, the backup big man gave Illinois really good minutes off the bench during the first meeting between these two teams.

C - 4 Omar Payne (6-10, 240, Jr.)

2.1 PPG • 1.8 RPG • 63.2% FG

The reserve big man may be needed against Purdue's size.

G - 10 Luke Goode (6-7, 200, Fr.)

2.4 PPG • 1.8 RPG • 41.9% 3-PT

The freshman shot-maker needs to be accounted for at all times when he's on the floor. He's not shy.

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.

Purdue showed in Champaign that it can score on these guys and do a good job bottling up Kofi Cockburn, who was 3-of-9 with just one offensive rebound in the 22 minutes he did play.

The Illini will really challenge the Boilermakers in every way offensively, from the dribble, to the three-point line, to around the rim, but this time, Purdue should be better prepared, after its defensive game plan went only so far last time due to Cockburn's foul trouble.

Purdue's a better team now than it was back on MLK Day. Illinois probably is, too.

The last meeting between these two teams was the game of the year so far in the Big Ten. This one may be even better.

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