No. 4 Purdue and Michigan face off in the first of two meetings in the span of five days, as the Wolverines visit Mackey Arena for what was supposed to be one of the games of the year. Michigan, though, hasn't lived up to its top-five preseason status.

Date: Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022

Place: Mackey Arena (West Lafayette, Ind.)

Time: 2:30 p.m. ET

TV: FOX

Radio: Purdue Radio Network (96.5 WAZY locally)

Schedule | Roster | Stats

• It was an eventful trip back from Minnesota, as Purdue had to spend an extra night in the Twin Cities, then a night in Indianapolis due to weather problems. The team arrived back in West Lafayette Friday just in time to head straight to the practice floor, a less-than-ideal turn of events during this grueling stretch of games.

• The Boilermakers remain No. 1 nationally in offensive efficiency and have moved up to second in three-point shooting, at 41.6 percent.

Purdue's shot 41 percent or better from long range In six straight games.

• Purdue's last In the Big Ten in foul shooting, shooting just 66 percent in conference play.

• The past four games, Sasha Stefanovic has averaged 15.5 points and four-and-a-half assists per game. He's shot 50 percent from three in that time frame.

STARTERS

C — 15 Zach Edey (7-4, 295, So.)

15.0 PPG • 70.2% FG • 7.5 REB

Edey's been dominant physically the past few games, and the harder Michigan big man Hunter Dickinson has to work on defense, and the more wear and tear — or fouls — he absorbs to start the game, the better for the Boilermakers.

F — 0 Mason Gillis (6-6, 230, So.)

7.1 PPG • 4.1 REB • 56.9% FG • 52.3% 3-PT • 88% FT

When Gillis ran the floor at Minnesota to fill the wing and knock down a transition three-pointer, you saw a player who's not just that shoot-when-open halfcourt player, but a legit long-range shooting threat who Purdue's going to look for as a primary option.

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

12.3 PPG • 42.1% 3-PT • 3.8 AST

Stefanovic couldn't have played much better offensively at Minnesota, as he made threes, took the ball to the basket when the Gophers took away the three and made all the right plays, finishing with seven assists and no turnovers.

G — 2 Eric Hunter (6-4, 175, Sr.)

5.0 PPG • 2.0 AST • 43.2% 3-PT

Hunter's emergence mid-season has been almost a transformative element for Purdue. He's giving the Boilermakers really commanding guard play, excellent decision-making and just for good measure, career-best shot-making. He's now shooting 62 percent from three in Big Ten play, and his 20-point game at Minnesota raised his full-season scoring average by a whole point.

G —23 Jaden Ivey (6-4, 195, So.) (?)

17.4 PPG • 48.0% FG • 43.6% 3-PT • 5.1 REB • 3.0 AST

Look out: Ivey's getting better as the season wears on. The past few games you've seen a bit more patience and a lot more physicality around the basket from the All-American-in-waiting. He seems to be relying less on his awesome athleticism and more on his know-how.

ROTATION

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

12.1 PPG • 55.7% FG • 8.2 REB • 3.1 AST

It was a quiet game for Williams at Minnesota, until the very end, when he closed out the win with a series of possessions in which he contributed to nine straight points. With Dickinson as the matchup, this is one of those games where Purdue's happy to have two great centers while the opponent has just one.

G —11 Isaiah Thompson (6-1, 160, Jr.)

5.7 PPG • 41.5% 3-PT

After starting most of the season, Thompson's coming off the bench now, where perhaps he can give that second unit some more scoring punch if he's making shots. Opponents are trying to attack him on defense by posting him up out of switches.

G — 25 Ethan Morton (6-6, 215, So.)

2.7 PPG • 2.0 AST • 47.4% 3-PT

Quietly, one of the nicest surprises of the season has been Morton's dead-eye shooting off kickouts from the post. He seems to be good for about one a game lately.

F — 3 Caleb Furst (6-10, 230, Fr.)

4.9 PPG • 4.2 RPG • 59.4% FG • 41.2% 3-PT

Purdue won easily at Minnesota, but not without having to stave off one Gopher run. It was Furst who did it, with back-to-back baskets after Purdue had missed seven shots in a row and the home team was chipping away.

G — 5 Brandon Newman (6-5, 200, So.)

5.3 PPG • 32.5% 3-PT • 85% FT

Newman's seemingly fallen out of Purdue's rotation for the time being, as he played just one minute — to insulate others from foul trouble before halftime — at Minnesota after not playing in either of the two games prior.

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

• Michigan's COVID pause made a mess of the Big Ten schedule, putting Purdue In a tough spot, and putting the Wolverines in a really tough spot.

This trip to West Lafayette will be the first of four games in seven days for Michigan, with a Tuesday trip to Penn State preceding Thursday's visit to Ann Arbor from the Boilermakers.

• The Wolverines seemed to have some things figured out after their bout with COVID, blowing out Indiana in Bloomington as part of a three-game winning streak.

But an 83-67 loss at Michigan State suggested otherwise.

Michigan's won four of its past five games, but three of those wins were home games against Maryland, Northwestern and Nebraska, and the latter two of those teams put real scares into the Wolverines.

• Michigan was the co-Big Ten favorite with Purdue in the preseason in large part because of a star-studded freshman class, but It's not been as easy for the Wolverine cubs as people figured, as five-star recruits Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate have each had their ups and downs, and none of their four heralded classmates have distinguished themselves.

• Houstan was a teammate of Purdue's Zach Edey for the FIBA 19-and-under Canadian national last summer.

• Michigan's second In the Big Ten in scoring in conference games (behind Purdue by a wide margin), averaging 74.9 points.

STARTERS

F - 14 Moussa Diabate (6-11, 210, Fr.)

9.0 PPG • 6.3 REB • 56.3% FG

The blue-chip freshman is a big, powerful physical specimen.

C - 1 Hunter Dickinson (7-1, 260, So.)

17.5 PPG • 8.2 REB • 59.5% FG • 2.2 AST • 34.6% 3-PT

One of the best big men in the country, Dickinson may challenge Purdue's big men defensively in the post more than any other center they've seen this season, even Kofi Cockburn. The Boilermakers' post help is going to be a critical key to this game.

G - 55 Eli Brooks (6-1, 185, Sr.)

11.8 PPG • 3.4 RPG • 2.9 AST • 38% 3-PT

The sixth-year senior is the player Purdue's going to want to be most aware of behind the arc.

G - 22 Caleb Houstan (6-8, 205, Fr.)

10.5 PPG • 4.5 RPG • 35.6% 3-PT

An elite recruit, Houstan's experienced some ups and downs this season, but has all the talent in the world.

G - 12 DeVante' Jones (6-1, 200, Sr.)

9.1 PPG • 4.4 RPG • 3.8 AST • 37.5% 3-PT

The transfer has plugged a hole in Michigan's backcourt and given the Wolverines some extra scoring punch.

KEY RESERVES

F - 23 Brandon Johns (6-8, 240, Sr.)

4.6 PPG • 2.4 RPG • 35% 3-PT

Johns can step out and shoot the three, and has the body type to maybe even play center for stretches.

F - 5 Terrance Williams (6-7, 230, So.)

4.8 PPG • 2.7 REB • 36.4% 3-PT

G - 2 Kobe Bufkin (6-4, 175, Fr.)

3.6 PPG • 1.6 RPG

G - 10 Frankie Collins (6-1, 185, Fr.)

3.3 PPG • 1.8 RPG • 1.8 AST

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.

Teams as talented as Michigan, you always wonder what would happen if the light just suddenly came on. This is a really talented team, but Purdue's one of the best in America, and seems to be hitting its stride.

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