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The 411: #6 Purdue at Iowa

THE GAME

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Purdue keeps banging out these road games, as the sixth-ranked Boilermakers head to Iowa for a 9 p.m. ET tip-off.

This will be the Boilermakers' first repeat meeting of this conference season, as they opened Big Ten play back on Dec. 4 with the 77-70 win over Iowa that clinched Purdue's ascension to No. 1 nationally.

Iowa did not have leading scorer Keegan Murray in that game due to an ankle injury.

THE PARTICULARS

Date: Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022

Place: Carver Hawkeye Arena (Iowa City, Iowa.)

Time: 9 p.m. ET

TV: FS1

Radio: Purdue Radio Network (96.5 WAZY locally)

NUMBERS AND SUCH
Team AP Coaches NET KenPom KenPom - Win%

Purdue

6

6

8

6

57%

Iowa

ARV

ARV

20

20

43%

ABOUT #4 PURDUE (16-3, 5-3 B1G)

Schedule | Roster | Stats

• After a one-game absence, leading scorer and All-America candidate Jaden Ivey says he expects to play in Iowa City.

• Purdue led that first meeting with Iowa by as many as 19 in the second half, before the Hawkeyes whittled it down to a single possession in the final minutes thanks to the Boilermakers' turnover issues against full-court pressure.

• Purdue remains No. 1 nationally in offensive efficiency, per KenPom. Iowa is No. 7.

But, in four road games this season, Purdue's shooting percentage is 45.2 percent — 51 at home, 52-plus on neutral courts — and the Boilermakers average only 75.8 points. Keep in mind, that number is still robust, but also beefed up by a double overtime game at Illinois.

Purdue's 2-2 in Big Ten road games.

PURDUE LINEUPS

STARTERS

C — 15 Zach Edey (7-4, 295, So.)

15.3 PPG • 70.9% FG • 7.7 REB

Iowa made it difficult for Purdue to get the ball inside in the first meeting between these two teams, but the Boilermakers will prioritize it as always to open the game at Iowa. Edey's going to keep drawing fouls on everyone he faces, but his sub-50-percent foul shooting in Big Ten play has been a troubling trend.

F — 0 Mason Gillis (6-6, 230, So.)

7.6 PPG • 3.6 REB • 58.7% FG • 52.6% 3-PT • 95.2% FT

Gillis is quietly having a great season for Purdue, an opportunistic and astronomically efficient scorer and the Boilermakers' tone-setter from energy and physicality perspectives. Defensively, he and Caleb Furst (or Ethan Morton) are going to have to hang in there against Keegan Murray and get a good deal of help.

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

12.1 PPG • 41.6% 3-PT • 3.6 AST

Stefanovic's last six games from three: 1-5, 3-8, 1-7, 5-8, 1-7, 6-10.

If that every-other-game pattern holds, that might not be great news for Purdue, but he will get opportunities, because he'll have bigger people on him, Iowa may try zone at times, and Purdue may get some transition chances against presses.

G —11 Isaiah Thompson (6-1, 160, Jr.)

5.7 PPG • 40.3% 3-PT

Thompson's showing some signs of thawing out from his Big Ten shooting slump, and that would be a really welcomed sight for Purdue if that continues. But this game is about his and the rest of his teammates' ability to handle pressure. Iowa will apply some full court and that didn't go great for Purdue in the first meeting, though Iowa playing in come-from-behind mode factored into them employing it as much as they did.

G —23 Jaden Ivey (6-4, 195, So.) (?)

16.7 PPG • 48.5% FG • 42.4% 3-PT • 5.0 REB • 2.9 AST • 1.2 STL

After sitting out the Northwestern game with a hip injury, Ivey says he's good to go for Iowa. That's great news for the Boilermakers, but caution would still seem important. Ivey will be the best athlete in this game, per usual, and his speed against pressure could be important, but his decision-making and poise against that pressure are musts, too.

ROTATION

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

12.7 PPG • 56.4% FG • 8.4 REB • 3.0 AST

Williams struggled from the floor against Iowa in the first meeting and has been experiencing similar difficulties of late. Getting him back on track with his bread-and-butter stuff is important, but so is his help defense against Iowa and his rebounding. He grabbed 18 of 'em in December against the Hawkeyes.

G — 25 Ethan Morton (6-6, 215, So.)

2.5 PPG • 2.2 AST • 37.5% 3-PT

This could be another of those games where Morton really matters as a defender off the ball, because he'll get some chances at Jordan Bohannon, but could also draw a Murray every so often if he comes in at the 4 at all. Everyone who defends on the wing needs to do the best they can containing the dribble, even more important vs. Iowa.

G — 2 Eric Hunter (6-4, 175, Sr.)

3.5 PPG • 1.6 AST

Three of the past four games, Hunter's been excellent, as he's playing his best basketball of the season. As with Thompson, the key against Iowa is handling pressure, making good decisions and being strong with the ball.

G — 5 Brandon Newman (6-5, 200, So.)

6.3 PPG • 34.7% 3-PT • 85% FT

Matt Painter started Newman against Northwestern to try to jump-start him. Didn't work. The sophomore just needs to experience some success and get some momentum coming off the bench. That doesn't necessarily have to come just from making shots.

F — 3 Caleb Furst (6-10, 230, Fr.)

5.2 PPG • 4.5 RPG • 55.2% FG • 37.5% 3-PT

Furst may be back to form, as his seven-point burst against Northwestern showed, but defensive matchups in this one might be tricky with Keegan Murray on the floor. That would be a challenge.

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.

ABOUT IOWA (14-5, 4-4 B1G)

Schedule | Roster | Stats


• Per usual, Iowa's average possession spans just 15.2 seconds, one of the fastest paces in college basketball.

The Hawkeyes do so, though, without the cost of turnovers. They're third nationally in turnover percentage, at just 12.6 percent. Purdue's not a big turnover-generation team anyway, but the Boilermakers probably won't be getting much help from the home team here.

• Iowa's fourth in the Big Ten in conference play in scoring at 73.6 points, but the past two games, the Hawkeyes managed just 46 at Rutgers and 68 vs. Penn State (in a comfortable win.) Those were two of Iowa's three lowest scoring outputs of the whole season, joining a 53-point game in a loss at Iowa State.

• Here's an outlier stat for you: Iowa's shooting only 30.2 percent from three-point range in Big Ten play. Only Nebraska is worse. The Hawkeyes are certainly capable, though.

Another outlier: Iowa's shooting just 69 percent from the foul line.

These have generally been strengths for the Hawkeyes.

• Iowa's been out rebounded by an average of seven per game in Big Ten play. It has been extremely vulnerable to the offensive glass, allowing a league worst offensive rebounding percentage of nearly 35 percent.

IOWA LINEUPS

STARTERS

F - 15 Keegan Murray (6-8, 225, So.)

22.8 PPG • 8.4 REB • 57.3% FG • 34.1% 3-PT • 2.2 BLK

One of the Big Ten's breakout stars this season, Murray gets his first look at Purdue this season after he missed the two teams' prior meeting due to an ankle injury. He scores every way possible and will be a handful not just for Purdue's forwards, but its whole defense.

F - 0 Filip Rebraca (6-9, 230, Sr.)

6.3 PPG • 6.3 REB • 57.3% FG

The first-year big man will be Iowa's primary defender in the post, and Purdue's concern, though, may be keeping him off the offensive boards, first and foremost. He totaled 10 offensive rebounds between the Minnesota and Rutgers games.

F - 22 Patrick McCaffery (6-9, 200, Jr.)

10.8 PPG • 3.3 RPG • 1.8 AST • 32.7% 3-PT

The versatile forward can drive from the front court and shoot from long distance. Purdue had a hard time keeping him out of the lane and off the foul line in Mackey Arena in December. As Iowa's 3 man, though, he's going to have to guard guards, and there may be matchup advantages there for the Boilermakers.

G - 3 Jordan Bohannon (6-1, 175, Sr.)

10.6 PPG • 36.1% 3-PT

The sixth-year senior is one of the most respected shooters in the conference, playing the 2-guard position now after spending a good deal of his career prior at the point. Purdue did a great job in Round 1 of keeping him from getting space to shoot, but that'll be a hard act to follow in Carver Hawkeye.

G - 2 Joe Touissant (6-0, 190, Jr.)

5.5 PPG • 3.9 AST • 48.8% FG • 38.9% 3-PT

Touissant's quickness and speed in the open floor have to be concerns for Purdue, but he's also a 39-percent three-point shooter on low volume. He's a more important matchup than people generally think of with the Hawkeyes.

KEY RESERVES

F - 24 Kris Murray (6-8, 225, So.)

9.9 PPG • 4.5 REB • 41.1% 3-PT

Murray's a lot like his twin brother: Similar body, similar skill set. He has a 29-point game against Indiana to his credit this season.

G - 30 Connor McCaffery (6-5, 205, Sr.)

1.2 PPG • 2.5 RPG • 1.9 AST

McCaffery brings toughness and some passing savvy to the floor, but Purdue has always been willing to challenge him as a shooter and he's not been able to burn them. He's 4-of-22 from three this season and a 29-percent career shooter.

G - 4 Ahron Ulis (6-3, 195, So.)

3.6 PPG • 2.7 AST

Ulis' minutes have dwindled lately, but he was productive in 20 minutes against Purdue back in December, scoring seven points and making a three.

G - 11 Tony Perkins (6-4, 210, So.)

7.1 PPG

The athletic wing from Indy was a real spark for Iowa against Purdue in the first meeting, scoring 14 points off the bench. Another of the players the Boilermakers weren't always able to keep out of the lane.

C - 23 Josh Ogundele (6-11, 265, So.)

1.4 PPG • 1.3 RPG

The wide-bodied big man weaves in and out of Iowa's playing rotation, but he played a lot at Purdue in December and you'd have to think Iowa could use his size against Purdue.

IN-GAME AND POST-GAME COVERAGE

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.

THREE KEYS FOR PURDUE
PROTECT THE LANE TURNOVERS ESTABLISH POST

Iowa got 36 points in the paint in the first meeting between these two teams, without Keegan Murray. That'll be an emphasis — it always is — this time around, and probably a must if Purdue's going to get this one.

Obviously, when Purdue has been beaten this season, this category has generally loomed large. Iowa's going to pressure and trap in the backcourt and whatnot and Purdue has to keep its cool, be strong with the ball and keep its pace.

Purdue didn't get typical efficiency and productivity offensively from its centers the first time around, and its particularly important against Iowa to really be good in halfcourt offense for a variety of reasons.

PREDICTION: PURDUE 80, IOWA 76

Purdue's proven to be better in higher-scoring games and this could be one of them, but the Boilermakers do need to get back to some of their bedrock Big Ten stuff here. If they take care of the ball against pressure and leverage the glass the way they should have a chance to, those categories could take them a long way on this night.

Purdue has some matchup worries on defense here, but Iowa has some enormous matchup worries themselves.

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