Riding a two-game winning streak, sixth-ranked Purdue hosts one of its fellow Big Ten contenders as No. 16 Ohio State visits West Lafayette for a CBS game.

Date: Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022

Place: Mackey Arena (West Lafayette, Ind.)

Time: Noon ET

TV: CBS

Radio: Purdue Radio Network (96.5 WAZY locally)

Schedule | Roster | Stats

• Purdue leads the Big Ten in scoring in conference play at 78.2 points per game and remains No. 1 nationally in offensive efficiency, but averaged just 67.3 in its three Big Ten losses. The Boilermakers have yet to win a game this season with fewer than 74 points.

• Purdue has shot a league-leading 201 free throws — 22.3 per game — in Big Ten play, but has shot just 66.7 percent.

• The Boilermakers' defensive turnover percentage of 15.1 percent is 336th nationally. Only Penn State, Cal, Utah and North Carolina rank lower among high-major programs.

STARTERS

C — 15 Zach Edey (7-4, 295, So.)

14.8 PPG • 70.4% FG • 7.6 REB

Even though his final numbers weren't particularly robust, Edey got Purdue off to a great start at Iowa at the offensive end. Those first five minutes on offense are so important and so dependent on Purdue's post operation. The Boilermakers need the most physical version of their starting center in this one, and Edey's given Zed Key problems in that regard before. Best thing from Iowa: Edey was 2-for-2 at the foul line after struggling in conference play this season.

F — 0 Mason Gillis (6-6, 230, So.)

7.1 PPG • 3.6 REB • 57.8% FG • 52.6% 3-PT • 87% FT

After drawing Keegan Murray as his primary defensive matchup at Iowa, Gillis now gets E.J. Liddell. He'll have a lot of help once again, but that's going to be a tall order both for him and Caleb Furst.

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

12.2 PPG • 41.8% 3-PT • 3.6 AST

Stefanovic had been riding an every-other-game sort of shooting pattern before following up a strong game against Northwestern with four threes at Iowa. Ohio State will make him a marked man and probably try to really hassle him on his cuts and run him off the arc.

G —11 Isaiah Thompson (6-1, 160, Jr.)

6.3 PPG • 42.5% 3-PT

Thompson's Big Ten shooting slump sure looked to be behind him at Iowa, as he scored a career-best 18 points and helped Purdue dominate the Hawkeyes' backcourt pressure, the sort of thing Ohio State may try from time to time on Sunday.

G —23 Jaden Ivey (6-4, 195, So.) (?)

16.6 PPG • 49.3% FG • 43.8% 3-PT • 5.0 REB • 3.0 AST

Ivey's just fine. After a one-game absence due to a hip injury, he was awesome at Iowa, the lone exception being his outlier struggles at the foul line. His timely and fearless shooting loomed large in shepherding the Boilermakers' through Iowa's run.

ROTATION

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

12.7 PPG • 56.3% FG • 8.5 REB • 3.0 AST

Williams' strange little two-game funk appears to be behind him, as he's coming off back-to-back 12-and-10 games. He was on the wrong end of some bizarre calls at Iowa, but Purdue does need him curbing the turnovers. He's committed 13 over the past four games.

G — 25 Ethan Morton (6-6, 215, So.)

2.7 PPG • 2.1 AST • 41.2% 3-PT

Morton gave Purdue good minutes again at Iowa at a couple of different positions. That included another catch-and-shoot three out of a kickout from the post, a shot he's looked really good taking this season.

G — 2 Eric Hunter (6-4, 175, Sr.)

4.0 PPG • 1.8 AST • 36.7% 3-PT

Hunter's playing his best basketball of the season and some of the best of his career at the right time. He's now shooting 57 percent from three-point range in Big Ten play and has done a good job taking care of the basketball lately.

F — 3 Caleb Furst (6-10, 230, Fr.)

5.2 PPG • 4.4 RPG • 58.1% FG • 41.2% 3-PT

Furst has really played well lately, appearing to have caught his second wind after his bout with COVID. He's been really active on the glass and as a complementary piece on offense and did a nice job at Iowa helping Purdue against the Hawkeyes' trapping, doing everything right.

G — 5 Brandon Newman (6-5, 200, So.)

6.3 PPG • 34.7% 3-PT • 85% FT

After starting vs. Northwestern, Newman didn't play at Iowa, his second healthy scratch of the Big Ten season. That had everything to do with Iowa's trapping and pressing and the level the rest of Purdue's guards were playing at. Might have just been a one-game deal.

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

• In Big Ten games, Ohio State's fifth in scoring at 73.3 points and seventh in defense, allowing 68.8. This will be its first game of the season against a top-four Big Ten scoring offense.

• Prior to Ohio State's 75-64 win at Minnesota the other day, the Buckeyes' track record in Big Ten road games wasn't great, as Nebraska took them to overtime, Wisconsin handled them and Indiana blew them out. Ohio State managed just 51 points at IU.

Wisconsin was Ohio State's only game prior to Purdue with one of the league's other apparent contenders.

• Ohio State's 18.2-percent turnover percentage in Big Ten play is just 11th in the conference.

STARTERS

F - 32 E.J. Liddell (6-7, 240, Jr.)

19.6 PPG • 7.8 REB • 52.1% FG • 41% 3-PT • 2.7 BLK

The Buckeyes' centerpiece, Liddell is an excellent interior scorer and rebounder, but has really come a long way as a perimeter shooter, becoming even more of a threat from three-point range. He's one of the best players in college basketball.

C - 23 Zed Key (6-8, 245, So.)

9.5 PPG • 5.8 REB • 59.8% FG

The energetic young center will be Ohio State's primary defender in the post against Edey and Williams. In a league full of excellent big men, Key gets overlooked, but he's a good player.

F - 10 Justin Ahrens (6-6, 195, Sr.)

6.6 PPG • 3.2 RPG • 34.8% 3-PT

Almost exclusively a spot-up three-point shooter, the big wing will space the floor for Liddell and command Purdue stay with him on the perimeter and find him in transition. He's not shot as well this season as he has in the past, just 4-of-23 from three-point range the past five games.

G - 22 Malaki Branham (6-5, 180, Fr.)

10.1 PPG • 37.2% 3-PT

One of the top freshmen in the Big Ten, Branham joins Max Christie and Bryce McGowens in this class of excellent young wing scorers in the conference. Branham possesses great size, a pull-up game and three-point range. He's cooled off a little bit since he had 35 at Nebraska and 24 against Nebraska earlier in the season, but he'll be one of Purdue's highest defensive priorities nonetheless.

G - 55 Jamari Wheeler (6-1, 170, Sr.)

7.1 PPG • 3.4 RPG • 3.8 AST • 34% 3-PT • 1.6 STL

Wheeler missed the Minnesota game due to an ankle injury, but Purdue's preparing to see him in Mackey Arena. The former Penn State guard can be a game-changing defender, among other things. He's one of the more under-rated players in the league.

KEY RESERVES

G - 0 Meechie Johnson (6-2, 172, Fr.)

6.4 PPG • 37.5% 3-PT

Johnson started at Minnesota in Wheeler's place, even though he's been banged up as well.

F - 25 Kyle Young (6-8, 225, Sr.)

9.1 PPG • 5.4 REB • 34.4% 3-PT

One of the Big Ten's foremost glue guys, the fifth-year senior's ruggedness and effort always stand out at both the 4 and sometimes 5. He can step out and make threes, as well.

G - 2 Cedric Russell (6-2, 190, Sr.)

3.9 PPG • 48.5% 3-PT

The transfer from Louisiana-Lafayette has seen more minutes the past two games and is 6-of-11 from three-point range in those games.

G - 3 Eugene Brown (6-6, 195, So.)

3.0 PPG

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.

Ohio State is just rock-solid and tough and will make things difficult for Purdue offensively, maybe making this precisely the sort of low-scoring Big Ten rockfight the Boilermakers have yet to show they can win.

This sets up as the Boilermakers' breakthrough in that regard, but they need to set a physical tone on the interior from the outset, do a good job on the glass and avoid the turnover spells that have changed some of their games lately.

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