VCU @ Purdue preview
The Arena at Northwest Florida State College
Last Meeting ( Mar 20, 2011 ) VCU 94, Purdue 76
No. 20 VCU puts its perfect record on the line when it faces Purdue in the third round of the Emerald Coast Classic in Destin, Fla. on Friday. The Rams beat Alabama State 78-62 on Monday in the campus round portion of the tournament to improve to 6-0 for the first time in program history, and they hope to keep rolling by knocking off the Boilermakers for the second time, following a win in the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
"We have plenty of guys that can help us find ways to win these games starting on Friday night against a great team like Purdue," VCU coach Mike Rhoades told reporters. "It's what we do at VCU, we go on the road and we go on these tournaments and compete like crazy." Purdue climbed back over .500 after a disappointing start to the season by cruising past Jacksonville State 81-49 on Saturday. The Boilermakers have won back-to-back games by an average margin of 38 points in the campus site contests after a pair of non-conference losses to Texas (70-66) and Marquette (65-55), and hope to pick up their first signature win while continuing their quest for their first in-season tournament title since winning the Cancun Challenge in 2016. "This is a new team and we have to get to know each other," Purdue guard Nojel Eastern told reporters. "We didn't want those two losses, but we allowed that to give us confidence and allowed us to come into practice with more energy."
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
ABOUT PURDUE (3-2): Matt Haarms filled up the stat sheet in the win against Jacksonville State as he registered 17 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots to help the Boilermakers improve to 23-0 against Ohio Valley Conference opponents. Jahaad Proctor added 14 points and five assists to finish in double figures for the 21st straight game dating back to last season while Evan Boudreaux and Trevion Williams each scored nine points. Aaron Wheeler produced eight points and seven rebounds, as Purdue held its fifth straight opponent to fewer than 70 points to start the season.
ABOUT VCU (6-0): Marcus Evans went 5-of-7 from 3-point range en route to a season-high 25 points to go along with three assists in 20 minutes of action in the win over Alabama State. Nah'Shon Hyland drained three 3-pointers to finish with 12 points in a reserve role, as the Rams were 12-of-22 from beyond the arc against the Hornets. Marcus Santos-Silva flirted with a double-double as he scored nine points and pulled down a game-high nine rebounds while Mike'L Simms tallied six of his nine points from the free-throw line to help VCU extend its home winning streak to 17 games.
TIP-INS
1. VCU is ranked seventh nationally in turnovers forced per game (21).
2. Purdue is 18-4 since 2014-15 during in-season tournaments.
3. The winner will face either Florida State or No. 16 Tennessee in the championship game on Saturday.
PREDICTION: VCU 77, Purdue 73