Minnesota @ Purdue preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 15, 2019 ) Minnesota 75, Purdue 73

Purdue looks to extend its home winning streak to six games when it resumes Big Ten Conference play against Minnesota on Thursday. The Boilermakers salvaged a disappointing non-conference slate with a 97-62 win against Central Michigan on Saturday, and they hope to climb above .500 in the Big Ten standings by ending a two-game skid to the Golden Gophers.

"We have to be able to string together consistent play for a two to three week period," Purdue coach Matt Painter told reporters. "We also have to get more consistent shooting from our guards." Minnesota ended the calendar year on a high note following an 89-62 win against Florida International on Saturday. The Golden Gophers have won three consecutive games, including an 84-71 victory against No. 5 Ohio State on Dec. 15, after a disappointing 4-5 start, and hope to continue their upward trajectory by knocking off the Boilermakers in West Lafayette for the first time in three years. "We did a really good job to wrap up non-conference play," Minnesota coach Richard Pitino told reporters. "We've been playing good basketball and we're excited about the opportunity to play Purdue."

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: Big Ten Network

ABOUT MINNESOTA (7-5, 1-1 Big Ten): Gabe Kalscheur knocked down five 3-pointers en route to a game-high 23 points and finished with five steals in the win against Florida International. Daniel Oturu was named the Big Ten Player of the Week after scoring 21 points and grabbing a career-high 20 rebounds against the Panthers to become the first Gopher player to post a 20-20 game in more than 53 years. Marcus Carr added 17 points, a team-high eight assists and seven rebounds to help Minnesota notch its fourth consecutive home win despite shooting 38.8 percent from the field.

ABOUT PURDUE (8-5, 1-1): Sasha Stefanovic went 7-of-10 from 3-point range en route to a career-high 23 points to go along with five assists as the Boilermakers finished with a season-best 14 triples in the win against Central Michigan. Eric Hunter Jr. continued his recent stellar play as he added 16 points and six assists while Trevion Williams scored 12 points and pulled down 12 rebounds against the Chippewas to register his third double-double in the last four games. Matt Haarms showed no ill effects of a concussion, which kept him out of the previous two games, as he finished with 11 points.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Purdue has held all 13 of its opponents to fewer than 70 points.

2. Oturu has registered eight double-doubles this season.

3. The Boilermakers have won 10 of the last 11 home meetings with the Gophers.

PREDICTION: Purdue 76, Minnesota 67