Purdue @ Michigan preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 1, 2018 ) Purdue 57, Michigan 76

Michigan looks to break out of its recent slump when it hosts Purdue in a Big Ten Conference game Thursday. The No. 19 Wolverines went from unranked to the No. 5 team in the nation following a 7-0 start, which included an 82-64 victory over No. 1 Gonzaga in the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament Nov. 29, but they have dropped four of their last seven contests, and hope to bounce back from an 87-69 loss to eighth-ranked Michigan State on Sunday by improving to 8-1 at home.

"We're a close-knit group but we're not a finger pointing group and we don't make excuses," Michigan coach Juwan Howard told reporters. "We just need to keep forging ahead and mentally stay with it and keep working." Purdue is left to pick up the pieces following a disappointing 63-37 setback to Illinois on Sunday. The Boilermakers set a record for futility after finishing 25 percent from the floor, which was their worst shooting performance in program history en route to their fourth loss away from home this season, and hope to solve their road woes by knocking off a ranked opponent for the third time in 2019-20. "Our inability to make perimeter shots has really hampered us on the road," Purdue coach Matt Painter told the media. "We gotta keep working and get things figured out."

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: Fox Sports 1

ABOUT PURDUE (9-6, 2-2 Big Ten): Sasha Stefanovic scored a team-high eight points and Eric Hunter Jr. added seven as no Purdue player finished in double figures in the loss to Illinois. Nojel Eastern and Trevion Williams each tallied six points but shot a combined 5-of-17 from the floor as the Boilermakers were held to their lowest point total since being limited to 37 against Loyola in 1949. "We didn't get off to a good start and we didn't get a spark from anyone off the bench," Painter said. "We just weren't consistent whether it was our starters or our reserves."

ABOUT MICHIGAN (10-4, 1-2): Jon Teske recorded 15 points, five rebounds and a pair of blocked shots in the loss to Michigan State to finish in double figures for the ninth time in his last 10 games. Zavier Simpson, who is ranked second nationally in assists per game (8.9), added 14 points, eight assists and five rebounds while Brandon Johns tallied 12 points in his second straight start. Franz Wagner produced 10 points and seven rebounds against the Spartans while Isaiah Livers, who is the team's second-leading scorer at 13.6 points per contest, is questionable after missing the last two games with a groin injury.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Michigan has won 24 of its last 26 home games since the start of the 2018-19 season.

2. Purdue is shooting 23.4 percent from 3-point range in its four true road games.

3. Simpson has dished out at least eight assists in five straight games.

PREDICTION: Michigan 76, Purdue 70