Purdue @ Iowa preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 5, 2020 ) Iowa 68, Purdue 104

No. 18 Iowa looks to stretch its home winning streak to 14 games when it faces Purdue on Tuesday. The Hawkeyes beat Penn State 77-68 on Saturday to move into a tie for third place with two games remaining, and they hope to stay competitive in the seven-team battle for one of the four double byes in the Big Ten Tournament by avenging a 36-point loss to the Boilermakers on Feb. 5.

“Every game is going to be a war and I don’t expect anything different in the Big Ten tournament,” Iowa forward Ryan Kriener told reporters. “The double bye is definitely huge especially if there's a second-day upset and you play a team that has tired legs.” Purdue ended a four-game losing streak after taking down Indiana 57-49 to complete the season sweep of its in-state rival. The Boilermakers held the Hoosiers to 25.4 percent shooting en route to their first win since Feb. 8, and they aim to keep their fading NCAA Tournament hopes alive by adding a victory over a ranked team to their resume. “We’ve got to win a road game, we’ve got to win a home game and go to the Big Ten Tournament and win some games,” Purdue coach Matt Painter told reporters. “We’re so fortunate to have this opportunity when we keep on playing people that are going to the NCAA Tournament.”

TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: Big Ten Network

ABOUT PURDUE (15-14, 8-10 Big Ten): Trevion Williams scored a game-high 19 points and corralled eight rebounds to help the Boilermakers beat Indiana for the seventh straight time in the rivalry. “It’s not about me it’s about our team winning the game and it’s about us getting better everyday,” Williams told reporters. “We’re trying our best to play hard for our seniors and send them out on a great note.” Eric Hunter Jr. added 17 points and seven rebounds while Matt Haarms finished with six points and seven boards, as Purdue held the Hoosiers to their lowest shooting percentage from the field since 2014.

ABOUT IOWA (20-9, 11-7): Luka Garza produced 25 points, 17 rebounds and four blocked shots in the win against Penn State to register his 14th double-double of the season while setting a new program record for the most consecutive conference games with 20 or more points (14). Garza also moved past Fred Brown and Roy Marble for second place on the Hawkeyes’ single-season scoring list. Joe Wieskamp added 13 points and six rebounds while CJ Fredrick finished with 10 points after missing the previous three games with a sprained ankle.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Purdue has won the last three meetings with Iowa by an average margin of 25 points.

2. Garza is ranked fifth nationally in points per game (23.7).

3. The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in scoring (78.1).

PREDICTION: Iowa 87, Purdue 73