Nebraska @ Purdue preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 29, 2017 ) Purdue 80, Nebraska 83

Leaving for the Bahamas during the week of Thanksgiving is about the only thing that has rattled No. 12 Purdue, as the defending Big Ten champions have yet to lose in the continental United States this season. Boasting the second-best scoring margin in Division I, the Boilermakers eye their 11th straight victory Saturday when they host surging Nebraska.

Purdue has played only three games within 10 points while going 13-0 in one of the 50 states, and each of its last six victories have come by at least 15 points since a pair of single-digit wins to begin conference play last month. The Boilermakers, whose only two losses came to Tennessee and Western Kentucky at the Battle 4 Atlantis, added to their impressive plus-23.5 scoring margin with Wednesday's 82-51 rout of Rutgers, relying heavily on their pair of 7-footers to pound the Scarlet Knights on the boards (45-27). The Cornhuskers figure to have Purdue's attention after pulling off an 83-80 upset in Lincoln last year and posting a 70-55 triumph in their first true road win of the season Tuesday at Northwestern, which played Purdue within five points on Dec. 3. Nebraska has won a season-high four in a row since a one-point setback to Kansas on Dec. 16 and is seeking its first five-game winning streak since Feb. 8-23, 2014.

TV: 2:15 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

ABOUT NEBRASKA (11-5, 2-1 Big Ten): The Cornhuskers' added athleticism has been on display most of the season and was readily apparent Tuesday, as four players swatted at least two shots and Nebraska finished with 14 blocks - the most it has ever had in a conference game and one shy of the school record. Glynn Watson Jr. (12.4 points) snapped out of a two-game malaise in which he totaled three points with 19 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals to help Nebraska shoot 59 percent in the second half. Leading scorer James Palmer Jr. (15.3 points) has tallied at least 18 points three times during the winning streak and been a steady hand offensively all season long, scoring at least 11 points in all but one game.

ABOUT PURDUE (14-2, 3-0): With starting forward Vincent Edwards (13.6 points, team-high 8.5 rebounds) battling foul troubling most of the night against Rutgers, the Boilermakers played 7-3 Matt Haarms with 7-2 Isaac Haas as extensively as they ever have, and the duo combined for 18 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks over their 51 combined minutes. "I like it because it provides a lot of length on defense. It allows us to get more spread out in our coverage on defense. On offense, you have two guys blasting. You have two long rebounders. You have guys who can do the hi-low as well," Haas told The Journal and Courier. Reserve guard Ryan Cline, who pulled down a career-high six boards Wednesday, is 18-of-29 from 3-point range over his last seven outings.

TIP-INS

1. Purdue has won three straight contests by 30 or more points for the first time in its 120-year school history.

2. The Cornhuskers shot a season-high 88.2 percent from the foul line Tuesday.

3. The Boilermakers have scored at least 80 points in six straight games for the first time Dec. 6-27, 1997.

PREDICTION: Purdue 82, Nebraska 66