Illinois @ Purdue preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 22, 2018 ) Purdue 93, Illinois 86

If No. 12 Purdue can avoid a slip-up Wednesday night at home and beat Illinois, there will be a two-way tie atop the Big Ten standings with three games to go. Purdue, which trails Michigan State by a half-game, has won its last three contests overall, three straight in the series and six in a row against Illinois at Mackey Arena.

Illinois hasn't won in West Lafayette since 2008 and ending its losing streak there won't be easy, especially considering the Fighting Illinois have dropped their last two games. The latest loss was a clunker, falling 83-76 at home to Penn State on Saturday. Illinois is 1-7 on the road this season and Purdue is unbeaten at 13-0 in Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers are also one of the hottest teams in the conference, having won 11 of their last 12 games to vault into contention for the regular-season championship.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

ABOUT PURDUE (20-7, 13-3 Big Ten): The Boilermakers have the potential to win out, with remaining games after Illinois against Ohio State at home, and on the road against Minnesota and Northwestern. Purdue's success revolves around dynamic scorer Carsen Edwards, who ranks 10th nationally with a Big Ten-best average of 23.4 points per game. Matt Haarms, Purdue's 7-foot-3 center, can do some harm inside as evidenced by his conference-best 63.4 percent shooting from the field in Big Ten play while averaging 8.4 points and 1.9 blocks in all games.

ABOUT ILLINOIS (10-17, 6-10): After a poor start to the season, the young Fighting Illini seemed to have found their sweet spot during a four-game winning streak earlier this month before taking a step backward last week. Ayo Dosunmu, who led Illinois in the loss to Penn State with 18 points, can make a strong case for Big Ten Freshman of the Year if he finishes strong. Fellow freshman Giorgi Bezhanishvili posted his first career double-double against Penn State with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

TIP-INS

1. Purdue makes and takes a slew of 3-pointers, but its shooting percentage from long range is 26.7 in the last four games.

2. Edwards poured in 40 points the last time Purdue faced Illinois in February 2018 en route to a 93-86 victory in Champaign.

3. Dosunmu is averaging 15.2 points in conference games, which ranks 11th overall, and Bezhanishvili averages 14 points in league play.

PREDICTION: Purdue 72, Illinois 60