Purdue @ Northwestern preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 3, 2017 ) Northwestern 69, Purdue 74

No. 9 Purdue looks to claim a share of the Big Ten regular-season title when it visits Northwestern on Saturday. The Boilermakers were in pole position to secure their second outright conference championship in three seasons but dropped a 73-69 decision to Minnesota on Tuesday to open the door for the winner of the clash between seventh-ranked Michigan and No. 11 Michigan State to secure a share of the title if the Boilermakers are able to take of business on Senior Night in Evanston.

"We've got one more game to win the Big Ten championship and that's all you've really got to say," Purdue forward Grady Eifert told reporters. "We know what's at stake and I'm sure we're going to be ready to go on Saturday." Northwestern snapped a 10-game losing skid with an emphatic 68-50 win over Ohio State on Wednesday. The Wildcats held the Buckeyes to 26.6 percent shooting from the floor en route to their first home win in the rivalry in over 10 years and hope for another suffocating defensive performance as they strive to send out their seniors on a winning note by knocking off Purdue for the first time since Mar. 9, 2014. "Obviously we're not where we want to be in terms of wins and losses but we can't look back, Northwestern coach Chris Collins told reporters. "I tell them all the time that until you are told you don't have any more games then you get ready to play and you compete to win."

TV: 2:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

ABOUT PURDUE (22-8, 15-4 Big Ten): Carsen Edwards scored a team-high 22 points but finished 7-of-31 from the floor as the Boilermakers were held to 35.3 shooting in the loss to Minnesota. Ryan Cline knocked down six 3-pointers en route to 19 points while Eifert had one of the best games of his four-year career at Purdue as he added 13 points and a personal-best 14 rebounds against the Gophers to record his first double-double of the season. Edwards, who leads the Big Ten in points per game (23.4), was named one of 10 semifinalists for the James Naismith Award, which is handed out annually to the top player in college basketball.

ABOUT NORTHWESTERN (13-17, 4-15): Dererk Pardon scored 20 points and pulled down 13 rebounds in the win against Ohio State to register his eighth double-double of the campaign while moving past Don Adams (773) for fifth place on the Wildcats' all-time rebounding list. Vic Law added 10 points and six boards against the Buckeyes to become the ninth player in Northwestern history to reach 700 rebounds for his career while A.J. Turner also scored 10 points. The Wildcats will honor six players on Senior Day, including Pardon, who currently owns the highest career field goal percentage (60.8), Law, Ryan Taylor and Aaron Falzon.

TIP-INS

1. Purdue has won five straight meetings with Northwestern.

2. Pardon has notched 17 career double-doubles, which is the fourth most in program history.

3. Edwards has scored at least 20 points in 22 games this season.

PREDICTION: Purdue 69, Northwestern 67