Minnesota @ Purdue preview
Mackey Arena
Last Meeting ( Feb 25, 2018 ) Minnesota 60, Purdue 84
No. 18 Purdue looks to continue its impressive run in Big Ten play when it hosts Minnesota on Sunday. The Boilermakers have won six consecutive contests after pulling out a 99-90 overtime victory against Penn State on Thursday, which moved them into a second-place tie with fifth-ranked Michigan in the conference standings, and hope to stay in contention for their second regular-season title in three years by knocking off the Gophers for the third straight time.
Purdue has been a force at home, winning 12 consecutive games, and is 9-1 against Minnesota in Mackey Arena under coach Matt Painter. Minnesota is back on track following two straight victories, including an 86-75 win against Illinois on Wednesday. The Gophers had suffered a humbling 95-68 setback to the Illini on Jan. 16, but they avenged their biggest defeat of the season and hope to add some quality wins to their NCAA Tournament resume with a three-game gauntlet against ranked opponents on deck. "Our next 10 games we have eight potential quad one wins, so we're going to have a great chance," Minnesota coach Richard Pitino told reporters. "I have a lot of respect for that team (Purdue) and obviously they shoot the ball as well as any team in the country."
TV: Noon ET, Big Ten Network
ABOUT MINNESOTA (16-5, 6-4 Big Ten): Amir Coffey produced 18 points, six assists and four rebounds to lead five players in double figures in the win against Illinois. Jordan Murphy added 16 points and 10 rebounds against the Illini to register his fourth straight double-double while Gabe Kalscheur scored 14 points and pulled down five boards, which matched a career high. Isaiah Washington added a spark off the bench with 12 points and four assists while Daniel Oturu contributed 11 points and eight rebounds after sitting out the previous game with a shoulder injury.
ABOUT PURDUE (15-6, 8-2): Carsen Edwards continues to make a strong case for the Big Ten Player of the Year as he matched a program record with eight 3-pointers en route to 38 points to move into 20th place on the Boilermakers' all-time scoring list with 1,568. Ryan Cline knocked down 6-of-7 attempts from 3-point range to finish with 20 points against the Nittany Lions and is 30-of-53 (56.6 percent) from beyond the arc over his last eight games. Trevion Williams added 10 points and five rebounds while Nojel Eastern tallied eight points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
TIP-INS
1. Purdue has won 21 of its last 22 home games.
2. Murphy has recorded 14 double-doubles this season.
3. Edwards has scored 30 or more points in five games in 2018-19.
PREDICTION: Purdue 82, Minnesota 73