Big Ten Roundup (Jan. 29): No. 1 Purdue Blows Out Michigan State; Penn State, Iowa Win
This time around, No. 1-ranked Purdue wasn't going to wait until the last second to beat Michigan State.
Less than two weeks ago, the Boilermakers needed a last-second shot from Zach Edey to win by one in East Lansing. But on Sunday in West Lafayette, the 7-foot-4 center dominated from start to finish. He scored a career-high 38 points in the Boilermakers' easy 77-61 win.
“It's real special. It's something you can't take for granted because you're not going to have someone like that every single year," Purdue freshman guard Fletcher Loyer said. "When you have someone down low that's that dominant and that unselfish too, it's great to play with.
"I feel bad for the other teams because it's hard to stop him. Also, just this summer watching him play, I'm like 'this guy is the best player in the country.'"
Edey, who scored 32 points in East Lansing, was 15-of-24 from the field, and make 8-of-12 free throws. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo took full responsibility for Edey going wild.
“If one guy gets 70 points in two games, you can't blame that on the players. Blame the coach,” Izzo said. “We just couldn't cover him."
Purdue is now 21-1 on the season, the best start in school history. The Boilermakers are 10-1 in the Big Ten, and no one else has more than six league wins. This is a big week coming up for the Boilers, with a home game against Penn State on Wednesday night, followed by a road trip to Bloomington on Saturday to take on Indiana.
To read the complete game story on our Sports Illustrated/FanNation Purdue site, CLICK HERE
To watch Tom Izzo's postgame comments, CLICK HERE
Sunday's other Big Ten games
- PENN STATE 83, MICHIGAN 61: Jalen Pickett had 25 points and Seth Lundy added 22 with four three-pointers as Penn State (14-7, 5-5 in Big Ten) routed Michigan (11-10, 5-5 in Big Ten) in State College. It was the largest margin of victory ever for Penn State against the Wolverines. The Nittany Lions made 13 three-pointers, and Pickett nearly had a triple-double with 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Jett Howard, who missed a game with an ankle injury, returned on Sunday and led Michigan with 21 points, but no one else had more than six.
- IOWA 93, RUTGERS 82: Iowa (13-8, 5-5 in Big Ten) swept its season series with Rutgers (14-7, 6-4 in Big Ten, winning 93-82 in Iowa City thanks to 24 points from Kris Murray. Iowa was 12-for-24 from three-point range. Patrick McCaffery, playing his first game in four weeks after taking a break to work on some mental health issues, was 3-for-3 from deep in his return. It was the most points Rutgers gave up all season, and Iowa was the first team to go over 80. They were allowing just 57.2 points per game coming into the game.
This week's schedule
Tuesday's games
- NEBRASKA at ILLINOIS, 7 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
- NORTHWESTERN at IOWA, 9 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
- INDIANA at MARYLAND, 9 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN2)
Wednesday's games
- PENN STATE at No. 1 PURDUE, 6:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
- MINNESOTA at RUTGERS, 8:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
Thursday's games
- WISCONSIN at OHIO STATE, 7 p.m. ET (TV: FOX Sports 1)
- MICHIGAN at NORTHWESTERN, 7 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN2)
Saturday's games
- MICHIGAN STATE at RUTGERS, Noon ET (TV: FOX)
- ILLINOIS at IOWA, 2:30 p.m. ET (TV: FOX)
- No. 1 PURDUE at INDIANA, 4 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN or ESPN2)
- MARYLAND at MINNESOTA, 9 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
Sunday's games
- OHIO STATE at MICHIGAN, 1 p.m. ET (TV: CBS)
- PENN STATE at NEBRASKA,, 4:30p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
- NORTHWESTERN at WISCONSIN, 7:30p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
