How to Watch Purdue Boilermakers vs. Oregon Ducks: Preview, TV Channel

TV channel, preview, and prediction for the Oregon Ducks men's basketball team's matchup between the Purdue Boilermakers at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 12 p.m. PT.
Jan 12, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman reacts in the team huddle during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Bryce Jordan Center. Oregon defeated Penn State 82-81. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images
Jan 12, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman reacts in the team huddle during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Bryce Jordan Center. Oregon defeated Penn State 82-81. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The No. 13 Oregon Ducks (15-2, 4-2) men's basketball team will host the No. 17 Purdue Boilermakers (14-4, 6-1) on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 12 p.m. PT. The game will be televised on NBC and Peacock.

Preview:

Last season's national championship runner-up, the Purdue Boilermakers team was lead by center Zach Edey, forward Mason Gillis, and guard Lance Jones who are all no longer with the program. Coach Matt Painter still has a competitive bunch as Purdue is riding a six-game winning streak. The Boilermakers only trail the No. 20 Michigan Wolverines (13-3, 5-0) and No. 12 Michigan State Spartans (15-2, 6-0) in the Big Ten Conference standings.

The return of the backcourt duo in guard Braden Smith (leads team with 9.0 assists per game and 2.3 steals per game) and guard Fletcher Loyer is the reason that Purdue is still being considered the best team in the Big Ten. In the first game of this Pacific Northwest road trip, Smith and Loyer combined for 29 points, 11 rebounds, six steals, and five assists in the 69-58 victory at the Washington Huskies.

Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) and Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) celebrate
Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) and Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) celebrate Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, during the NCAA men’s basketball game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Boilermakers are a very unselfish group that takes a lot of time off the game clock looking for the best offensive shot. Purdue averages 17.7 assists per game which ranks as the No. 23 most in the country.

Purdue's Trey Kaufman-Renn has moved into a much larger role in his junior season. From jumping to 16.9 minutes per game in 2023-24 to 29.6 minutes per game in 2024-25, the 6'9 forward now leads the Boilermakers in both scoring and rebounding with 17.6 point per game plus 6.2 rebounds per game.

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Purdue Boilermakers forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) shoots the ball over Washington Huskies guard Tyler Harris (8)
Jan 15, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Purdue Boilermakers forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) shoots the ball over Washington Huskies guard Tyler Harris (8) during the first half at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The likes of Oregon's frontcourt in Brandon Angel, Kwame Evans Jr., and Supreme Cook will all have a chance sizing him up. The key is being as physical as possible towards Kaufman-Renn who loves inside the paint.

"I've watched them maybe one time on film, and then I've watched a lot of highlights... But if you just look at their schedule and their record and all the people they've played and beat, it speaks for itself. If the tournament was right now, they'd be a two or a three seed. (Dana Altman) is a fabulous coach. Very familiar with him being from Creighton 20 years ago when I was at Southern Illinois."

Purdue coach Matt Painter on Oregon

After the 109-77 beatdown by the Illinois Fighting Illini at Matthew Knight Arena over two weeks ago, coach Dana Altman has righted the wrongs with a three-game winning streak for the Ducks. Most of that is thanks to the recent three-point shooting touch coming from guard Jackson Shelstad. In his last three games, Shelstad is 12-for-16 from deep. That's an astonishing 75.0 three-point percentage, so he must continue to be confident off the dribble and let it fly.

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Arden Cravalho
ARDEN CRAVALHO

Arden Cravalho has been covering Oregon football and basketball for Sports Illustrated's Oregon site since June 2024. Arden has been writing extensively about college athletics beginning in 2018. His other work can be seen on "The Slipper Still Fits" at SB Nation. Arden is a graduate of Gonzaga University and brings a deep understanding of college sports to his writing. Residing in San Francisco, CA, Arden continues to follow his passion for college sports with a focus on the Ducks. His experience and dedication to covering Oregon's athletic programs are evident in his insightful articles and analysis