GameDay Preview: Purdue Needs a Win on the Road at Ohio State
After losing a home game to Penn State this week, the Boilermakers need to find a way to steal a road win at Ohio State.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Purdue has won two road games in the row in the Big Ten, beating Northwestern and Indiana the past two Saturdays. Now it needs a third on Saturday at Ohio State.
There is a sense of urgency to this one after losing a home game to Penn State 88-76 on Tuesday night. There's a lot of stake in regards to an NCAA Tournament bid in this one.
Here are the particulars on Saturday's game:
- Who: Purdue Boilermakers (14-11, 7-7 in the Big Ten) vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (16-8, 6-7 in the Big Ten)
- When: Noon, ET, Saturday, Feb. 15
- Where: Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio
- Latest Line: Ohio State is a 5-point favorite as of Saturday morning, according to VegasInsiders.com.
- Poll rankings: Neither team is ranked by both are receiving votes in both polls
- Kenpom.com rankings: Ohio State is No. 12, and Purdue is No. 19.
- TV: Fox
- Announcers: Kevin Kugler, Jim Jackson, Lisa Byington
- Radio: Purdue Radio Network
- Announcers: Rob Blackman, Larry Clisby
Here's what you need to know about this one:
- In Purdue victories, the Boilermakers have five players averaging at least 9.6 points per game and are shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from long range. In Purdue losses, Purdue has only three players averaging at least 7.0 points per game and are shooting 36.5 percent from the fi eld and 26.9 percent from long distance.
- Purdue is 13-0 this year and 33-1 since the start of last year when shooting a higher field goal percentage than its opponent. The lone loss came to Virginia in last year's Elite Eight. The Boilermakers are 1-10 when shooting a lower fi eld goal percentage than its opponent (win vs. VCU).
- Since the 2014-15 season, Purdue is 28-10 (.737) during the month of February. Since the 2016-17 campaign, the Boilermakers are 20-6 (.769) during the month of February.
- Purdue is looking for its third straight Big Ten road win. The Boilermakers have had at least three straight Big Ten road wins in three straight seasons dating to the 2016-17 campaign. • Head coach Matt Painter's next victory will tie him with Michigan State legend Jud Heathcote on the Big Ten's all-time wins list in all games (336).
