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Matt Painter Discusses Matchup With Butler Before Crossroads Classic

How to Watch No. 3 Purdue Basketball's Crossroads Classic Game With Butler on Saturday

No. 3 Purdue will play against Butler at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the final iteration of the Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis. The Boilermakers are looking for its second straight victory in the event.
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INDIANAPOLIS — The No. 3-ranked Purdue basketball program is looking to secure a victory against Butler in the final iteration of the Crossroads Classic on Saturday at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Tipoff is scheduled for noon ET. The Boilermakers are looking for their second straight victory at the event after taking down Notre Dame last season 88-78. 

Purdue is 9-1 for just the fourth time under head coach Matt Painter. It marks Purdue's 11th start of 9-1 or better since the 1982-83 season. Butler enters the nonconference matchup at 7-3. 

  • LIVE BLOG: When the game starts, flip over here to our blog and follow the game in real time, with news and opinion. CLICK HERE

Here's everything you need to know about the Purdue Boilermakers' game with the Butler Bulldogs on Thursday:

How to watch Purdue Boilermakers vs. Butler Bulldogs

  • Who: No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers (9-1) vs. Butler Bulldogs (7-3)
  • When: Noon ET, Saturday, Dec. 18.
  • Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
  • TV: FOX
  • Announcers: Tim Brando and Jimmy Jackson
  • Radio: Purdue Radio Network (96.5 FM in Lafayette and 1260 AM in Indianapolis). Satellite: XM 196, SXM App 958
  • Radio Announcers: Rob Blackman and Bobby Riddell
  • Latest Line: Purdue is a 15.5-point favorite over Butler, according to the SISportsbook.com website. The over/under is 132.5.
  • Last year's records: Purdue was 18-10 last season, and 13-6 in the Big Ten. in the postseason, Purdue lost to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, and then lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as the No. 4 seed in the South Region, falling to No. 13-seed North Texas 78-69 in overtime. Butler was 10-15 a year ago, and 8-12 in the Big East.
  • Poll rankings: Purdue is ranked No. 3 in Week 6 of the Associated Press poll top-25 poll. The Boilermakers are also No. 4 in this week's Coaches poll. Butler is unranked.
  • Kenpom.com rankings: Purdue is No. 4 in the Kenpom.com rankings. Butler is ranked No. 86 out of 353 teams.

Purdue-Butler series history

  • Series history: Saturday's contest with Butler marks the 60th meeting between the two teams, the last five coming bi-annually at the Crossroads Classic. It's the most meetings for the Boilermakers against a nonconference opponent.
  • Purdue vs. Butler: The Boilermakers lead the all-time 39-20, but is just 1-4 in the Crossroads Classic. After encountering a five-game losing skid to the Bulldogs from 2001 to 2015, Purdue has won two of the last three meetings, including an NCAA Tournament second-round win in 2018. Prior to the five-game skid, Purdue had won 12 straight games against the Bulldogs. 

Recent Games

  • Purdue's last game: Purdue defeated North Carolina State in overtime 82-72 on Sunday, Dec. 12. The win came after the team's first loss of the season against Rutgers. CLICK HERE
  • Butler's last game: Butler played against Easter Illinois and earned a 66-54 victory. 

Meet the coaches

  • Meet Purdue coach Matt Painter: Matt Painter is in his 17th season as the head coach of the Boilermakers. Since being named coach in 2005, Purdue has reached the NCAA Tournament 12 times, with four Sweet Sixteen appearances and one Elite Eight appearance in 2019. He also coached once season at Southern Illinois (2004). He has a 364-185 record at Purdue, and is 389-190 overall. He is 181-110 in Big Ten games.
  • Meet Butler coach LaVall Jordan: LaVall Jordan is in his fifth season at Butler. He has a 76-58 record at the school. He has led the Bulldogs to three total postseason appearances, including the 2019-20 season that was canceled due to COVID-19.

Projected starters

  • Projected Purdue starters: Zach Edey (7-foot-4 sophomore center), Caleb Furst (6-10 freshman forward), Sasha Stefanovic (6-5 senior guard), Jaden Ivey (6-4 sophomore guard) and Isaiah Thompson (6-1 junior guard).
  • Projected Butler starters: Aaron Thompson (6-foot-2 graduate guard), Jair Bolden (6-3 graduate guard), Jayden Taylor (6-4 freshman guard), Ty Groce (6-8 graduate forward) and Bryce Golden (6-9 senior forward). 
  • DRAVYN GIBBS-LAWHORN COMMITS TO PURDUE: Four-star guard Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn from Real Salt Lake Academy has committed to Purdue basketball. He is the third-highest rated recruit in program history. He will join the Boilermakers alongside Myles Colvin in the 2023 recruiting class. CLICK HERE 
  • HERE'S WHAT SASHA STEFANOVIC SAID ON SASHA LIVE! PODCAST: Purdue guard Sasha Stefanovic sat down for Episode 7 of the Sasha Live! podcast at Mad Mushroom Pizza in West Lafayette, talking about the Boilermakers' first loss of the season to Rutgers and their overtime win versus NC State. Stefanovic said Butler will also be a challenge come Saturday. CLICK HERE
  • PURDUE FALLS TO THIRD IN AP TOP 25 POLL: Purdue basketball fell to No. 3 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll after being defeated on a buzzer-beater 3-pointer against Rutgers. The team nearly followed with a loss against North Carolina State but rallied for a victory in overtime. CLICK HERE

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