How to Watch Purdue's Big Ten Tournament Game vs. Northwestern Live
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CHICAGO — For the second time in eight days, Purdue and Northwestern will go head-to-head on the hardwood. The No. 7 seed Boilermakers will play the No. 15 seed Wildcats in the third round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday, with an opportunity for the winner to advance to the quarterfinals.
Northwestern reached Thursday's round thanks to a 76-66 win over Penn State followed by a 74-61 victory over Indiana. Purdue earned a bye through the first two rounds and will play its first game on Thursday night.
Here's what you need to know for Thursday night's clash at the United Center in Chicago.
#7 Purdue (23-8, 13-7) vs. #15 Northwestern (15-18, 5-15)
- What: Big Ten Tournament Game 9
- Date: Thursday, March 12
- Tipoff time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- Location: United Center in Chicago (20,917 capacity)
- TV: Big Ten Network
- App: FOX Sports
- Announcers: Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Robbie Hummel (analyst), Andy Katz (reporter)
- Radio: Purdue Global Radio Network — WAZY 96.5 FM (Lafayette); WKJG 100.9 FM (Fort Wayne); WNDE 1260 AM (Indianapolis); WGBF 1280 (Evansville); Sirius XM 145; View all listings: CLICK HERE
- Radio announcers: Rob Blackman (play-by-play), Bobby Riddell (analyst), Wes Scott (producer).
- Live stats: StatBroadcast.com
- All-time series: Purdue leads the series vs. Northwestern 137-48
Team stats
Stats (per game) | #7 Purdue | #15 Northwestern |
|---|---|---|
Scoring | 82.3 | 73.3 |
Points allowed | 70.7 | 71.7 |
FG% | 50.1% | 45.9% |
3FG% | 38.5% | 32.5% |
Rebounds | 35.5 | 30.8 |
Assists | 19.7 | 17.2 |
Steals | 5.6 | 5.8 |
Blocks | 2.7 | 3.7 |
Turnovers | 9.1 | 8.6 |
Key players
Northwestern Wildcats
- Nick Martinelli, F — Martinelli has been one of the top scorers in college basketball this season, averaging 22.5 points per game. What makes him such a tough player to defend is his ability to get buckets in a variety of ways. He can post up, shoot the three-ball or drive to the basket. The senior forward is a 50% shooter from the floor and has connected on 42% of his three-point attempts. Martinelli has been the heart and soul of Northwestern's team this year.
- Arrinten Page, F — At 6-foot-11, Page provides Northwestern with a nice interior presence. He's not a great rebounder for his size, pulling down just 4.5 boards per game, but he does a good job of altering and blocking shots on the defensive end. Page has some mobility and can move around the floor, but he will do most of his work in the painted area.
- Jayden Reid, G — You never know when Reid will go off next. He hasn't produced consistently this season, but he does have three 20-point games, including a 28-point outing against Illinois in January. The junior guard is the best facilitator for the Wildcats, averaging 4.9 assists per game to go along with 9.9 points. Reid has had some really impressive performances this year and is always someone defenses must account for when he's on the floor.
- Tre Singleton, F — Only a freshman, Singleton has come in and immediately made an impact for the Wildcats. He's averaging 7.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He's another player who has had trouble with consistency, not scoring in double figures in any of his previous five games. Still, he provides help on the glass and has become a much better decision-maker.
Purdue Boilermakers
- Braden Smith, G — Now over 1,000 assists for his career, Smith continues to prove himself as one of the best passers in the history of college basketball. He really opens up Purdue's offense when he's scoring, putting opposing teams in difficult defensive situations. For the year, Smith is averaging 14.9 points and 8.7 assists per game. The senior's ability to distribute and score at every level makes him such a dangerous player.
- Fletcher Loyer, G — Since the calendar turned to February, Loyer has really played at a high level. In his last nine games, the senior guard is averaging 16.2 points per game and is shooting nearly 50% from three-point range. Yes, he went through a bit of a slump in January, but Loyer is playing some of his best offensive basketball right now.
- Trey Kaufman-Renn, F — Kaufman-Renn has become a much more impactful scoring threat for Purdue in recent weeks. He's averaging 13.4 points per game for the year, but has scored 17 points or more in four of the team's last five games. Where the senior forward is really imposing his will is on the glass, averaging 8.7 rebounds per game.
- C.J. Cox, G — The sophomore guard is considered Purdue's best perimeter defender, but that's not his only strong quality. Cox is an excellent shooter, especially when given open opportunities. He's a 46% shooter from the floor and is better than 38% from three-point range. Cox is able to be disruptive on the defensive end and can also knock down shots offensively.
What happened in the first meeting?
Northwestern's trap defense gave Purdue's offense a lot of problems, particularly in the first half. The Boilermakers struggled with turnovers and shot-making, which resulted in a 34-25 advantage for the Wildcats at halftime.
Things changed in the second half, though. Purdue sophomore CJ Cox got hot and finished the game with 27 points, 21 coming in the final 20 minutes. He also scored 11 points in the final 4:30, which included a go-ahead three-pointer with under a minute to play.
Nick Martinelli had a huge day with 28 points and Purdue's defense had trouble containing guard Jayden Reid, but the Boilermakers made just enough plays down the stretch to pull out a 70-66 victory in Evanston. Along with Cox's big nigt, the Boilers also got a major boost from Trey Kaufman-Renn, who had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Purdue won thr rebounding battle 29-15 and shot 53% from the floor, just get enough to get a win.
How they got here
Northwestern's path to the third round
- Finished with a 5-15 Big Ten record, 15th in the conference
- Defeated #18 Penn State 76-66 in the first round
- Defeated #10 Indiana 74-61 in the second round
Purdue's path to the third round
- Finished with a 13-7 Big Ten record, seventh in the conference
- Earned a double-bye for the Big Ten Tournament
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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