LIVE BLOG: Follow Thursday's Purdue, Rutgers Game in Real Time; News & Analysis
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Purdue basketball faces its first test as the No. 1 ranked team in the country when it tips off on the road against Rutgers on Thursday night. The Scarlet Knights are 4-4, but a victory for the Boilermakers would give them their fifth 9-0 start since 1940.
- HOW TO WATCH: If you are interested in how to watch from home, simply CLICK HERE for television information, starting lineups and nuggets on the game.
Purdue managed to edge Iowa in a 77-70 victory against Iowa in its Big Ten opener. The team is 8-0 for just the third time under head coach Matt Painter
Here's how our LIVE BLOG works. We'll keep you updated on everything that goes on in the game in real time, keeping you up to date on rotations, scoring plays and trends. Highlights will be included as they become available.
9:18 p.m. ET, FINAL: Ron Harper Jr. hits a buzzer beater 3-pointer to win the game 70
9:08 p.m. ET: Purdue takes a timeout leading 66-65 with just under a minute to play. Ron Harper Jr. made an excellent pass and Rutgers threw down the dunk to bring it within one.
9:01 p.m. ET, UNDER 4: Purdue has a 65-59 lead with 2:57 left to play.
8:43 p.m. ET: Purdue has a 10-point lead with 8:34 to play. Williams, Edey and Ivey all in double figures, and Ethan Morton came down with a huge offensive rebound and found Sasha Stefanovic beyond the arc for a 3-pointer.
8:30 p.m. ET, UNDER 12: Rutgers on the back foot as Eric Hunter Jr. nails a 3-pointer from the corner. Purdue takes a 52-44 lead with 11:33 left to play.
The Boilermakers have 11 second-chance points this half.
8:23 p.m. ET: Brandon Newman comes away with a huge 3-pointer for Purdue. The team missed its previous eight shots from deep. He ties the game a 44-44.
8:18 p.m. ET, UNDER 16: Purdue trails Rutgers 42-41 with 15:45 left to play in the game. Scarlet Knights are getting a variety of good looks inside off of screens.
Clifford Omoruyi has scored 10 points for Rutgers, one of three players in double figures. He has all six of the Scarlet Knights' second-half points.
7:56 p.m. ET, HALFTIME: Purdue goes into halftime trailing Rutgers 36-35. The Boilermakers are 2-11 from the 3-point line. Scarlet Knights were led by Ron Harper Jr.'s 17 points. He was 4-5 from deep.
Trevion Williams led the way for Purdue, scoring 14 points in the first half.
7:50 p.m. ET: Purdue clawing back at the end of the first half. The Boilermakers are feeding the ball inside to Zach Edey, who's come up with four points late. The lead is just two for the Scarlet Knights.
7:39 p.m. ET, UNDER 4: Rutgers has a 29-24 lead with 3:55 to play in the first half. The Scarlet Knights have used the crowd to its advantage at home, and the Boilermakers have struggled to find their mark outside of Trevion Williams.
As poor as Purdue has looked, comparatively to its play this season of course, its still down just five points.
7:33 p.m. ET: Purdue takes a timeout as Rutgers explodes to a 12-0 run over the last three minutes. The Boilermakers have missed their last five shots from the field.
Ron Harper Jr. has 11 points and is 3-3 from the 3-point line.
7:28 p.m. ET, UNDER 8: Purdue has a 24-20 lead over Rutgers with 7:42 remaining in the first half. The Boilermakers are just 2-7 from the 3-point line, but Trevion Williams' team-high 12 points is keeping the team afloat.
Jaden Ivey also has seven points and is 3-for-3 from the field.
7:25 p.m. ET: Jaden Ivey explodes to the rim to break the streak of Trevion Williams points. Zach Edey back into the game as well.
7:17 p.m. ET: Trevion Williams has scored the last eight points for Purdue. He also has snatched a pair of offensive rebounds to help the team to a 15-12 lead with 12:17 remaining in the first half.
7:14 p.m. ET: Trevion Williams has found his first rebound and a pair of baskets so far coming off the bench. He is one of three Boilermakers to score a point so far in the game.
7:07 p.m. ET, UNDER 16: Trevion Williams and Eric Hunter Jr. have checked into the game. Rutgers has an early 10-7 lead with 15:41 to play in the first half.
The Scarlet Knights have hit on four of their first six shots to start the game.
7:05 p.m. ET: Ron Harper Jr. hits a deep 3-pointer for Rutgers, but Jaden Ivey answers later on with a triple of his own. The Scarlet Knights have made two 3-pointers early in this game.
7:02 p.m. ET: Purdue wins the tip, but Zach Edey comes up short on his first attempt from the field. Rutgers' first shot also doesn't fall, and both teams are struggling to find the bottom of the net in the first minute of play.
PREGAME: Purdue sticking with the same starting five for its first true road matchup of the year. Geo Baker is inactive for Rutgers.
- Freshman forward Caleb Furst
- Sophomore center Zach Edey
- Junior guard Isaiah Thompson
- Sophomore guard Jaden Ivey
- Senior guard Sasha Stefanovic
Stories Related to Purdue Basketball
- SASHA LIVE! PODCAST: Monday, Dec. 6 was the first day ever that Purdue's men's basketball team was ranked No. 1 in the country. Purdue guard Sasha Stefanovic said coach Matt Painter congratulated them at the start of practice and said ''he even he thinks it's a cool honor. But then we went right to watching film and seeing what we need to work on.'' CLICK HERE
- HANDLING EXPECTATIONS: Purdue has all the pieces to make a national title run this season, and since the bitter end to last season, those goals and lofty expectations have been in place. After getting off to a great 8-0 start, the Boilermakers are now ranked No. 1 in the country, a first in school history. But it's just a start, and they know it. CLICK HERE
- BOILERS RANKED NO. 1: For the first time ever, the Purdue Boilermakers are ranked No. 1 in the country in this week's Associated Press top-25 poll. CLICK HERE
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