Live Game Thread & Updates for No. 5 Purdue vs. Iowa

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — No. 5 Purdue closes out a three-game homestand on Wednesday night, hosting Iowa at Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers are riding a seven-game winning streak, while the Hawkeyes are hoping to snap a two-game losing skid.

Wednesday's clash between Purdue and Iowa is the first of a home-and-home between the two conference teams this season. It also features two of the nation's top point guards in Braden Smith and Bennett Stirtz.

Purdue Boilermakers on SI will have live coverage from Mackey Arena. Refresh this page for the latest game updates, news, and analysis throughout the evening.

#5 Purdue vs. Iowa game blog

1st half

6:44 — Both Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn have two fouls. That may force Purdue to play with Jack Benter at the four and Daniel Jacobsen at the five for the remainder of the half.

6:44 — At the under-8 media timeout and Purdue leads Iowa 27-25. Just before the media timeout, we saw one of Purdue's best offensive possessions of the game, with Braden Smith finding Jack Benter in the corner. He then drove to the lane, kicked it out to Omer Mayer, who knocked down a corner triple. On the other end, Mayer was whistled for a blocking foul.

8:49 — Jack Benter doing Jack Benter things. The redshirt freshman comes in for Trey Kaufman-Renn and connects on back-to-back triples to put Purdue back in front 24-23. Iowa takes a quick timeout to try to stop the Boilers run.

11:03 — Iowa owns a 19-16 advantage at the second media timeout. Iowa's hot shooting has continued, hitting 7-of-11 from the floor and 5-of-6 from three. Tavion Banks still has 6 and Kael Combs has 5 for the Hawkeyes. Purdue is led by Fletcher Loyer with 7 points.

12:49 — Trey Kaufman-Renn was called for a foul and while he was on the ground got into a scuffle with Iowa's Alvaro Folgueiras. Officials review the play and determine a technical should be issued to Folgueiras and Gicarri Harris. Kaufman-Renn now has two fouls.

15:47 — Iowa's star point guard Bennett Stirtz has already picked up two early fouls. That's huge for Purdue.

15:47 — First media timeout and Iowa owns an 11-6 advantage. The Hawkeyes are hot to start the game, knocking down their first four shots, three coming from beyond the arc. Purdue hasn't done a great job with its rotations to this point, but it's obviously still early. The Boilers are looking to get good looks inside, shooting just one three-pointer.

18:23 — Iowa's Tavion Banks has gotten two wide-open triples and knocked them both down. The Purdue defense looked a little lost on those first two possessions. The Hawkeyes took an early 6-2 lead in this one.

19:40 — Purdue draws first blood on a beautiful pass from Braden Smith to Trey Kaufman-Renn for an open layup.

Starters

Iowa — #6 Tavion Banks (G), #11 Kael Combs (G), #14 Bennett Stirtz (G), #3 Cam Manyawu (F), #8 Cooper Koch (F).

Purdue — #0 CJ Cox (G), #2 Fletcher Loyer (G), #3 Braden Smith (G), #4 Trey Kaufman-Renn (F), #45 Oscar Cluff (C).

Availability report

Both Purdue and Iowa will be at full strength for Wednesday's game.

Tipoff between #5 Purdue and Iowa is set for 6:30 p.m. ET and the game will air on Big Ten Network.

How to watch #5 Purdue vs. Iowa

What: Big Ten Conference game
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 14
Tipoff time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Location: Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. (14,876 capacity)
TV: Big Ten Network
App: FOX Sports
Announcers: Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Jordan Taylor (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 211 or 196; View all listings: CLICK HERE
Radio announcers: Rob Blackman (play-by-play), Bobby Riddell (analyst), Wes Scott (producer).
Live stats: Purdue.StatBroadcast.com
All-time series: Purdue leads the all-time series vs Iowa 98-78
ESPN Matchup Predictor: Purdue has an 82.9% chance to defeat Iowa

Preview

Wednesday's matchup between Iowa and No. 5 Purdue should be an interesting one because of the style of play. While both teams like to play at a slower tempo, the Hawkeyes really like to limit possessions and get after opponents on the defensive end. The Boilermakers also work through their offense, but are much more efficient in finding ways to score.

It's probably one of the premier point guard matchups in the Big Ten this season, with Smith taking on Stirtz. Smith is averaging 14.1 points and 9.8 assists per game, while Stirtz is logging 17.6 points and 5.1 assists per game. Both offenses run through the point guards, which should make Wednesday's battle even more interesting.

The Hawkeyes don't really have a second scoring option, but they have multiple guys capable of putting the ball in the basket. They're also shooting at a high level, hitting 51% of their shots from the floor and 37% of their three-point attempts. It's similar to Purdue's numbers.

Where the Boilermakers are different, though, is that they have clear options, obviously. The offense runs through Smith, but Loyer and CJ Cox can hit shots from the perimeter, while Cluff and Kaufman-Renn can bully teams in the post. Does Iowa have anyone who can handle that level of physicality down low?

Purdue may run into some issues with Iowa's defense, which means limiting turnovers will be critical. The Boilermakers also need to win the battle on the glass, because if not, the Hawkeyes can turn this one into an interesting game late.

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