No. 5 Purdue Basketball Set for Critical Rematch Against Surging Rutgers Team
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — When Purdue basketball hosts Rutgers on Sunday at Mackey Arena, it will be the second meeting between the two teams and a pivotal matchup in the race for a Big Ten championship.
The No. 5-ranked Boilermakers are in the driver's seat of the conference standings, sitting with a 23-4 overall record and a 12-4 mark in league play with four games left to play. But the Scarlet Knights are red-hot, winning their last four contests, all against ranked opponents.
"That just shows you that any given night, anybody can be beat," Purdue senior forward Trevion Williams said. "At the beginning of the season, you could've looked at Rutgers and said they're going to be on the bottom just based on the rankings and the billboard.
"Any given night, you can be beat. They're right back in it, so we've gotta lock in even more. We put ourselves in a great spot at being first and we want to stay there."
The last time these two teams met, Purdue struggled to find a rhythm on the offensive end of the court at Jersey Mike's Arena. The team made just 41% of its shots from the field and was 7-26 from the 3-point line.
However, Rutgers shot the basketball with high efficiency, knocking down seven of its 14 shots from beyond the arc. Senior forward Ron Harper Jr. hit five 3-pointers and tied a career-high with 30 points.
His final shot was a half court buzzer-beater to steal the game away from the Boilermakers. It was their first loss of the season, and the team was ranked No. 1 for the first time in program history.
"That was a hard pill to swallow losing that game, especially being No. 1 in the country." Williams said. "We've got another opportunity to get back at them. We're going to have to come out with energy. It's going to be very physical game, but I think we're well prepared."
Rutgers enters the game boasting the second-most potent defense in the Big Ten, allowing just 64.6 points per game. The Scarlet Knights have only allowed two conference opponents to score more than 70 points this season.
They have three players averaging double-digit scoring, but junior guard Paul Mulcahy has come on strong during final stretch of the season. He's put up 10 points or more in the last six games, including a 31-point performance in an overtime loss to Northwestern.
Mulcahy also leads the team with 5.5 assists, allowing the star duo of Harper and senior guard Geo Baker to lead Rutgers in scoring. Baker is scoring 12.2 points per contest while shooting just over 40% from the field.
However, the Scarlet Knights may need to rely on their depth against the Boilermakers on Sunday as Harper is recovering from an injury to his non-shooting hand suffered during a victory over Illinois.
Purdue coach Matt Painter acknowledged the role players for Rutgers and will not overlook them. The Scarlet Knights have 12 players on their current roster that have appeared in at least 15 games this season.
"They will get the utmost respect from us, because we know how hard they play and how deep they are," He said. "They have a lot of guys they can go to if (Harper) ends up not playing."
Stories Related to Purdue Basketball
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- MASON GILLIS BREAKS AWAY OF SHOOTING SLUMP: Purdue sophomore forward Mason Gillis scored 11 points in a victory over Northwestern on Wednesday night. By nailing three 3-pointers, he broke out of a recent shooting slump. The do-it-all player for the Boilermakers also recorded seven rebounds and a steal in the win. CLICK HERE
- RUTGERS FORWARD RON HARPER JR. UNCERTAIN FOR PURDUE GAME: Ahead of a pivotal matchup between No. 5 Purdue basketball and Rutgers at Mackey Arena, the Scarlet Knights announce that senior forward Ron Harper Jr. suffered a hand injury and is "day-to-day." He led the team to a 70-64 win over No. 12 Illinois on Wednesday. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE DOWN NORTHWESTERN FOR BIG TEN LEAD: Purdue basketball took the top spot in the Big Ten standings following a win over Northwestern on Wednesday. The Boilermakers held the Wildcats to 35% shooting from the floor and had three players score in double figures. CLICK HERE
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