Gameday Preview: Purdue (6-4) at Ohio (7-3)

Purdue hasn't made a road trip to Ohio University since 1969, so this rare visit is something to keep an eye on, especially since the Boilermakers have struggled on the road.

ATHENS, Ohio — It's a rare day with a Big Ten team plays on the road against a Mid-American Conference school, but that's happening Tuesday night when the Purdue Boilermakers take on Ohio University here in Athens.

This one took some creativity to get Purdue back here for the first time since 1969. A few years back, Ohio agreed to come to West Lafayette for a football game for a substantially reduced fee if Purdue would agree to a home-and-home basketball series. They did, so the Bobcats traveled to West Lafayette last year and got smoked, 95-67.

The rematch is Tuesday night. Here are the particulars:

• Who: Purdue Boilermakers (6-4) at Ohio Bobcats (7-3)
• When: 9 p.m. ET, Tuesday, Dec. 17
• Where: Convocation Center, Athens, Ohio 
• Line: Purdue is a 7.5-point favorite
• Rankings: Neither team is ranked in either the AP or Coaches poll. Purdue is receiving votes in both, however, and would be ranked No. 30 in the AP poll and No. 27 in the Coaches poll.
• Kenpom.com rankings: Purdue 10, Ohio 167
• TV: ESPN2
• Announcers: Kevin Brown, Robbie Hummel
• Radio: Purdue Radio Network
• Announcers: Larry Clisby, Rob Blackman, Ralph Taylor

 Three things to know about the Ohio Bobcats

1. Ohio is off to a 7-3 start, and so far its season has pretty much gone true to form. The Bobcats have won all seven games against mid-major or lower teams, but have lost all three games against power conference teams, losing to No. 10 Villanova, No. 24 Baylor an Utah by an average of 20.3 points.
2. Jason Preston, a 6-foot-4 sophomore guard from Orlando, can be a dangerous scorer for the Bobcats. He's averaging 16.9 points per game and is shooting 35.7 percent from the 3-point line. Ohio is very good as a team from deep, shooting 37.3 percent, which is good for 49th in the country (out of 350 teams).
3. The Bobcats stunned Purdue the last time the Boilermakers were in Athens. That was in December of 1969, and the Rick Mount-led Boilers, who were ranked No. 3 in the country in the preseason, lost 80-79. It's been 18 years since a Big Ten team (Wisconsin) has played here, with the Badgers winning in 2001.

Three things to know about the Purdue Boilermakers

1. Purdue could be a little road weary for this game. The Boilermakers played in Lincoln, Neb. on Sunday night and got home close to midnight. They couldn't do much on the court Monday and then headed to Athens for this game.
2. Matt Haarms, Purdue's 7-foot-3 center, left Sunday's game with an injury and coach Matt Painter said he was in concussion protocol. He did make the trip to Athens, but there's been no word on if he's going to be able to play, or if he does, how much he can contribute.
3. Purdue is 0-2 in true road games this season, losing at Marquette where they blew and 18-point lead and Sunday at Nebraska, where they lost by 14 points despite being a 13-point favorite. The Boilers have really struggled to shoot away from home, so this test will be interesting to watch.