The last time these two teams met, Michigan was without their leading scorer and assist man Dug McDaniel due to some sort of can’t leave the state for road games suspension. McDaniel was out for six games with the Purdue game being one of them. The result of no McDaniel and playing in Mackey Arena? An absolute walloping, 99-67. Today, these two teams meet for the second time this year but this time in Ann Arbor, Michigan. That means that McDaniel is back to play in this one with his 16.6 points and 4.6 assists per game. Will it matter?
Honestly, I’m skeptical. Sure, Purdue, like all Big Ten teams this season, is different on the road versus home this year, but I can’t imagine that will result in a 33 point swing which is what Michigan would need in order to turn that loss into a win. Plus, the way Purdue’s offense looked in their most recent game against Rutgers, a top 3 ranked defense according to KenPom, shows me what they are capable of. A win here will knock Purdue’s magic number to earn at least a share of the Big Ten title down to just 1 with three games left.
Who: #3 Purdue 24-3 (13-3) vs. Michigan 8-19 (3-13)
When: 2:00 p.m. ET
Where: Crisler Center – Capacity – 12,707
TV: CBS (Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner)
Radio: Purdue Global Radio Network (Rob Blackman, Bobby Riddell)
Can Purdue notch another Big Ten victory today and move to 2.5 games ahead of Illinois in the Big Ten standings with just three games left for the Boilermakers? Join us in the open thread to find out.
