Jan. 31, 2014
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PURDUE (13-8, 3-5) at PENN STATE (11-10, 2-6)
Sunday, February 2, 2014 | 11:30 AM (ET)
University Park, Pa. | Bryce Jordan Center (15,261)
Television: Big Ten Network (Tom Hamilton, Shon Morris)
Radio: Purdue Sports Network (Larry Clisby, Rob Blackman, Wes Scott - engineer)
Satellite Radio: Penn State Broadcast (SIRIUS 92, XM 190)
Gametracker: PurdueSports.com
The Game
The Purdue men's basketball team looks to get back on track on Super Bowl Sunday when it wraps up the season series with Penn State at 11:30 am (ET) on BTN with Tom Hamilton and Shon Morris on the call, while the Purdue Sports Network will handle the radio call with Larry Clisby and Rob Blackman courtside. The Boilermakers enter the game with a 13-8 overall record and a 3-5 mark in the Big Ten, while the Nittany Lions are 11-10 overall and 2-6 in the Big Ten standings.
Fans unable to attend the contest can also watch online on BTN2GO.com and live stats will be provided on PurdueSports.com via Gametracker. As always, you can receive text messages through Twitter, available at @BoilerBall.
The Opponent
After starting the Big Ten season with an 0-6 record, the Nittany Lions have bounced back to earn wins in their last two outings, a come-from-behind win over a surging Nebraska squad (58-54) and a 71-70 victory at No. 24-ranked Ohio State in overtime on Wednesday night. The win over the Buckeyes snapped an 18-game losing streak to Ohio State and gave the Nittany Lions back-to-back Big Ten wins for the first time since Feb. 11-16, 2012.
When talking about Penn State, one has to start with its guard tandem of Tim Frazier and D.J. Newbill. The duo has accounted for 707 points (33.7 ppg), 215 rebounds (10.2 rpg) and 175 assists (8.3 apg) on the season, accounting for 44.9 percent of the Nittany Lions' scoring and 68.4 percent of their assists. In the earlier meeting at Purdue, the pair scored 36 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and had eight assists in a combined 74 minutes of action, with both players recording double-doubles. Brandon Taylor joins Frazier and Newbill in double figures, by averaging 10.0 points per game while Ross Travis contributes 9.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
As a team, Penn State is averaging 75.0 points per game while giving up 72.5 per contest. In league play, the averages dip to 64.9 points and 71.2 points allowed. The Nittany Lions are shooting 44.7 percent from the field, 33.2 percent from long distance and 73.9 percent from the free throw line. In Big Ten play, Penn State is holding foes to just 39.5 percent shooting but are getting outrebounded by over six boards a game.
Entering the Stretch Run
From here on out, every game is important for the Boilermakers and their chances of building their resume for a postseason surge. Five of Purdue's last 10 games come against ranked foes with three of them being on the road. The other five contests come at Penn State on Sunday (who Purdue defeated by one in Mackey Arena on Jan. 18), a good Minnesota team at home (Minnesota owns wins over Ohio State and Wisconsin), at home against rival Indiana, at Nebraska (who is 10-1 at home with the lone loss coming to Michigan by one point) and home vs. Northwestern (which beat Purdue in double overtime last week).
The Series
- Thursday's contest will be the 42nd meeting between the two teams, dating back to the 1959-60 season.
- The two squads have played every year since 1992-93 when Penn State joined the Big Ten Conference.
- The Boilermakers own a 30-11 record against the Lions and have won four straight by a combined 52 points.
- Purdue has won three of its last four trips to the Bryce Jordan Center with wins coming in 2010, 2011 and 2013.
- Penn State has not scored 70 points in the series since Jan. 18, 2003, a span of 21 meetings.
- In that same time frame, Purdue has scored at least 70 points six times.
- Purdue has swept the season series (seasons with two games) against Penn State eight times since 1992-93.
Boiling Points
- Just four teams (Oklahoma State, Butler, Minnesota, Michigan) have shot over 45.0 percent against Purdue.
- Purdue has held four of its eight Big Ten foes to 64 points or less. In those games, foes shot 88-of-232 (.379).
- In the other four games (Ohio State, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan), foes shot combined 100-of-203 (.493).
- Purdue has led for just 2:39 of a possible 80 minutes in its last two games vs. Wisconsin and Michigan.
- Purdue's bench has equaled or outscored 11 straight opponents.
- Purdue has been equal to or outrebounded 11 straight opponents by a combined 71 rebounds.
- Purdue has grabbed at least 14 offensive rebounds in seven-of-eight Big Ten games (15.1 per game).
- Purdue's 73.9 points per game scoring average is the program's highest since the 2000-01 team (74.7 ppg).
- Purdue is averaging just 66.6 points in Big Ten play and hasn't scored more than 66 in the last five games.
- Purdue is 2-3 in true road games with wins over top-100 foes West Virginia (#63) and Illinois (#82; KenPom).
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