GAMEDAY INFORMATION -- GAME 29
Saturday, March 2, 2024
#2 Purdue (25-3, 14-3) vs. Michigan State (17-11, 9-8)
Mackey Arena (14.876) | 8:00 p.m. ET
TELEVISION: FOX (Jason Benetti, Jim Jackson)
RADIO: Purdue Global Radio Network (Rob Blackman, Bobby Riddell)
THE NOTES TO KNOW
• The No. 2-ranked Purdue Boilermakers look to remain unbeaten at home in a quad-1 opportunity when rival Michigan State visits for an 8 p.m. ET, primetime Saturday night tipoff on FOX. The Boilermakers are looking for their 15th Big Ten win of the season for the fourth time in the last seven years, and with a win can clinch at least a share of the 2024 Big Ten regular-season championship.
• Since the start of the 2020-21 season, the senior class has won 56 Big Ten regular-season games, and its next win would tie the school record for most wins in conference play by a senior class (57 -- Class of 2019). A win in any of its next three games will also give Purdue back-to-back Big Ten titles for the first time since the 1994-96 "threepeat". The Big Ten record for most league wins by a class is 59 (Indiana - 1978).
• Purdue enters the weekend's play as one of eight teams nationally with at least 25 wins, while also being one of six teams with three losses. Among major-conference teams, Purdue, Houston, Connecticut (all with 3) and South Carolina (5) are the only high-major programs with fewer than six losses.
• Purdue has won 20 games under Matt Painter in 14 of his 19 seasons with at least 25 victories in 11 of them, including this year. Purdue is looking for its third straight season of at least 29 victories.
• Purdue has averaged at least 1.27 points / possession in 10 of its 17 Big Ten games, including 1.52 in the win over Rutgers.
• Over the last three years, Purdue has already won 83 games overall, tying the school record for wins in a three-year span. Entering the weekend, Purdue's 83 wins are tied for the second most during that span in the country (Houston - 90).
• Purdue's schedule ranks as the third-most difficult schedule in the country behind Michigan and Alabama and its non-conference foes currently lead the Southern Conference by two games (Samford), the Atlantic Sun (Eastern Kentucky), the Ohio Valley (Morehead State), the SEC (Alabama and Tennessee) and PAC-12 (Arizona). Marquette (Big East) and Gonzaga (WCC) are currently in second place in their respective conferences. Texas Southern (SWAC) is third in its conference race. Nine of Purdue's 11 non-con opponents are legit NCAA Tournament hopefuls.
• Purdue has beaten teams ranked 4th (Tennessee), 5th (Marquette), 6th (Arizona), 13th (Illinois), 14th (Alabama) and 23rd (Gonzaga) in this week's AP poll, with no losses. The Boilermakers also own wins over teams receiving votes in 31st (Wisconsin) and 45th (Northwestern).
• Purdue ranks in the NCAA's top 20 in wins (2nd), off. efficiency (2nd), rebound margin (2nd), 3-point percentage (3rd), assists per game (5th), scoring offense (8th), scoring margin (9th), fewest fouls per game (13th), field goal percentage (15th) and assist / turnover ratio (19th).
• Purdue leads the country in quad-1 wins (9) and quad-1 and 2 wins combined (15). No one in the country has more than 14 Q-1 and Q-2 wins.
• Since the start of last season, Purdue is 54-9, the fourth-most wins nationally, while the nine losses are the second fewest behind Houston (7). The nine losses during that span have come by 1, 5, 6, 14, 8, 5, 4 (OT), 16 and 4 points. Forty of the 54 wins have come against teams ranked in the KenPom top-100, including 27 against teams ranked in the top-50.
• Purdue was voted No. 2 in the AP Top 25 poll on Monday, moving up one spot after being No. 3 for a week. With its No. 2 ranking this week, Purdue has now been ranked in the top 5 of the AP poll for 33 straight weeks, the longest-active streak in America by 17 weeks (UConn - 16). It has been ranked in the top 3 in 27 of those 33 weeks. The 33 weeks of being ranked in the top 5 is the longest streak by a Big Ten team in almost 50 years, and the third longest in confererence history (41 -- Ohio State, 1960-63; 38 -- Indiana, 1975-77).
• Zach Edey needs 126 points to become the school's leader in career points (record: 2,323) and career rebounds (already owns it -- 1,178).
• Edey needs three points and 22 rebounds to become the first player in Big Ten history with 2,200 career points and 1,200 career rebounds.
• Braden Smith needs five assists to set the school record for most assists in a season, currently with 203 (207 -- Bruce Parkinson, 1975).
• A win over Michigan State will give Purdue its 15th Big Ten win of the season, marking the fifth time in the Matt Painter era to reach the 15-win mark in Big Ten play. Purdue has won 15 Big Ten games in three of the last six seasons, not including this year.
• Purdue is guaranteed no worse than third in the final Big Ten standings, marking the eighth time in the last 10 years it has finished top three in the Big Ten standings.
• Purdue has won 10 of its last 11 games, and 18 of its last 20 contests entering Saturday's contest with Michigan State.
• Matt Painter's 16 wins over Tom Izzo are tied with Wisconsin's Bo Ryan for the most wins against the Naismith Hall of Famer. In addition, a win tonight would push Painter above .500 against Izzo, making him the third coach with a winning record against him (Bo Ryan -- 16-12; Bruce Weber -- 9-8).
• Purdue is one of five teams (Auburn, UConn, Houston, San Diego State) without a loss outside Quad-1. Purdue's next three games are all currently quad-1 contests.
• Purdue owns a nation's-best 15 wins over the NCAA NET top-100 teams. Purdue has seven wins over teams ranked in the NET top 22.
• Five teams (Purdue, James Madison, Appalachian State, Weber State, UNC Wilmington) have at least one Quad-1A win (top 15 home, top 25 neutral, top 40 road) while being undefeated in those games. The other four teams mentioned above are 1-0. Purdue is 7-0 in that category.
• Purdue is 15-0 when holding teams under 69 points. The Boilermakers are 10-3 when allowing 70 or more points.
• Purdue ranks second nationally behind Saint Mary's in rebound margin, one year after leading the country in rebound margin. The last team to lead the country in rebound margin in consecutive seasons was Quinnipiac (2013-14 and 2014-15).
• When Purdue has a run of 10-0 or larger, the Boilermakers are 14-0.
• Purdue has trailed by six or more points in just eight games this year, posting a 6-2 record in those games.
• Purdue's leading rebounder is 7-foot, 4-inch Zach Edey. The Boilermakers' second-leading rebounder is 6-foot Braden Smith.
• A year ago, Purdue shot 32.2 percent from 3-point range, a number that ranked 281st nationally. This year, Purdue is at 40.2 percent, ranking third nationally. Purdue had one player (Braden Smith) shoot over 36.0 percent from deep a year ago. This year, Purdue has nine players over 36.0 percent.
• Purdue has finished in the top 10 nationally in 3-point percentage in three of the last seven seasons (9th - 2017; 2nd - 2018; 7th - 2022).
• Zach Edey's 24.9 points per game in Big Ten play is the second-highest total in the Big Ten since the turn of the century (2020 - Luka Garza; 26.2). Edey's 13.2 rebounds per game in Big Ten play is the most since Michigan State's Lindsay Hairston in 1974 (14.2).
• Zach Edey currently ranks second in the country in scoring and third in rebounds per game. Since the 2000 season, only South Dakota State's Mike Daum (2019), Kansas State's Michael Beasley (2008) and Texas' Kevin Durant (2007) have finished in the top five nationally in both categories. He would be the first one to rank in the top three in both categories.
• Braden Smith has 356 career assists, leading sophomores (or younger) in career assists. Coincidentally, second on the list is Colgate sophomore Braeden Smith (332).
THE SERIES WITH THE SPARTANS
• Saturday's meeting is the 132nd meeting between Michigan State and Purdue with the Boilermakers owning a 75-56 series lead.
• Purdue has won seven of the last eight meetings with the Spartans, the one setback denying Purdue a share of the 2022 Big Ten title when Tyson Walker hit a 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left on Feb. 26, 2022, for a 68-65 Michigan State victory in East Lansing.
• A win would give Purdue its fourth win in a row over Michigan State for only the second time since the mid-90s. The other was also during this current stretch (Jan. 27, 2019 to Feb. 16, 2021).
• Prior to this current stretch, Purdue was just 3-10 against Michigan State, having lost seven in a row from March 2011 to March 2015.
• Since the 2016-17 season, Purdue is 9-3 against Michigan State. The Boilers haven't lost in Mackey Arena vs. MSU since Feb. 2014.
Saturday, March 2, 2024
#2 Purdue (25-3, 14-3) vs. Michigan State (17-11, 9-8)
Mackey Arena (14.876) | 8:00 p.m. ET
TELEVISION: FOX (Jason Benetti, Jim Jackson)
RADIO: Purdue Global Radio Network (Rob Blackman, Bobby Riddell)
THE NOTES TO KNOW
• The No. 2-ranked Purdue Boilermakers look to remain unbeaten at home in a quad-1 opportunity when rival Michigan State visits for an 8 p.m. ET, primetime Saturday night tipoff on FOX. The Boilermakers are looking for their 15th Big Ten win of the season for the fourth time in the last seven years, and with a win can clinch at least a share of the 2024 Big Ten regular-season championship.
• Since the start of the 2020-21 season, the senior class has won 56 Big Ten regular-season games, and its next win would tie the school record for most wins in conference play by a senior class (57 -- Class of 2019). A win in any of its next three games will also give Purdue back-to-back Big Ten titles for the first time since the 1994-96 "threepeat". The Big Ten record for most league wins by a class is 59 (Indiana - 1978).
• Purdue enters the weekend's play as one of eight teams nationally with at least 25 wins, while also being one of six teams with three losses. Among major-conference teams, Purdue, Houston, Connecticut (all with 3) and South Carolina (5) are the only high-major programs with fewer than six losses.
• Purdue has won 20 games under Matt Painter in 14 of his 19 seasons with at least 25 victories in 11 of them, including this year. Purdue is looking for its third straight season of at least 29 victories.
• Purdue has averaged at least 1.27 points / possession in 10 of its 17 Big Ten games, including 1.52 in the win over Rutgers.
• Over the last three years, Purdue has already won 83 games overall, tying the school record for wins in a three-year span. Entering the weekend, Purdue's 83 wins are tied for the second most during that span in the country (Houston - 90).
• Purdue's schedule ranks as the third-most difficult schedule in the country behind Michigan and Alabama and its non-conference foes currently lead the Southern Conference by two games (Samford), the Atlantic Sun (Eastern Kentucky), the Ohio Valley (Morehead State), the SEC (Alabama and Tennessee) and PAC-12 (Arizona). Marquette (Big East) and Gonzaga (WCC) are currently in second place in their respective conferences. Texas Southern (SWAC) is third in its conference race. Nine of Purdue's 11 non-con opponents are legit NCAA Tournament hopefuls.
• Purdue has beaten teams ranked 4th (Tennessee), 5th (Marquette), 6th (Arizona), 13th (Illinois), 14th (Alabama) and 23rd (Gonzaga) in this week's AP poll, with no losses. The Boilermakers also own wins over teams receiving votes in 31st (Wisconsin) and 45th (Northwestern).
• Purdue ranks in the NCAA's top 20 in wins (2nd), off. efficiency (2nd), rebound margin (2nd), 3-point percentage (3rd), assists per game (5th), scoring offense (8th), scoring margin (9th), fewest fouls per game (13th), field goal percentage (15th) and assist / turnover ratio (19th).
• Purdue leads the country in quad-1 wins (9) and quad-1 and 2 wins combined (15). No one in the country has more than 14 Q-1 and Q-2 wins.
• Since the start of last season, Purdue is 54-9, the fourth-most wins nationally, while the nine losses are the second fewest behind Houston (7). The nine losses during that span have come by 1, 5, 6, 14, 8, 5, 4 (OT), 16 and 4 points. Forty of the 54 wins have come against teams ranked in the KenPom top-100, including 27 against teams ranked in the top-50.
• Purdue was voted No. 2 in the AP Top 25 poll on Monday, moving up one spot after being No. 3 for a week. With its No. 2 ranking this week, Purdue has now been ranked in the top 5 of the AP poll for 33 straight weeks, the longest-active streak in America by 17 weeks (UConn - 16). It has been ranked in the top 3 in 27 of those 33 weeks. The 33 weeks of being ranked in the top 5 is the longest streak by a Big Ten team in almost 50 years, and the third longest in confererence history (41 -- Ohio State, 1960-63; 38 -- Indiana, 1975-77).
• Zach Edey needs 126 points to become the school's leader in career points (record: 2,323) and career rebounds (already owns it -- 1,178).
• Edey needs three points and 22 rebounds to become the first player in Big Ten history with 2,200 career points and 1,200 career rebounds.
• Braden Smith needs five assists to set the school record for most assists in a season, currently with 203 (207 -- Bruce Parkinson, 1975).
• A win over Michigan State will give Purdue its 15th Big Ten win of the season, marking the fifth time in the Matt Painter era to reach the 15-win mark in Big Ten play. Purdue has won 15 Big Ten games in three of the last six seasons, not including this year.
• Purdue is guaranteed no worse than third in the final Big Ten standings, marking the eighth time in the last 10 years it has finished top three in the Big Ten standings.
• Purdue has won 10 of its last 11 games, and 18 of its last 20 contests entering Saturday's contest with Michigan State.
• Matt Painter's 16 wins over Tom Izzo are tied with Wisconsin's Bo Ryan for the most wins against the Naismith Hall of Famer. In addition, a win tonight would push Painter above .500 against Izzo, making him the third coach with a winning record against him (Bo Ryan -- 16-12; Bruce Weber -- 9-8).
• Purdue is one of five teams (Auburn, UConn, Houston, San Diego State) without a loss outside Quad-1. Purdue's next three games are all currently quad-1 contests.
• Purdue owns a nation's-best 15 wins over the NCAA NET top-100 teams. Purdue has seven wins over teams ranked in the NET top 22.
• Five teams (Purdue, James Madison, Appalachian State, Weber State, UNC Wilmington) have at least one Quad-1A win (top 15 home, top 25 neutral, top 40 road) while being undefeated in those games. The other four teams mentioned above are 1-0. Purdue is 7-0 in that category.
• Purdue is 15-0 when holding teams under 69 points. The Boilermakers are 10-3 when allowing 70 or more points.
• Purdue ranks second nationally behind Saint Mary's in rebound margin, one year after leading the country in rebound margin. The last team to lead the country in rebound margin in consecutive seasons was Quinnipiac (2013-14 and 2014-15).
• When Purdue has a run of 10-0 or larger, the Boilermakers are 14-0.
• Purdue has trailed by six or more points in just eight games this year, posting a 6-2 record in those games.
• Purdue's leading rebounder is 7-foot, 4-inch Zach Edey. The Boilermakers' second-leading rebounder is 6-foot Braden Smith.
• A year ago, Purdue shot 32.2 percent from 3-point range, a number that ranked 281st nationally. This year, Purdue is at 40.2 percent, ranking third nationally. Purdue had one player (Braden Smith) shoot over 36.0 percent from deep a year ago. This year, Purdue has nine players over 36.0 percent.
• Purdue has finished in the top 10 nationally in 3-point percentage in three of the last seven seasons (9th - 2017; 2nd - 2018; 7th - 2022).
• Zach Edey's 24.9 points per game in Big Ten play is the second-highest total in the Big Ten since the turn of the century (2020 - Luka Garza; 26.2). Edey's 13.2 rebounds per game in Big Ten play is the most since Michigan State's Lindsay Hairston in 1974 (14.2).
• Zach Edey currently ranks second in the country in scoring and third in rebounds per game. Since the 2000 season, only South Dakota State's Mike Daum (2019), Kansas State's Michael Beasley (2008) and Texas' Kevin Durant (2007) have finished in the top five nationally in both categories. He would be the first one to rank in the top three in both categories.
• Braden Smith has 356 career assists, leading sophomores (or younger) in career assists. Coincidentally, second on the list is Colgate sophomore Braeden Smith (332).
THE SERIES WITH THE SPARTANS
• Saturday's meeting is the 132nd meeting between Michigan State and Purdue with the Boilermakers owning a 75-56 series lead.
• Purdue has won seven of the last eight meetings with the Spartans, the one setback denying Purdue a share of the 2022 Big Ten title when Tyson Walker hit a 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left on Feb. 26, 2022, for a 68-65 Michigan State victory in East Lansing.
• A win would give Purdue its fourth win in a row over Michigan State for only the second time since the mid-90s. The other was also during this current stretch (Jan. 27, 2019 to Feb. 16, 2021).
• Prior to this current stretch, Purdue was just 3-10 against Michigan State, having lost seven in a row from March 2011 to March 2015.
• Since the 2016-17 season, Purdue is 9-3 against Michigan State. The Boilers haven't lost in Mackey Arena vs. MSU since Feb. 2014.