Game 18 Preview: #2 Purdue @ Iowa
IOWA CITY — Second-ranked Purdue takes on its first double-play matchup of the season, visiting Iowa long after the Boilermakers’ rout of the Hawkeyes in Mackey Arena in December.
DETAILS: Saturday, Jan. 20, 2023 | 2 p.m. ET | TV: FS1 (Brandon Gaudin, Robbie Humme) | Radio: Purdue Radio Network
PURDUE (16-2, 5-2 B1G): ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
IOWA (11-6, 3-3 B1G): ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
THREE THINGS ABOUT PURDUE
• Purdue dominated Iowa in the first meeting between these two teams, shooting 52 percent from the floor for the game and leading 45-24 at halftime. Stats
• Fletcher Loyer is shooting 57 percent (16-of-28) from three-point range in Big Ten play, but amazingly doesn’t have enough attempts to qualify for the conference leaderboard. He’s attempted two fewer than co-leader Ty Berry (50 percent).
Purdue’s sixth nationally for the season in three-point percentage, shooting 39.6 percent.
• After two of his least statistically dominant games of the season, Zach Edey has gone for 30 and 20 vs. Penn State and 33 and 14 at Indiana. In the first meeting with Iowa, Purdue didn’t need big minutes from him, but he was 9-of-10 from the floor.
In Big Ten play, the NPOY front-runner averages 24.4 points and 13.4 rebounds.
• Purdue has won at Maryland and Indiana but this would be its first Quad 1 road win of the Big Ten season.
A FEW THINGS ABOUT THIS GAME
• Typical Iowa: The Hawkeyes are second in the Big Ten to only Purdue in scoring at 81 points per game, but also allowing more points (81.7) than everyone but Penn State. Part of that is style — tempo — but it’s also just a fact that Iowa is not a great defensive team, 110th nationally in efficiency per KenPom.
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• With Iowa’s win at Minnesota Monday, Fran McCaffrey became Iowa’s all-time-winningest coach, notching No. 272. It did not anger him.
• Iowa bigs Owen Freeman and Ben Krikke are shooting 75.6 percent and 56.3 percent, respectively, in Big Ten games. Krikke is a difficult matchup because of his jump-shooting ability. Krikke averages a team-best 17 points.
• Forward Payton Sandfort is shooting 42.2 percent from three in Big Ten games. He was 3-for-7 in Mackey.
| TURNOVERS, TURNOVERS, TURNOVERS | PHYSICALITY | KRIKKE AND SANDFORT |
| When Purdue struggles, it’s always turnovers. The Boilermakers laid waste to Iowa’s full-court trapping and such last time, and the challenge now will be to do it again away from home. | Purdue is way more physical on its front line and on the offensive glass. It should really matter in this game. | Both are bigger guys who can really shoot. Remember what happened when Nebraska brought the same dynamics to the floor. Purdue has to keep them out of rhythm best it can. |
GOLDANDBLACK.COM PREDICTION: PURDUE 87, IOWA 79
Purdue has shown it can put up points on the road and Iowa will give up points anywhere. This being an afternoon game following an adrenaline-stirring rivalry win earlier in the week, this would set up as a classic letdown trap for Purdue, but the Boilermakers haven’t shown any signs of such vulnerabilities. But the turnovers are the bigger concern.
