Purdue Basketball Preview: Game 30 — Rutgers

Hoping it’s turned the tide now following its prolonged losing streak, No. 18 Purdue looks to build on success Tuesday night by completing a regular season sweep of Rutgers.

DETAILS: Tuesday, March 4, 2025 | 7 p.m. ET | TV: Peacock (Noah Eagle, Robbie Hummel) | Radio: Purdue Radio Network
PURDUE (20-9, 12-6 B1G): ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
RUTGERS (14-15, 7-11 B1G): ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS

Team	AP	Coaches	NET	KenPom	KenPom Win%
Purdue	18	18	17	16	87%
Rutgers	—	—	72	69	13%

A FEW THINGS ABOUT PURDUE

• Purdue — then at the peak of its defensive powers this season and catching Dylan Harper coming off an illness — rolled Rutgers 68-50 in Jersey Jan. 10. (stats)

This is Purdue’s last chance for a two-game sweep of one of its double-play opponents, of which there are now only three per year. The Boilermakers split their two-game series with Michigan and Indiana.

Purdue won at Jersey Mike’s Arena despite going just 4-of-24 from three, in part because it forced 16 turnovers and committed only eight.

Myles Colvin and Camden Heide were a combined 0-for-7 from three that day, but have been making shots lately. They’re at a combined 46.2 percent from three the past four games.

• Fletcher Loyer is now shooting just under 47 percent from three-point range in Big Ten play. That would lead the league, but he remains just under the required threshold of 2.5 made threes per game. To illustrate how unreasonable that standard is, the Big Ten’s official leaderboard includes just five players, a few of which will drop off if they only make one three in their next game.

Matt Painter has said he wants Loyer being as aggressive as can be “hunting” good shots from three-point territory.

• Trey Kaufman-Renn remains the Big Ten’s leading scorer after his 29-point game vs. UCLA canceled out his nine-point hiccup at IU. But this is gonna come right down to the wire as Kaufman-Renn (20.3 points per game) leads Nebraska’s Brice Williams by just a tenth of a point and Northwestern’s Nick Martinelli by two-tenths (as of Monday afternoon).

• A win could be a bit of a double-edged sword for Purdue, as Rutgers is 72nd in the NET, a tenuous hold on the Boilermakers’ win in Piscataway being Quad 1.

• Boilermaker opponents are shooting a ghastly 58.8 percent on two-point shots this season, reflecting Purdue’s absolute void of rim protection, plus the pick-six turnover issue that surfaced at Michigan State and Indiana.

Purdue has blocked only 27 shots in Big Ten play this season. A healthy Daniel Jacobsen alone would have accounted for more than that.

ABOUT THIS GAME

• In Game 1 with Purdue, wunderkind guard Dylan Harper was just 2-of-9 from the floor, believed to still be affected by the illness that had held him back around that time of year. Matt Painter — always one to explain away opponents’ losses — cited Harper’s condition as a pivotal factor.

Bound for the NBA after this season, Harper averages 16.7 points.

He is averaging 25.3 points and shooting 45 percent from three the past three games.

• Fellow lottery pick-in-waiting Ace Bailey has produced all season, averaging 17.7 points and 7.5 rebounds and shooting 36 percent from three. He’ll be a complicated matchup for Purdue’s frontcourt and a presence at the defensive end due to his length and athleticism.

• Contrary to what it’s been under Steve Pikiell, Rutgers is 14th in the Big Ten in defensive efficiency and allowing 78 points per game. Big Ten opponents shoot a robust 48 percent.

THREE KEYS FOR PURDUE

TURNOVERS	REBOUNDING	BALL PRESSURE
Same thing as always: Purdue took care of the basketball vs. UCLA after two turnover-marred games and look what happened. Rutgers isn’t its usual self on D but the Boilermakers would be wise to treat them as if they are.	Rutgers will roll in big bodies to try to control the glass and beat Trey Kaufman-Renn. Everybody has to rebound. Caleb Furst was a difference-maker in Game 1 in this regard.	Another big defensive test for Purdue starts with CJ Cox, Gicarri Harris and Myles Colvin really making things difficult on Dylan Harper, the most talented guard on the schedule this season.

GOLDANDBLACK.COM PREDICTION: PURDUE 75, RUTGERS 66

The Boilermakers seemed to get right in that win over UCLA but it was only one game. This season has been a dud for Rutgers, but it’s still playing hard and any time you deal with talent like Bailey and Harper, that’s lit dynamite. But in Mackey Arena, this is a big ask for the Scarlet Knights. If Purdue is on its game defensively again, it’s too much to ask.