GAME NOTES
https://purduesports.com/documents/2023/2/18/GAME28_Purdue_Game_Notes.pdf
GAMEDAY INFO
Sunday, February 19, 2023 | 1 p.m. ET
[3] Purdue (23-4, 12-4) vs. Ohio State (11-15, 3-12)
West Lafayette, Ind. | Mackey Arena (14,876)
TELEVISION: CBS | RADIO: Purdue Sports Network
ANNOUNCERS: Spero Dedes, Jim Spanarkel
THE NOTES TO KNOW
• Beginning the stretch run, the No. 3-ranked Purdue Boilermakers return to the friendly confines of Mackey Arena for three of their last four regular-season games, beginning with a Sunday tilt with Ohio State on CBS. Beginning Sunday, Purdue’s last four games will come in a 15-day span, giving the Boilermakers a much-needed break and time to practice entering the stretch run.
• Purdue has suffered back-to-back losses in tough road enviroments, falling to Northwestern (64-58) and Maryland (68-54). Purdue held halftime leads in both of the contests, but couldn’t pull away in both contests.
• The loss to Maryland was Purdue’s first of the season when NOT ranked No. 1 in the country. The Boilermakers are 9-3 when ranked No. 1 in the country, but 14-1 when not ranked in the AP’s top spot.
• Purdue has won 12 Big Ten games for the eighth time in the last nine seasons and is close to locking up a double-bye in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. Purdue is the only program that has received a double-bye in every tournament that has been played under the current format.
• Purdue is 52-12 since the start of last season. The 52 wins over a two-year span are already the eighth most in school history and Purdue needs just five wins to tie the record for most wins in a two-year span (57 in 2017, 2018). Iowa is second among Big Ten teams with 43 wins.
• Purdue is looking for its third straight, two-game regular-season sweep of Ohio State. Before this stretch, Purdue’s last two-game, regular-season sweep came during the 1997-98 season. Purdue hasn’t won three straight against the Buckeyes since Feb. 5, 1997, to Feb. 7, 1998.
• Purdue has MADE 398 free throws this season, while opponents have SHOT just 282. Purdue has made 191 more free throws (398 to 207) than its foes this season, the highest discrepancy in the nation (Purdue +191, Iowa +154, Portland +151, James Madison +145).
• Purdue is shooting 75.7 percent from the free throw line this season, currently the third-highest percentage in school history.
• In the Boilermakers’ last three losses, Purdue is shooting just 13-of-53 (.245) from 3-point range. All three games were on the road. Purdue is 14-0 this season when shooting better than 37.0 percent from 3-point range, but is just 9-4 when under 37.0 percent.
• Purdue has had just 12 offensive rebounds combined in the last two games, resulting in four second-chance points. Purdue has had 17 games this season where it had at least 12 offensive rebounds. In games that Purdue has at least 14 second-chance points, it is 9-0.
• In Purdue’s last five home games (all wins by an average of 14.2 points), it boasts an offensive efficiency of 124.0 and a defensive efficiency of 88.6. It is shooting 48.0 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from long distance, while outrebounding foes by 15.8 boards per game. It has averaged at least 1.22 points per possession in four of the five games during that stretch (1.43 – PSU; 1.30 – Iowa; 1.26 – Neb; 1.22 – MSU).
• Purdue has been ranked in the nation’s top five in 24 of the last 34 polls dating to the preseason poll a year ago. Gonzaga (21) and Houston (15) are the only other programs to have at least 15 weeks ranked in the top 5.
• Fifteen of Purdue’s 23 wins have come against the KenPom top-100, the second-highest top-100 wins in the country (Kansas – 16). Purdue and Kansas each have 10, top-50 KenPom victories to lead the country. Purdue’s 108 victories over the top 100 since the start of the 2016-17 season are the fourth most nationally (Kansas – 142; Villanova – 117; Baylor – 110).
• Purdue is in search of its fourth No. 1 seed in school history, previously earning the No. 1 seed in 1988, 1994 and 1996. In addition, Zach Edey is the leader to earn consensus National Player of the Year accolades. The last time Purdue earned a No. 1 seed, it was led by its last consensus National Player of the Year recipient, Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson. Since 2000, eight players have earned consensus National Player of the Year accolades and led their team to a No. 1 seed, including four times in the last eight years (Williamson, Brunson, Mason, Kaminsky).
• Edey needs just seven rebounds to move into the career top 10 rebounds list (749). With eight rebounds, he would become the second player in school history to have 1,250 points and 750 rebounds by the end of his junior season, joining 1980 No. 1 NBA Draft pick, Joe Barry Carroll.
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