Two top-tier Big Ten basketball programs will collide on Saturday in Ann Arbor. No. 7 as Michigan host Purdue in Big Ten play.
The Purdue Boilermakers have now faced two top 15 teams in the non-conference season. They’ve lost both games. The Michigan Wolverines have now faced two teams that were Top 15 at the time of the game, teams which are still in the Top 25 in the nation, and they’ve won them.
Maybe that isn’t the correct word, they’ve demolished them. With big wins over No. 8 Villanova (who most recently came in at No. 23 in the nation), and No. 11 UNC. The Wolverines beat these highly-touted teams by an average score of 20.5 points. The Wolverines rank in the KenPom rankings as one of the best defensive teams in the country, allowing just 51 points per game on the season, despite playing against several dynamic offenses.
One of the things that many analysts have mentioned in the past few weeks is that Matt Painter’s talented Purdue team hadn’t been tested early on in non-conference play, despite being ranked as highly throughout much of the year. That changed in games against No. 13 Virginia Tech and No. 15 Florida State. Purdue dropped both games in heartbreakingly close fashion, despite some stellar play on the season.
Carsen Edwards is a set-in-stone candidate for the illustrious National Player of the Year award, and he has shined all season as the centerpiece for a strong Boilermaker team. Edwards is currently averaging 25.1 points per game and 4.1 assists. He’s led the Boilermakers in points per game though being second on the team in minutes per game, behind Ryan Cline who is averaging just 15.3 points per game in almost two more minutes.
Purdue is coming off a 73-72 loss to Florida State on Wednesday and will be looking to avenge their tight loss when they come face to face with the Wolverines on Saturday.
The Wolverines, led by Ignas Brazdeikis (16.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG), are coming off a big win over No. 11 North Carolina, a game they won by a massive 17 points. The stingy Wolverines defense is giving up an average of just 51 points per game. John Beilein’s Wolverines team could be the best defensive unit in the country when all is said and done, and this will be key to their repeating last year’s success with another deep tournament run.
The Boilermakers are looking to take advantage of what will likely be junior star Carsen Edwards’ last year with the program. The course of their season could change dramatically with a win over a Michigan team that many predict will be Big Ten champions at the end of the year in front of what should be a raucous crowd in Ann Arbor.
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It all goes down in Ann Arbor on Saturday.
TV and Live Stream Info
Date: Saturday, Dec. 1
Start Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Arena: Crisler Center
TV Info: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN