Purdue vs. Iowa: Game preview, prediction, TV schedule
The Purdue Boilermakers look to extend their winning streak on the road as they face the struggling Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday afternoon.
TV Schedule: Saturday, Jan. 20, 12:00 ET, ESPN
Arena: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa
The Purdue basketball team is coming off back-to-back 20 point or more defeats over Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Boilermakers haven’t lost since the end of November on a neutral court. The Iowa Hawkeyes, on the other hand, aren’t finding any success in the Big Ten this season. They did defeat Illinois but fell by 16 on Wednesday night to Rutgers.
Since resuming Big Ten play right after the New Year, Purdue has been defeating teams with a losing conference record by more than 30 points. The Boilermakers only defeated Michigan by one and knocked off Nebraska by 12.
It’s been a different season for the Iowa Hawkeyes. They have played the top half of the Big Ten, but their defense has been really bad. Iowa went three straight games giving up 90 or more points, including an overtime victory against Illinois. The Hawkeyes were able to hold the Scarlet Knights under 90, but it was a 64-80 defeat.
Both teams average over 80 points per game. There’s no doubt Iowa is capable of lighting up the scoreboard. Their problem is that they can’t hold their opponent to a poor night of shooting. What makes the Boilermakers so good is that their defense is 10th in the country at holding opposing teams to 62.1 points per game.
A lot of their defensive success has to do with the big presence of Isaac Haas and Matt Haarms. Since this team re-entered conference play five games ago, the two big men have been averaging a combined four blocks per game.
Another key aspect with this Purdue Boilermaker team is that they have used the same starting five all season. Carsen Edwards is showing the potential we were all waiting for in his sophomore season as he averages 17 points per game. Vincent Edwards, Dakota Mathias, and P.J. Thompson are all seniors this year. They’re stepping up in bigger ways than anyone had ever thought.
Both Carsen and Vincent account for 41 percent of Purdue’s three-pointers this season. As for Mathias, and I have said this a few times before, but the fact that Purdue has a serviceable point guard is a big reason why this team is succeeding. Thompson doesn’t average double-figures, but when they need a shot from him, he delivers. He shoots 48 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind-the-arc.
The Iowa Hawkeyes also have scorers. They have four guys averaging 10 or more points who have played in all 20 games. Tyler Cook has become the leading scorer at 14.8 points per game. The reason he isn’t as effective as Peter Jok is because Cook isn’t a three-point threat. He’s only knocked down one all season.
Jordan Bohannon adds the three-point shooting for Iowa, but he’s also their point guard. He’s the only one on the team over 35 made three-pointers this season. Isaiah Moss has 31, but he shoots under 40 percent. Luke Garza is a very efficient 6-foot-11 freshman averaging 10.5 points per game, 6.5 boards, and 1.3 blocks. The problem though, he’s the only player averaging at least one block per game. And only one Hawkeye averages more than one steal per game, Nicholas Baer.
There’s a big drop off in points per game with these Hawkeyes. Besides the four players in double-figures, no one else is averaging over seven points per game.
Next: Week 10 Big Ten Power Rankings
Iowa hasn’t shown any signs this year that they’re going to be able to keep up with Purdue. Their best win all season was to Colorado. They have picked up some not so good losses and their 1-6 conference record shows.
Purdue, on the other hand, had a couple mishaps in Atlantis earlier this season, but have been on fire ever since. The Boilermakers rebounded from a one-point victory over Michigan and have looked as dominant as ever in their recent wins.
Prediction: Purdue 90, Iowa 65