When Purdue and Rutgers meet, it will be a battle between two teams on polar opposite ends of the Big Ten standings.
TV Schedule: Saturday, February 3, 4:00 p.m. ET, BTN
Location: Louis Brown Athletic Center, Piscataway, New Jersey
While Purdue has exceeded all expectations this season, Rutgers has largely met their own. That’s bad news for the Scarlet Knights as the Boilermakers come to town.
During the nonconference season, Rutgers showed signs of progress during Steve Pikiell’s second season. He was even given a contract extension three weeks ago, as the Scarlet Knights went 10-3 during nonconference play, including an upset of Seton Hall.
Things have not gone as well during Big Ten play. Outside of wins over Wisconsin and Iowa, the Scarlet Knights have struggled, though they’ve been surprisingly competitive in some games. That was not the case against Illinois earlier this week, when Rutgers lost to their fellow bottom feeder by 31 points. It was a low point of the season for the Scarlet Knights.
Purdue, on the other hand, has had no low points in the conference year. While Rutgers has just two wins in conference play, the Boilermakers have just two losses all season. None of them have come against Big Ten foes. Considering one of those losses was to the upstart Tennessee Volunteers, Purdue has to think they’re sitting pretty for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The big development of the season is the star development from sophomore Carsen Edwards. He’s averaging 16.7 points and 3.0 assists per game while proving to be a lethal 3-point shooter. Purdue fans are forgetting all about Caleb Swanigan, which is saying a lot.
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Purdue could be in danger of overlooking the Scarlet Knights; next week brings games against both the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan State Spartans. Matt Painter is too good of a coach to let this game slip through the cracks, though.
Prediction: Purdue 78, Rutgers 54