Purdue vs. Michigan: College basketball game preview, TV schedule
Michigan has an opportunity to claim back-to-back Big Ten Conference Tournament Championships with a win over Purdue. Who cashes in the next ticket to the NCAA Tournament?
TV schedule: Sunday, March 4, 4:30 p.m. ET. CBS
Arena: Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York
Last season, the Michigan Wolverines went on an improbable run in the Big Ten Conference Tournament, becoming the first team to win four games in four days in route to their first championship in 20 years.
And while this season wasn’t as dramatic, Jon Beilein and company did have to beat a couple of higher seeds to get here. First it was Nebraska in the quarterfinals, then most recently top-seeded Michigan State. After trailing by three points in the first half, the Wolverines used a 49 point second half to prevail over the Spartans.
This was the true definition of a “team game” with five players for Michigan scoring between 12-15 points. But whether it was clutch three-pointers by Duncan Robinson, or the great defense displayed by both Charles Mathews and Mo Wagner, Michigan showed why they’re a second weekend caliber threat.
Their opponents are Purdue, whose been right at the near top of the Big Ten all season. The Boilermakers admittedly had a somewhat easy run thanks to upsets, beating Rutgers and Penn State to get here. It still wasn’t easy, as they had to overcome 33 points from Shep Garner to beat the Nittany Lions.
Carsen Edwards has been out of his mind lately, dropping 27 points in that game. While his normal scoring partner Vincent Edwards struggled in this one, senior center Issac Haas picked up the slack, going for 17 points and seven rebounds.
In the regular season games between these two finalists, Purdue won them both, although the combined margin of victory was just five points. In the ladder matchup, Vincent Edwards went off for 30 points to lead the Boilermakers.
Purdue was actually one of those victims from the Wolverines run a year ago, so there should be revenge on the senior’s minds for this game. This is on the biggest stage, with big seeding implications. And if the regular season battles are any indication, this one should be an instant classic.
Prediction: Purdue 76 – Michigan 78