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Iowa at Purdue: 2021-22 key storylines for Big Ten matchup opener

By Trevor Sinodhinos

Jan 30, 2021; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) dunks the ball during the first half of the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 30, 2021; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) dunks the ball during the first half of the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports /
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Iowa Hawkeyes guard Joe Toussaint Tony Perkins Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports
Iowa Hawkeyes guard Joe Toussaint Tony Perkins Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports /

The marquee matchup on the NCAA basketball schedule to end the work week happens on Friday at 9 pm, when the Iowa Hawkeyes and Purdue Boilermakers tip-off at Mackey Arena on the Big Ten Network. Both teams will be competing in their first conference game of the 2021-22 season and both with be sporting 7-0 records.

This game represents the final test for Head Coach Matt Painter and Boilermakers before the next Busting Brackets Top-25 power rankings are released Monday morning. The Boilermakers currently sit in second place, only trailing Duke who lost this week to Ohio State. A victory over Iowa – especially if it is as impressive as their 93-65 over Florida State –  will place Purdue as the top team in the nation.

The two conference rivals may both be 7-0, but those records have not been created equally. The Hawkeyes do have a top 50 victory over Virginia but will be lucky if Longwood, UMKC, and Portland State are considered top 200 teams. Purdue on the other hand has a top-ten victory over Villanova and top 50 wins over North Carolina and Florida State. The difference between their scoring averages has less distance though.

This matchup will pit the top two scoring offenses in the nation, as Iowa is averaging 94 points per game and Purdue is averaging 92.4 points. To some extent, this was expected from the Boilermakers who return all five starters and 94.6 percent of their scoring from last season, in which they averaged 71 points. Jaden Ivey and Zach Edey have improved as expected which in turn has propelled the Boilermakers into a title contender.

The Hawkeyes are returning 40 percent of their scoring, with their most notable loss being the Naismith Award and Wooden Award winner Luka Garza. This game will reveal a lot about Iowa and if they are actually a contender in the Big Ten or a product of beneficial scheduling. Iowa and Purdue will be the second Big Ten game to tip on the season and could very well begin to separate the pretenders from the contenders.

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