Coming off their first loss of the season in shocking fashion, top-ranked Purdue looks to get back on track against NC State.
When: Sunday, December 12 at 2:00 pm ET on Big Ten Network
Location: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
After suffering their first loss of the season, top-ranked Purdue takes on NC State in the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational.
Purdue is coming off a 70-68 buzzer-beating loss at Rutgers on Thursday night, a game in which the Boilermakers led for a majority of the second half. Purdue got an impressive 21 points and 11 rebounds in the contest from star forward Trevion Williams, but struggled in a few areas as well, most notably shooting 7-for-26 from three-point range.
The Boilermakers come into this contest at 8-1 on the year as the No. 1 team in the country and own multiple impressive wins so far over the likes of Villanova, North Carolina, Florida State, and Iowa. Averaging 88 PPG offensively while only allowing 65.4 PPG, Purdue are led by the previously mentioned Williams and center Zach Edey (15.2 PPG, 7 RPG) who compose one of the top frontcourts duos in the country, as well as Purdue’s leading scorer in guard Jaden Ivey (15.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.6 APG).
NC State is coming off a 65-48 win over Bethune-Cookman on Thursday night, a game in which the Wolfpack never trailed. The Wolfpack didn’t necessarily play their most complete game of the season shooting only 39.3% from the field, but did receive an impressive showing from guard Dereon Seabron who added a game-high 16 points and 14 rebounds.
The Wolfpack sit at 7-2 on the season (0-1 in ACC) and comes into this game averaging 78.2 PPG while allowing 71.3 PPG. The previously mentioned Seabron leads the Wolfpack in points and rebounds (19.9 PPG, 11 RPG), while four others also average in double-figures including Jericole Hellems, Casey Morsell, Cam Hayes, and Terquavion Smith.
While NC State has impressed so far this season, this game will undoubtedly be their toughest test yet against the top-ranked Boilermakers. Expect a big bounce-back performance from Purdue, and for the Boilermakers to pull away early in the second half with the Wolfpack unable to keep up offensively.
Prediction: Purdue 85, NC State 67