The Alabama Crimson Tide and Purdue Boilermakers face off in one of the biggest games of the nonconference season.
Friday, November 15th, 7:00 pm ET. Peacock
Location: Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, IN
When the Alabama Crimson Tide and Purdue Boilermakers take to the floor at Mackey Arena on Friday night, they will each do so with undefeated records and Final Four aspirations.
And while both are ranked in the top 15 of the country, they are each trying to shake off the rust from the summer and validate high expectations.
After doubling up UNC Asheville, Alabama has played two much closer games with mid-major opponents, surprising for the No. 2 team in the country. The Crimson Tide only managed to beat Arkansas State and McNeese State by single digits, despite playing both games at home. The trip to Purdue marks Alabama's first game against a major foe and first road trip of the season.
Despite two disappointing performances, Alabama's offense is already proving to be one of the best in the nation. Led by Mark Sears, the Crimson Tide are putting up 90 points per game. Should they become more consistent from deep - 30 percent shooting from three as a team - Alabama's offense will be able to go toe-to-toe with any team in the country.
There have been some tense moments for the post-Zach Edey Boilermakers, too. Matt Painter's team rolled through Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Northern Kentucky, but flirted with disaster before prevailing over Yale, 92-84. Purdue has won 21 straight at home and hasn't lost a regular season game to a non-conference opponent since December 2020.
It would be impossible for Purdue to overlook Alabama, but the program has a challenging stretch on its schedule. Days after the battle with the Crimson Tide, the Boilermakers are taking to the road to face Kam Jones and the Marquette Golden Eagles. It's a critical run of play for this year's team.
The Boilermakers have already faced the first big moment of adversity. While Daniel Jacobsen couldn't possibly fill Edey's shoes, the 7-foot-4 freshman showed promise starting the first two games of the season. That season appears to be over after Jacobsen fractured his tibia.
The Crimson Tide appear to be the better of the two teams and are favored according to most betting lines. Having this game in Mackey Arena, however, turns it into a great equalizer.
Sears is still looking to break out, averaging 18 points per game so far this year. There are three players with higher usage rates than Sears on the Crimson Tide, including Grant Nelson. But considering Sears returned as a legitimate National Player of the Year contender, it's only a matter of time before he starts causing damage on the court.
An area for concern for Purdue has to be size, especially with Jacobsen sidelined. Nelson, Rutgers transfer Cliff Omoruyi and Jarin Stevenson are all around 7-feet tall. Will Berg is a 7-footer for the Boilermakers, but hasn't shown much in his playing time this year.
Purdue does have a trio of players averaging at least 15 points per game, led by Braden Smith's big improvement across the board to become the Boilermakers' focal point. Beyond Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn, however, Purdue may lack the size and depth to match up against Alabama.
Prediction: Alabama 80, Purdue 77