CBB: Michigan State vs. Purdue Preview
No. 3 Michigan State (23-3, 11-2) hosts No. 4 Purdue (23-3, 12-1) in what is one of the most anticipated games of the college basketball season to date. The Spartans have won seven straight games and have defeated Wisconsin, Maryland, Penn State, Indiana, and Iowa in their five most recent games. Meanwhile, Purdue owned the nation's longest winning streak with 19 straight, but that ended in their last game against Ohio State. The Buckeyes went into hostile territory and upset the Boilermakers, 64-63. In the four games prior to that, Purdue had beaten Michigan, Indiana, Maryland, and Rutgers. The winner of this will be at the top of the Big Ten, tied with Ohio State for first place.
Purdue Wins If: The Boilermakers will pull off the slight upset if they shoot well from beyond the arc. They have five guys who shoot better than 40 percent from deep, and in games that they have been able to win, the Boilers have shot well from the long line. Carsen Edwards, the teams leading scorer, is averaging 17.0 points per game and is hitting threes at a 40.4 percent clip. Vincent Edwards and Dakota Mathias are also very dangerous from deep. Edwards is shooting 42.3 percent and Mathias is at 46.6 percent. It's going to come down to whether or not Michigan State is able to rotate on defense quickly and make sure to close out on all of the shooters. If Purdue makes more than 40 percent of their long balls, they'll be right in this one.
Michigan State Wins If: The Spartans need to play within themselves, and if they do that, they should be able to win this one comfortably. Michigan State has more talent and is at home, which usually results in a victory. Sparty has to make sure they don't turn the ball over more than 14 times, and if they can do that, then Michigan State will likely protect them home court. Cassius Winston is going to be a huge part of limiting turnovers, as he only turns it over 2.6 times per game. He also adds 7.0 assists a night and that trend needs to stay there. Miles Bridges should be able to score at least 20, as he averages 17.7 points per game. If those three things can happen then the Spartans should win and earn their 24th win of the year.
Charles Post: Purdue.
Chinedum Wejinya: Purdue.
Max Heningburg: Michigan State.
Photo Credit: 247 Sports.
