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(17) Michigan State (12-6) at (14) Purdue (16-3)
Despite playing in a conference that boasts six teams in the AP poll, Purdue is the nation’s only ranked team that hasn’t faced a Top 25 opponent.
That’s about to change.
The 14th-ranked Boilermakers begin a grueling four-game stretch against ranked opponents Saturday night when they host No. 17 Michigan State, which has faced more top-flight competition than any team in the country.
Purdue (16-3, 5-1 Big Ten) has faced two teams currently in the Top 25 over the past 10 days, but neither Minnesota nor West Virginia was in the poll until knocking off the Boilermakers.
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Those two road losses - by a combined seven points - knocked Purdue out of the top 10, and coach Matt Painter’s team nearly stumbled again Wednesday night against Penn State.
But JaJuan Johnson hit an 18-foot jumper with 3 seconds left, lifting the Boilermakers to a 63-62 win - their 11th straight at home - and helping them avoid a three-game skid heading into Saturday’s showdown.
“We were just happy we survived, to be honest with you,” Painter said. “We weren’t jumping around celebrating or anything. We knew we were very fortunate to get this win.”
Purdue is about to get an idea of how good it really is over the next 11 days. After hosting the Spartans (12-6, 4-2), the Boilermakers travel to top-ranked Ohio State on Tuesday, return home to face now-No. 15 Minnesota next Saturday, then visit 18th-ranked Wisconsin on Feb. 1.
Michigan State, meanwhile, has navigated a brutal schedule that has featured seven Top 25 foes - more than any other team has faced.
The Spartans were 3-3 in those contests heading to Illinois on Tuesday, when some poor shooting finally caught up with them. Michigan State survived its previous two games in overtime despite shooting under 40 percent, but its 37.5 percent effort against the No. 23 Illini proved costly in a 71-62 loss.
“We had a chance but we could never get over the hump,” coach Tom Izzo said.
It was Purdue’s struggles from the field - and the Spartans’ defense and rebounding - that made the difference when the teams last met in West Lafayette. Michigan State outrebounded the Boilermakers 46-20 and limited Painter’s team to 30.0 percent shooting in a 53-44 win Feb. 28 - Purdue’s first game after Robbie Hummel tore his ACL.
E’Twaun Moore missed 10 of 13 shots in that game just 19 days after scoring a game-high 25 in a 76-64 win at East Lansing.
Moore has been struggling with his shot lately as well, but Purdue has to hope his 7-of-15 effort against Penn State got him back on track. He averaged 8.5 points and shot 26.3 percent in the Boilermakers’ first four games this month.
Johnson, however, is picking up the slack. He’s averaged 26.7 points in his last three games.
“JaJuan is very confident,” Painter said. “I would say that’s his last step in his development. He’s skilled, he’s athletic, he can run, he’s coachable, he’s fun to be around, he’s unselfish, but now, he’s confident.”
Johnson will have his hands full against Michigan State’s Draymond Green, third in the conference in rebounding (8.7 rpg) and averaging 18.0 points in the last three games, but Purdue is unlikely to struggle as much on the boards as it did in the last meeting. The Spartans led the nation in rebound differential - plus-8.6 - last season, but they’re tied for 57th - plus-4.4 - in 2010-11.
The Boilermakers’ plus-7.2 differential in Big Ten games is the best in the conference.
While Moore’s struggles have hurt Purdue recently, Michigan State can say the same about Durrell Summers. The senior guard was scoring 15.6 points per game before averaging 6.7 in his last three games while shooting 30.4 percent, and Izzo kept him out of the starting lineup against Illinois.
Despite playing in a conference that boasts six teams in the AP poll, Purdue is the nation’s only ranked team that hasn’t faced a Top 25 opponent.
That’s about to change.
The 14th-ranked Boilermakers begin a grueling four-game stretch against ranked opponents Saturday night when they host No. 17 Michigan State, which has faced more top-flight competition than any team in the country.
Purdue (16-3, 5-1 Big Ten) has faced two teams currently in the Top 25 over the past 10 days, but neither Minnesota nor West Virginia was in the poll until knocking off the Boilermakers.
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Those two road losses - by a combined seven points - knocked Purdue out of the top 10, and coach Matt Painter’s team nearly stumbled again Wednesday night against Penn State.
But JaJuan Johnson hit an 18-foot jumper with 3 seconds left, lifting the Boilermakers to a 63-62 win - their 11th straight at home - and helping them avoid a three-game skid heading into Saturday’s showdown.
“We were just happy we survived, to be honest with you,” Painter said. “We weren’t jumping around celebrating or anything. We knew we were very fortunate to get this win.”
Purdue is about to get an idea of how good it really is over the next 11 days. After hosting the Spartans (12-6, 4-2), the Boilermakers travel to top-ranked Ohio State on Tuesday, return home to face now-No. 15 Minnesota next Saturday, then visit 18th-ranked Wisconsin on Feb. 1.
Michigan State, meanwhile, has navigated a brutal schedule that has featured seven Top 25 foes - more than any other team has faced.
The Spartans were 3-3 in those contests heading to Illinois on Tuesday, when some poor shooting finally caught up with them. Michigan State survived its previous two games in overtime despite shooting under 40 percent, but its 37.5 percent effort against the No. 23 Illini proved costly in a 71-62 loss.
“We had a chance but we could never get over the hump,” coach Tom Izzo said.
It was Purdue’s struggles from the field - and the Spartans’ defense and rebounding - that made the difference when the teams last met in West Lafayette. Michigan State outrebounded the Boilermakers 46-20 and limited Painter’s team to 30.0 percent shooting in a 53-44 win Feb. 28 - Purdue’s first game after Robbie Hummel tore his ACL.
E’Twaun Moore missed 10 of 13 shots in that game just 19 days after scoring a game-high 25 in a 76-64 win at East Lansing.
Moore has been struggling with his shot lately as well, but Purdue has to hope his 7-of-15 effort against Penn State got him back on track. He averaged 8.5 points and shot 26.3 percent in the Boilermakers’ first four games this month.
Johnson, however, is picking up the slack. He’s averaged 26.7 points in his last three games.
“JaJuan is very confident,” Painter said. “I would say that’s his last step in his development. He’s skilled, he’s athletic, he can run, he’s coachable, he’s fun to be around, he’s unselfish, but now, he’s confident.”
Johnson will have his hands full against Michigan State’s Draymond Green, third in the conference in rebounding (8.7 rpg) and averaging 18.0 points in the last three games, but Purdue is unlikely to struggle as much on the boards as it did in the last meeting. The Spartans led the nation in rebound differential - plus-8.6 - last season, but they’re tied for 57th - plus-4.4 - in 2010-11.
The Boilermakers’ plus-7.2 differential in Big Ten games is the best in the conference.
While Moore’s struggles have hurt Purdue recently, Michigan State can say the same about Durrell Summers. The senior guard was scoring 15.6 points per game before averaging 6.7 in his last three games while shooting 30.4 percent, and Izzo kept him out of the starting lineup against Illinois.
