West Lafayette, IN (My Sportsbook) - The 19th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers have regained their form and now go in search of their third straight Big Ten win today, as they host the Iowa Hawkeyes at Mackey Arena.
The Boilermakers, a favorite to win the Big Ten, got off to an 0-2 start in league play, losing those games by a combined seven points. Purdue though, responded from the slow start with triumphs of Wisconsin (65-52) and most recently Northwestern (63-61) on Thursday to get back on track. Now at 13-4 overall, the Boilermakers return to Mackey Arena, where they have gone 49-9 since Matt Painter took over as head coach for the 2005-06 season.
As for Iowa, it has struggled a bit of late, losing two straight and four of its last six outings. The team was most recently in action a week ago, when it suffered a 64-49 setback at Michigan. It was the fourth loss in five road contests for the Hawkeyes, who now sit at 11-6 overall and just 1-3 in the conference.
Today's game represents the 149th all-time meeting between Purdue and Iowa, with the Boilermakers holding a 78-70 edge in the series.
The Hawkeyes have had good success in making shots from long range (.399) and at the foul line (.755). Defensively, they have also fared well in limiting foes to just 56.1 ppg. Anthony Tucker currently leads the squad in scoring at 10.8 ppg and he is shooting 44.0 percent from long distance. Matt Gatens, a 54.5 percent three-point shooter, checks in with 10.7 ppg and 4.2 rpg, while Jeff Peterson contributes 10.1 ppg. In the team's last game, Gatens posted 11 points and eight boards, as he was the only Iowa player to reach double figures in a loss to Michigan. Iowa went 6-of-17 from three-point range and 9- of-10 at the foul line, but shot just 39.5 percent from the floor and committed 18 costly turnovers in the setback.
Much like Iowa, Purdue is a tough team to score against, allowing foes to net just 57.6 ppg and shoot a mere 36.1 percent from the floor. At the other end of the court, Robbie Hummel leads the team with 14.1 ppg and he is also the top rebounder on the club with 7.9 rpg to his credit. E'Twaun Moore follows closely at 13.9 ppg and he is collecting 5.9 rpg, while JaJuan Johnson adds 12.7 ppg and 5.8 rpg to the mix. On Thursday, Johnson made two free throws with 2.2 seconds left, as Purdue rallied from a 14-point deficit to defeat Northwestern 63-61. Johnson finished the game with 13 points and nine rebounds, while Hummel led the charge with 15 points and nine boards. Purdue knocked down 45.7 percent of its shots in the contest and dominated the boards 45-29.
