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Coming off a big win against Indiana at home, the Northwestern Wildcats (18-4, 7-2 Big Ten) look to prove they belong in the top 25 against another ranked team in the Purdue Boilermakers (17-5, 6-3 Big Ten) in West Lafayette.
Northwestern looks to do so without its leading scorer Scottie Lindsey (15.4 PPG, 44.5 FG%), who is out with an illness. Senior forward Nathan Taphorn is also out after turning his ankle in the Wildcats’ 68-55 victory over Indiana on Sunday. Northwestern big man Dererk Pardon will need to return to the form he showed against Nebraska (19 pts, 22 reb) after an off day against Indiana to make up for the mismatch in the frontcourt against one of the best players in the Big Ten in Caleb Swanigan without the help of Taphorn.
Despite Purdue guard Dakota Mathias making 5 of 7 3-pointers against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Sunday, the Boilermakers dropped the contest for their first loss in four games. While Caleb Swanigan scored 14 and grabbed 14 rebounds, it took him 15 attempts from the field, while also committing four turnovers. He also struggled to defend inside, allowing a lot of easy Nebraska buckets. The rest of the team added nine turnovers, and Swanigan played poor defense en route to an 83-80 upset in Lincoln.
The matchup between Pardon and Swanigan down low will be a fun one to watch, as well as how Vic Law can step up on both sides of the floor in Scottie Lindsey’s absence against Dakota Mathias.
Broadcast Information
Game time: 7:30 p.m. CT
TV Channel: BTN
Online streaming: BTN2Go
Mobile: BTN2Go app
Radio: WNUR 89.3, XM 195, Sirius 136
Betting line: Purdue -9