WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – Purdue enters Tuesday night against 21st ranked Illinois, looking to battle their way back into NCAA Tourney contention. This will be their 4th straight ranked opponent they have had to face, and the trek won’t get much easier as the season enters the final stretch.
It comes just 17 days after the two teams squared off last in Champaign. That was a night the Boiler wish they could forget, as they were run out of town in a 63-37 shellacking to the Illini. In that one, Sasha Stefanovic was the teams leading scorer with just 8 points. The team as a whole shot just 25% from the field and 17% from deep.
Since then, the Boilers took a touch loss in double-OT to Michigan on the road. They then came home and blew the doors off 8th ranked Michigan State 71-42. It was the Spartans’ worse loss ever while being ranked in the top 10. They then went on the road to Maryland a fell to the 17th ranked Terps 57-50.
One thing has remained true for the Boilers, they are consistent. Now in saying that, they are great at home, and seem lost on the road so far this season. With an 8-1 record at Mackey, their lone loss came to Texas. On the road, they are 1-5 and have suffered some tough blows.
Consistency at home will need to remain if Purdue wants to keep their tourney hopes alive. They sit 8th in the conference with a 3-4 record, while Illinois is in 2nd, and is on a four-game winning streak, though the Illini are just 2-3 on the road this season and haven’t won in West Lafayette since Dec. 30th of 2008.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm ET from Mackey Arena.
Written by Adrian Beecher
