No. 7 Purdue looks to continue rolling at home on Friday when Southern California visits West Lafayette, Ind., For a Big Ten Conference Matchup.
Boilermakers (18-5, 10-2 Big Ten) are the winners of three straight and 10 of their last 11 after a victory on 90-81 road over Iowa on Tuesday. Purdue got 54 points in the second half. Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn listed 31 and 25 points respectively.
Tandem by Kaufman-Renns and Smith have asked Purdue all season. They lead the team in points; Kaufman-Snn on average 18.7 and Smith 16.4 points per match. Smith’s 8.6 assists per game is ranked third among all Division I players, despite his four on Iowa which marks a season low.
“My job as a point guard is to get us to crime,” Smith said after the match. “Go and get mine or go and get someone else a shot and help them.”
At the same time, thanks to their victory in Iowa and Michigan State who go wine -free on their California fluctuation after a defeat at UCLA on Tuesday, Purdue sits alone on top of the big ten before Friday’s competition.
On February 11, Boilermakers will start a distance of three straight matches against currently ranked conference opponents and book a home date versus Wisconsin with road races in Michigan and Michigan State. However, Purdue cannot afford to see past a USC team that has won its last two matches against ranked opponents.
The Trojans (13-9, 5-6) then topped no. 13 Illinois on the road on January 11, 82-72 and handed Michigan his first Big Ten loss last Saturday in a decision of 70-64.
The key to USC in both victories was the game by Desmond Claude, which got 31 points against Illinois. He finished with 19 points and six returns to Michigan State but suffered a knee injury during the victory that sided him on Tuesday on the Northwestern.
The Trojans mostly dragged against Wildcats and with as many as 15 points in the second half before a furious rally for late games. Clark Slajchert got a season high 24 points, including converting a four-point game with 29 seconds left that forced a 75-75 slip.
“We recruited him because of his offensive ability,” said USC coach Eric Musselman about Penn Transfer. “He got 20 points against us at Arkansas when he was a beginner, and he had a huge match against Kentucky last season. We showed our team his highlights before the match to build his confidence, not only in himself but also in the team.”
USC may need another major offensive performance from Slajchert to pick up the slack lost with Claude absent. Claude’s 16.2 points per match leads the Trojans.
USC will also look for more production from Saint Thomas. Thomas distributed eight assists on Tuesday but committed four sales and got only four points – more than six points during their seasonal average of 10.6.
The Trojans also need an improved recovery effort after being beaten on the glass, 43-27, in the Northwestern. Purdue will limit opponents to 31.5 returns per match, the 32th-lamest return among all DI teams through Tuesday’s game.
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