Less than two weeks after facing off in one of the most exciting games in the Big Ten so far this season, No. 1 Purdue and Michigan State are set for a rematch Sunday on the Boilermakers’ home floor. Purdue won the first meeting 64-63 behind a whopping 32 points from Zach Edey and some clutch offense in the final minutes from freshman guard Fletcher Loyer.
The Spartans led 57-53 with under four minutes to play but couldn’t hold on for what would have been a marquee victory. Michigan State has won two of three since then with home wins over Rutgers and Iowa and a loss at Indiana but could use an attention-grabbing victory to crack the AP poll for the first time in nearly two months.
While Michigan State has four Quad 1 victories, the Spartans are just a projected No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, according to Jerry Palm’s Bracketology, and a road win against projected No. 1 seed Purdue would certainly qualify as an attention-grabber. The Boilermakers entered the weekend with a two-game edge on Rutgers and Northwestern in the league standings and have established themselves as the class of a deep conference.
Edey continues to stand out in the race for national player of the year, and Purdue’s defense has taken major strides since last season when the Boilermakers finished 29-8 with a loss to Saint Peter’s in the Sweet 16. But Michigan State counters with a balanced attack and the confidence of knowing it had Purdue on the ropes earlier this month.
How to watch Purdue vs. Michigan State live
Date: Sunday, Jan. 29 | Time: 12:15 p.m. ET
Location: Mackey Arena — West Lafayette, Indiana
TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)
Purdue vs. Michigan State prediction, picks
Like most teams in college basketball, Michigan State has no answer for Zach Edey. The 7-foot-4 center scored half the Boilermakers’ points in a 64-63 win over the Spartans less than two weeks ago. MSU got a monster 30-point effort from Tyson Walker in that game but lost despite shooting 47.2% from the field. Purdue has home court advantage this time and should ridge that edge to a more decisive margin of victory in the rematch. Prediction: Purdue -8.5
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