From: WCPO.com —
The 16th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers will try to avenge an earlier loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes, as the two Big Ten programs clash at Mackey Arena today.

Purdue leads the all-time series with OSU, 79-74, including 52-23 in West Lafayette, but the Buckeyes captured an 80-72 overtime victory in the first meeting of the season on February 3rd. That victory was part a four-game win streak for OSU that was quickly followed with three consecutive losses. The Buckeyes though, put an end to that slide on Tuesday, notching a 73-59 victory over a tough Penn State club. It was a much needed win for OSU, which strengthened its NCAA Tournament resume and now stands at 18-8 overall.

As for Purdue, it took to the road on Thursday and was upset at Michigan, 87-78. The loss not only put an end to the team’s four-game win streak, but it also hurt the program’s Big Ten title chances. The Boilermakers are now two games behind Michigan State for the top spot, with only three outings left in the regular season.

The Buckeyes made good on 52.0 percent of their chances from the floor and 10- of-22 from three-point land, as they pulled away from Penn State on Tuesday. OSU also went 11-of-14 at the foul line, while holding a 34-25 advantage on the glass. Jeremie Simmons tallied 14 points on 4-of-7 three-pointers to lead the way, and B.J. Mullens and P.J. Hill each scored 13 points. Evan Turner was limited to only six points, but he did have eight assists and six boards. The versatile Turner means so much to the Buckeyes, as he leads them in scoring (16.7 ppg), rebounding (7.3 rpg), assists (3.7 apg) and steals (47) on the season. William Buford follows at 11.5 ppg, and Jon Diebler trails with 11.4 ppg on the strength of 42.7 percent shooting from long range.

The Boilermakers were down by just three points midway through the second half before Michigan ripped off a 19-6 run to come away with the upset victory on Thursday. Purdue, which is holding opponents to a mere 38.4 percent shooting from the floor and 59.0 ppg on the season, allowed Michigan to make 63.0 percent of its field goal attempts en route to 87 points. Robbie Hummel paced the team in the setback with 24 points and six boards, while E’Twaun Moore notched 18 points. Moore currently leads the team in scoring at 14.1 ppg and he is also collecting 4.8 rpg. JaJuan Johnson adds 13.3 ppg and 6.0 rpg to the lineup, while Hummel logs 12.4 ppg and a team-high 6.8 rpg.

With a much better performance on defense, expect the Boilermakers to get even with the Buckeyes with a win in West Lafayette today.

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