PURDUE BOILERMAKERS (7-5) VS #24 IOWA HAWKEYES (10-2)

DATE: Sunday, December 29th

TIME: 2:00PM CT

TV: BTN+ – AJ Reisetter and Logan Moel

SERIES: 80th Meeting – Purdue leads the series 40-39 – Iowa has won the last eight meetings

BY THE NUMBERS

OFFENSE: IOWA: 76.9 PPG, 47.5% FG, 32.5% 3PT, 16.8 TO PURDUE: 67.8 PPG, 43.9% FG, 32.4% 3PT, 16.8 TO

DEFENSE: IOWA: 63.9 PPG, 38.1% FG, 31.6% 3PT, 17.1 TO, +8.4 REB MARGIN PURDUE: 70.7 PPG, 39.5% FG, 29.8% 3PT, 13.8 TO, +0.4 REB MARGIN

IOWA HAWKEYES PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

PURDUE BOILERMAKERS PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

PURDUE PLAYER TO WATCH: Guard Destini Lombard

The WAC Defensive Player of the Year at Stephen F Austin last season, guard Destini Lombard has made an instant impact with the Boilermakers. On the offensive end, Lombard is averaging a team-high 12.8 points per game and has made a team-high 20 threes. She has scored in double figures in ten of 12 games, including putting up 24 points against South Carolina. Not a big midrange shooter, 90.3% of Lombard’s team-leading 62 made field goals have come in the paint or from behind the arc. Defensively, she has totaled a Big Ten-leading 30 steals and is on track to have the most steals by a Purdue player since Ashley Morrissette (82) during the 2016-17 season.

IOWA PLAYER TO WATCH: Guard Taylor McCabe

The Hawkeyes have gotten off to a good start this season, but if they want to have a successful run in Big Ten play, they may need a player or two to take their play to another level. Taylor McCabe certainly qualifies as one of those players. McCabe leads the team with 24 made triples, but is averaging just 18.7 minutes per game. Giving her more minutes would give Iowa an offensive boost, but her defense is the key. She played the best game of her career last time out against Northern Iowa, and I’m interested to see if she can consistently give that effort on both ends of the floor.

BREAKING DOWN THE BOILERMAKERS

The Boilermakers are under the direction of fourth-year head coach Katie Gearlds. A two-time All-Big Ten selection as a player at Purdue, Gearlds has accumulated a 58-50 record while in charge of the program, including an NCAA Tournament First Four appearance in 2023. Purdue enters the contest with a 7-5 overall record, and although all five losses have come against NET top 60 teams, they are by an average of 27.2 points per game.

The Boilermakers frontcourt is made up of a pair of newcomers, with one transfer and one true freshman. Akron transfer Reagan Bass, a 6-foot-2 forward, an All-MAC selection for the Zips last season, is second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. She has scored in double figures in eight games, including three games with 20+ points. Bass will step out behind the arc, but is just 5/24 on the year. In the paint is where she does her best, shooting 69.8% (37/53) on attempts within 4.5 feet of the rim.

True freshman, 6-foot-4 center, Lana McCarthy was named New Hampshire Miss Basketball and New Hampshire Volleyball Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior at Bedford High School. McCarthy has started all 12 games this season, and although she’s averaging just 18.4 minutes per game, she makes a noticeable impact when on the floor, averaging 17.01 points and 12.9 rebounds per 40 minutes. Nearly 93% of her shot attempts have come in the paint, with 59.5% of them coming within 4.5 feet of the basket.

The other name to know in the Boilermakers starting lineup is NAIA Marian transfer guard Ella Collier. A two-time NAIA National Player of the Year for the Knights, Collier averaged 19.0 points per game last season, leading them to the NAIA Tournament Quarterfinals. She has started nine games, averaging 7.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Collier is second on the team in made threes (16) and is shooting 39.0% from behind the arc. She has scored in double figures in three of the last five games, including back-to-back 12-point efforts against Miami Oh and Indiana State.

Looking at the Boilermakers bench, head coach Katie Gearlds will primarily use three players and does get some solid contributions. Sophomore guard Rashunda Jones has started four games, averaging 7.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 22.9 minutes per game. A Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection last season, Jones will do a bit of everything for Purdue. She has three games with 10+ points, three games with 5+ assists and four games with 5+ rebounds.

The other names to know are sophomore guard Sophie Swanson and 6-foot-3 freshman forward Kendall Puryear. Swanson, who has made six starts, is a solid three-point shooter. She knocked down 41 threes as a freshman last year, and has made 15 triples this season, but is shooting just 27.8%, which is down from last year (39.4%). As for Puryear, the #2 rated player in Kansas is averaging 5.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 17.1 minutes per game. She put up 10 points and five rebounds in her Big Ten debut against Maryland.

Shooting Heat Maps (CBB Analytics): Iowa and Purdue

A deeper look at the advanced stats behind the matchup between the Hawkeyes and Boilermakers…

THE PICK

Warren Nolan Projection: IOWA 83 PURDUE 61

Bart Torvik Projection: IOWA 78 PURDUE 59

No disrespect to the Boilermakers, but if the Hawkeyes got to choose who they faced in their first Big Ten game out of the nine-day break, Purdue would have been on the short list. They’re one of just two teams in the conference to rank outside the top 100 in offensive and defensive efficiency, while they’ve really been outclassed by NET top 60 teams (-27.2 scoring margin).

Iowa has had some consistency issues with turnovers and three-point shooting, but Purdue ranks 327th in forced turnover rate and 236th in made threes per game. Hawkeyes roll to a win and even their record up at 1-1 in Big Ten play. IOWA 79 PURDUE 56