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Sometimes you want to make a quick pitstop, empty the bladder, grab a bag of salty snacks and limber up the limbs before hitting the open road again. For the fast-minded who enjoy simple $2 scratchers hoping to uncover the jackpot-winning image, here are quick thoughts and leans on Tuesday's Purdue-Marquette matchup.
No. 6 Purdue (4-0) at No. 15 Marquette (4-0)
Date: Tuesday, November 19
Time: 9 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
The pick — Purdue +4.5 (+100, BetMGM)
Matt Painter is criminally underrated.
It needs to be said, even though Purdue fell short of becoming the first Big Ten team since 2000 to win a national championship last March. That honor went, once again, to Danny Hurley’s Connecticut Huskies.
However, Painter has built a perennial contending program. Despite the loss of Zach Edey, who was at West Lafayette so long he roomed with Buzz Aldrin during his freshman year, the Boilermakers haven’t skipped a beat. A broken tibia by 7-foot-4 lane clogger Daniel Jacobsen thinned the front court, but the remaining healthy parts of the Purdue rotation are battle-tested, well-drilled and high-achieving.
Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith comprise one of the nation’s best backcourts. Both are flamethrowers from distance. Both are terrific ball handlers. Both know how to pick apart various defensive schemes. Four games in, they are shooting a combined 20-for-37 on 3-pointers (54.1%) and are averaging a combined 32.5 points and 12.3 assists per game. “Stupid” best summarizes their production.
Also unignorable is the versatile play of power forward Trey Kaufman-Renn. His back-to-the-basket scoring, rebounding and plus passing skills make him a matchup menace. He has shot 58.3% from the floor, netting 18.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
Marquette won’t be dispensed easily. Shaka Smart’s Golden Eagles are balanced and seasoned and feature one of the nation’s best bucket-getters in Kam Jones. The senior point guard has scored at least 24 points in three of his first four games and is shooting a ridiculous 71.4% on 2-pointers and 54.5% on 3s. Compadres Stevie Mitchell (11.8 points per game) and David Joplin (13.3) serve as dependable flanks.
Last Friday, Purdue was undeniably brilliant down the stretch in its 87-78 dismissal of then-No. 2 Alabama, while Marquette earned a resume-building 78-74 win in hostile territory at Maryland.
For Painter’s crew, the Golden Eagles are the first major road test of the season. In what will be a hotly contested matchup at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, the 3-ball should prove to be the great equalizer.
The Boilermakers shoot a blistering 46.0% from the arc, while Marquette has converted only 30.4%. Even if Jones erupts, Purdue has the perimeter chops, defense, roster continuity and superior distribution talents to cover, if not win outright. Keep in mind, the Boilers have won 39 straight non-conference matchups.
Wield that hammer, Purdue Pete.
Season record: 3-3, +0.11 units