After faltering down the stretch against ranked Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Wisconsin to close January, Minnesota is set to ring in a new month by hosting No. 4 Purdue on Wednesday night in Minneapolis.
With respect to the date and the famed Bill Murray comedy, the Golden Gophers hope to avoid another maddening “Groundhog Day”-esque experience as they take the floor Feb. 2.
In Sunday’s road loss to 11th-ranked Wisconsin, Minnesota (11-7, 2-7 Big Ten) climbed back from a nine-point deficit to tie the game with 2:23 to play, only to see the Badgers score the game’s final six points.
Three days earlier, the Golden Gophers hung around with then-No. 16 Ohio State for the first half-plus before losing by 11.
“We just have to keep pushing every day,” Minnesota’s Payton Willis said. “We know this is a hard league. At the end of the day we have to make winning plays. We just have to figure that out.”
Make no mistake, Purdue (18-3, 7-3) packs a punch.
The Boilermakers have won three straight games and six of seven and are coming off Sunday’s thrilling, 81-78 home win against Ohio State.
Jaden Ivey, who admittedly flubbed his role in Purdue coach Matt Painter’s final play call, atoned for the miscue by drilling the game-winning 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds to play.
“With seconds left, I just went to the ball and got my hands on the ball,” Ivey said. “It was supposed to be for Zach (Edey), but I just got confused, honestly. Sometimes you’ve just got to make a play.”
Ivey scored 21 points and Edey chipped in 20 as the Boilermakers exhaled with their 28th win against a ranked opponent in the past six seasons. Purdue led by 20 with almost 15 minutes to play.
“We didn’t do what we were supposed to do, and normally the basketball gods aren’t with you when that happens,” Painter said. “We just got lucky because Ohio State played really well down the stretch.”
The Boilermakers boast a formidable frontcourt headlined by the 7-foot-4 Edey and 6-10 Trevion Williams, whose scoring averages of 15.0 and 12.5 points rank second and third on the team, respectively.
Minnesota will aim to answer the challenge with Eric Curry, a 6-9, sixth-year senior who returned to the lineup Sunday after missing three games with an injured left ankle.
Curry contributed eight points and six rebounds in 34 minutes against Wisconsin.
“I know how much I mean to the guys and how much they look at me,” Curry said. “I tried my hardest to get back on the court. It was frustrating to see them out there without me.”
Jamison Battle (17.6 points a game) and Willis (16.3) are the leading scorers for Minnesota. Ivey is the top scorer for the Boilermakers at 16.8 points a game.
Painter enters the game with 398 career victories.
–Field Level Media
