Minnesota, Purdue meet in conference play
Minnesota (7-5, 1-1) vs. Purdue (8-5, 1-1)
Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Indiana; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Big Ten foes meet as Minnesota battles Purdue. Both programs won at home this past Saturday. Purdue earned a 97-62 win over Central Michigan, while Minnesota won easily 89-62 over Florida International.
SENIOR STUDS: Minnesota's Daniel Oturu, Payton Willis and Alihan Demir have collectively scored 48 percent of the team's points this season, including 41 percent of all Golden Gophers scoring over the last five games.
SPARKING THE OFFENSE: Marcus Carr has either made or assisted on 51 percent of all Minnesota field goals over the last five games. The junior guard has accounted for 28 field goals and 42 assists in those games.
WINLESS WHEN: The Golden Gophers are 0-5 when they score 69 points or fewer and 7-0 when they exceed 69 points. The Boilermakers are 0-5 when allowing 63 or more points and 8-0 when holding opponents below 63.
PERFECT WHEN: The Boilermakers are 5-0 when at least four of their players score 10 or more points and 3-5 when any fewer than that achieve double-figures. The Golden Gophers are 5-0 when they hold opponents to 62 points or fewer and 2-5 when opponents exceed 62 points.
STINGY DEFENSE: Purdue has held opposing teams to 57.4 points per game this year, the eighth-lowest figure among all Division I teams.
