Purdue (9-5, 2-1) begins a tough Big Ten stretch Sunday with a visits Illinois (9-5, 1-2) for a primetime battle. Jeff Levering and Tim Miles will handle the broadcast on FS1, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
On WSLM 1220 AM, Rob Blackman and Larry Clisby will have the call courtside beginning with the Purdue Basketball Pregame Show at 7 p.m. ET.
• Purdue owns a 102-87 series lead against Illinois, including a 17-7 mark under Coach Painter. Purdue is looking for its fifth win in a row in the series.
• The 189 previous meetings between the two teams make this the seventh-most frequently played rival in the Big Ten. Purdue and Indiana lead the way with 209 meetings.
• Purdue looks to build momentum on the road after sizzling at Mackey Arena the last two games. Purdue is 2-4 away from Mackey Arena, averaging just 60.0 points per game and shooting 36.1 percent from the field and 27.0 percent from long distance. Purdue has an assist / turnover ratio of 0.79 (68 / 86) away from Mackey (1.78 at home).
• Purdue’s sophomore class has started to emerge as offensive leaders. The class is averaging 50.5 points per game over the last two games and 40.1 points per game over the last seven games. For the season, the class is shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from deep.
• Purdue is 7-0 this year when holding foes to 59 or fewer points. The Boilermakers are 2-5 when allowing 60-plus.
• Purdue is 8-0 this year and 28-1 since the start of last year when shooting a higher field goal percentage than its opponent. The lone loss came to Virginia in last year’s Elite Eight.
• Purdue is 7-0 this year and has won 18 straight games when attempting more free throws than its opponent.
• Purdue won seven straight games in the month of January and is 17-1 during the month since 2018.
