Instate Rivals
West Lafayette,In – If Purdue can play as well against Indiana State as it just did versus another in-state opponent, the Sycamores could be in for a long Saturday afternoon in West Lafayette.
The 14th-ranked Boilermakers look to build off one of their best all-around performances of the season while Indiana State tries to bounce back following a mostly forgettable performance.
Oddsmakers from Online Sportsbook Sportsbook.com have made the Purdue –25 point spread favorites for Thurday’s game against the Saint Joseph’s. Current College Basketball Public Betting Information shows that 68% of more than 345 bets for this game have been placed on the Purdue –25.
Purdue (7-2) goes for its third straight win on Saturday following a 68-39 victory at Ball State on Tuesday. The Boilermakers forced 21 turnovers and limited the Cardinals to 26.4 percent shooting.
"We did a good job of putting pressure on the ball,” said Purdue coach Matt Painter, whose team is 5-1 at Mackey Arena this season. "When there were things that were open for Ball State tonight, I thought our pressure was able to knock some of those things out."
Since losing 76-60 to then-No. 4 Duke on Dec. 2, the Boilermakers have forced an average of 28.0 turnovers. Indiana State, meanwhile, has averaged 19.3 turnovers in its last three games.
Purdue is holding opponents to 34.0 percent shooting – good for fourth in the nation – and limited Arkansas Pine-Bluff and Ball State to a combined 25.0 percent since its home loss to the Blue Devils.
Indiana State (1-7) is coming off a 62-50 loss to Ohio on Monday as it hit 34.0 percent from the field. The Sycamores are shooting just 39.5 percent overall and averaging 61.8 points.
Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year Robbie Hummel returned from a one-game absence due to back spasms and had team highs of 15 points and nine rebounds against Ball State.
"I felt pretty good,” said the Purdue sophomore, who had 10 points, four rebounds and three assists in a 71-60 win over visiting Indiana State on Dec. 1, 2007. "My back’s not really that sore, but we’ll see how it feels tomorrow morning."
Purdue leading scorer E’Twaun Moore had 10 points with six rebounds against Ball State. Last season versus the Sycamores, he had 12 points and a team-high eight boards.
Coming off the bench for the first time this season, sophomore JaJuan Johnson scored 12 points in 23 minutes as Purdue recorded its fifth victory this season by at least 29 points.
"We really played hard,” said junior guard Chris Kramer, who had six points off the bench in last season’s win against Indiana State. "That’s the hardest we’ve played all year, and the score really showed that tonight."
Following their loss to the Bobcats at the Marques Maybin Classic in Louisville, the Sycamores are looking for their first victory over the Boilermakers since defeating them 89-70 on Dec. 28, 2006.
Aaron Carter hit 6-of-9 from 3-point range and scored a career-high 20 points against Ohio, while Jay Tunnell tied a career best with 20 points. It was the first time two Sycamores have scored 20 or more points in the same game since Dec. 30, 2006, against Drake.
Purdue has won 27 of 31 games against Indiana State.
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Posted: 12/13/08 1:40 PM ET
