Boilermakers, bulldozers: Heading into its game at Williams Arena (2 p.m. Saturday, BTN), Purdue is on a four-game winning streak and has knocked off three ranked opponents in that span, having beaten Iowa, Indiana and Ohio State at home. If coach Matt Painter's team can make it past the Gophers, the slow-starting Boilermakers have a chance to be ranked when the latest polls are released on Monday.
Doing Dez: Since returning from a fractured wrist at the end of December, Maryland's Dez Wells has struggled to find consistency. Wednesday, the senior swingman's 8-for-10, 23-point performance marked his best since the second game of the season and helped the Terrapins push past Penn State. Can Wells — a third-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection a year ago — make it a habit, starting at Iowa (noon Sunday, Ch. 4)?
Living without Loving: Ohio State doesn't want to provide an explanation for its indefinite suspension of sophomore forward Marc Loving, announced Wednesday, but is hoping someone else can provide some of the production the Buckeyes are losing from their second-leading scorer. That didn't work out so well in a 60-58 loss at Purdue on Wednesday. They Buckeyes will have another chance against Rutgers (4:30 p.m. Sunday, BTN).
