6 p.m. at Purdue • BTN, 100.3-FM
Looking for first road win
Preview: The Gophers (7-5) are carrying a three-game winning streak into Thursday’s game against Purdue (8-5) in West Lafayette, Ind. They won their first game away from home Dec. 21 in an 86-66 neutral-site victory against Oklahoma State in Tulsa, Okla. But Richard Pitino’s team is still 0-3 in true road games this season, including a 72-52 loss in the Dec. 9 league opener at Iowa. The Boilermakers got 23 points on seven three-pointers from Sasha Stefanovic to finish nonconference play with a 97-62 win against Central Michigan at home. They have five losses already this season, but the only home loss came against Texas 70-66 on Nov. 9.
Players to watch: Gophers center Daniel Oturu continues to put together one of the best seasons for a big man in school history. The 6-10 sophomore ranks first in the Big Ten in rebounding (11.7), second in scoring (18.3) and blocks (3.2) and third in field goal percentage (65.4). He has six 20-point games this season. Purdue center Matt Haarms played just 12 minutes Saturday after missing two games with a concussion. Replacing Haarms for the Boilermakers has been sophomore big man Trevion Williams, who is averaging 14 points and 10.5 rebounds in the past four games.
Numbers: The Gophers ranked No. 32 in the NCAA’s latest NET rankings and have the eighth toughest schedule in the country. Purdue was No. 43 in the NET.
MARCUS FULLER
