2:15 p.m. at Purdue • Mackey Arena • TV: BTN, 1500-AM

Gophers at a glance: After mostly cruising through the final home portion of the nonconference schedule, the 11-2 Gophers head back on the road for a pair of games at Purdue and Big Ten newcomer Maryland to start the conference season. In its last game, Minnesota rallied from nine points down in the first half to ultimately overwhelm UNC Wilmington 108-82. Carlos Morris (24 points) and Nate Mason (18) each posted new career highs, while DeAndre Mathieu recorded a new personal best with 11 assists. The Gophers had their best assist-to-turnover ratio of the year, posting 25 assists to only eight miscues (including only two in the first half).

Purdue at a glance: Purdue (8-5) finished last season with seven losses, winding up dead last in the Big Ten, and it has picked up right where it left off. This summer, point guard and second-leading scorer Ronnie Johnson became the 15th player under coach Matt Painter to transfer. AJ Hammons and Kendall Stephens have struggled in the past three games, all losses, with Hammons turning over the ball seven times and Stephens going 3-for-19 from the field. Even more confounding has been the Boilermakers' defense, usually a staple of Painter's teams. In the same span, opponents have scored 88 points per game while shooting 55.4 percent from three-point range.

AMELIA RAYNO