Gophers men's basketball at No. 17 Purdue
THREE THINGS TO WATCH:
Three-point barrage – There's really no way around it. If Purdue has a typical day lighting up the scoreboard from beyond the arc, then it won't be a competitive game Sunday for long in West Lafayette, Ind. Last season, the Boilermakers combined to shoot 26-for-60 from three-point range (43.3 percent) in two wins against the Gophers by a combined 58 points. Purdue shot 72-for-156 (46.2 percent) from long distance during its current six-game winning streak. It leads the Big Ten with 10.9 threes per game, while Minnesota is last in the conference with 5.5. Boilermakers guard Carsen Edwards and Ryan Cline have shot more three-pointers this season combined than the entire Minnesota team 375 to 363. Edwards scored 38 points with eight of his team's season-best 16 three-pointers in a 99-90 overtime win Thursday against Penn State.
Offensive adjustments – The Gophers trailed in the first half Wednesday at home against Illinois, but they outscored the Illini 49-36 in the second half. So what was the adjustment? Richard Pitino said he decided to scrap the playbook and go with the 5-out motion offense. Basically this offense is positionless and spreads the floor. It allows all five players to read the defense to either make curls or cuts to the basket to score. Minnesota shot 50 percent in the second half, including 6-for-15 from three-point range. They finished with five players in double figures, including starters Amir Coffey, Jordan Murphy and Gabe Kalscheur combining for 48 points. WIll they go back to the dribble handoff offense or stick with the 5-out motion against Purdue?
Bench spark – Minnesota doesn't have a very deep bench, but Isaiah Washington and Daniel Oturu combined for 23 points in Wednesday's 86-75 win against Illinois. Washington took pressure off Coffey to handle primary ballhandling duties in the second half. The New York native finished with 12 points, four assists and zero turnovers. It was his first double figure scoring game in the Big Ten this season. He had just seven points combined on 3-for-9 shooting in the previous three games. Pitino's decision to move Oturu to a reserve role added some firepower. Oturu averages 10.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. After returning from missing a game with a shoulder injury, the 6-foot-10 freshman had 11 points on 7-for-10 free throws and eight rebounds in just 19 minutes against Illinois. Bench play was huge in Minnesota's 91-82 overtime win at Purdue on New Year's Day in 2017. Eric Curry, who is now the U's starting center, scored seven of his 10 points in the extra period.
GAME INFO
Time: 11 a.m. CT, Sunday. Where: Mackey Arena. Line: Gophers 11.5-point underdog. Series: Purdue leads the series 103-83, including last meeting 84-60 in West Lafayette, Ind. on Feb. 25, 2018. TV: Big Ten Network. Online/Live video: BTNPlus Radio: 100.3 FM.
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