Something's got to give. Ohio State has not lost to a team not ranked in the
top three in the country this season. On the other hand, Purdue has not lost a
game at home.
Purdue (14-7) is looking for a highlight win within the Big Ten, where they
are 3-4. The Boilermakers, however, are 12-0 in West Lafayette this season.
Ohio State (18-3, 6-1 Big Ten) invades Mackey Arena tonight after a thrilling
66-64 victory Saturday night in Columbus against Michigan State. The Buckeyes
held a 20-point lead at halftime but watched it evaporate in the second half to
the point the Spartans had a 3-pointer at the buzzer catch the back of the iron
that would have won the game for Michigan State.
The near disastrous finish for the Buckeyes does not compare to the type of
adversity two of Ohio State's players have faced this week. Greg Oden, who
scored 19 points against the Spartans, lost a best friend to tragedy when a
former school mate in Terre Haute, Ind. was killed in a car crash this past
weekend. Oden was expected to join the team in West Lafayette for the game this
evening after attending his late friend's funeral.
Ohio State forward Othello Hunter, on the other hand, has faced the same kind
of loss but even worse. Hunter lost two grandparents within the last week - a
grandmother and grandfather.
Both Oden and Hunter are expected to play as normal this evening, in what's
anticipated to be a highly competitive game. The Boilermakers got off to an 8-1
start this season, but have been just 5-6 since then. Purdue's NCAA Tournament
hopes rest somewhat on the need for a quality win in the eyes of the selection
committee, and such a win against Ohio State would give them just that.
Oden and 6-1 freshman point guard Mike Conley are making their second trip to
the home state since the season began. Both Oden and Conley, from Indianapolis
Lawrence North, played at Conseco Fieldhouse for the Wooden Tradition against
Cincinnati - an event that Purdue participated in, losing to Butler the
same day.
Purdue is led by a pair of veteran standouts - Carl Landry and David Teague.
The two combine on over 32 points and 11 rebounds a game. Landry is the Big
Ten's third-leading scorer at 19.1 points a game. Landry, who is the older
brother of Wisconsin forward Marcus, is tough to stop as he's shooting 62.5
percent this season. He's only attempted three 3-pointers, however.
Oden leads Ohio State with 15.6 points and 9.8 rebounds a game. He's shooting
63.7 percent from the field. Meanwhile, freshman guard Daequan Cook comes off
the bench to add 13.0 points and 5.3 rebounds a game.
Preview
Who: Ohio State (18-3, 6-1) vs. Purdue (14-7, 3-4)
When: Tonight, 7 PM ET; ESPN2
Where: Mackey Arena; West Lafayette, Ind.
Series: 154th meeting (Purdue leads 78-75)
Probable Starters:
Purdue:
G Chris Kramer (6-3 Fr.); 6.4 ppg, 2.4 spg
G Tarrance Crump (6-1 Jr.); 5.6 ppg, 1.7 rpg
G David Teague (6-5 Sr.); 13.3 ppg, 40.8 percent 3-pt FG
F Carl Landry (6-7 Sr.); 19.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg
F Gordon Watt (6-6 So.); 8.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg
Ohio State
G Mike Conley (6-1 Fr.); 9.3 ppg, 6.6 apg
G Jamar Butler (6-1 Jr.); 8.1 ppg, 3.9 apg
F Ron Lewis (6-5 Sr.); 11.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg
F Ivan Harris (6-8 Sr.); 9.8 ppg, 40.2 percent 3-pt FG
C Greg Oden (7-1 Fr.); 15.6 ppg, 3.6 bpg