MSU Must Limit One of League's Top Scorers on Tuesday

The No. 14 Michigan State Spartans host the No. 13 Purdue Boilermakers on Tuesday. If MSU wants to come out on top, it must stop the Boilermakers' best playmaker.

Purdue Boilermakers forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) prepares for tip-off Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, during the NCAA men’s basketball game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The No. 14 Michigan State Spartans' biggest two games of the season start Tuesday as they host the No. 13 Purdue Boilermakers. The Boilermakers are on a two-game skid, which has allowed MSU to slide into second place in the Big Ten standings, only trailing their in-state rivals, the No. 12 Michigan Wolverines.

MSU has Purdue first on the agenda before it turns its attention to the Wolverines in the next game, and if the Spartans want to end up in first place by the end of the week, they need to beat both rivals. Victory isn't as easy as it sounds, especially when Purdue has a premier scorer on its side.

Junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn has been Purdue's leading scorer all season and has easily emerged as a leader for the program. The veteran is averaging 19.4 points on the season and 18.7 points on the road; MSU will need to keep its eyes peeled to secure a victory over the Boilermakers.

Kaufman-Renn has broken out in his third collegiate season. After averaging 6.4 points in his sophomore year, his junior year has been a different story. As the season enters its home stretch, Kaufman-Renn has turned up his production compared to where it sat going into the season.

Over Purdue's last five games, the team has brought in three wins, compared to the Spartans, who have only won two of their last five. The Big Ten title is so close for MSU that it can almost taste it, and if stopping Kaufman-Renn from being a major factor is possible, then it will come one step closer to doing so.

MSU and Purdue are as evenly matched as two teams could be going into their clash. The Spartans hold a slim half-game lead over the Boilermakers, and even the shooting percentages and average points on offense look similar on paper.

The Spartans have an extra edge over Purdue in certain aspects of their game, such as rebounding and blocks. However, MSU must make sure its ball security is in order, as Purdue averages seven steals per game.

Kaufman-Renn can also harm the Spartans if they aren't careful with his rebounding abilities, as he also leads the programs in average rebounds per game, with 6.3. As tip-off continues to near, the pressure is surely building.

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