GameDay Preview: 3 Things I Want to See from Purdue at Indiana

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — It wasn't pretty until the final few minutes, but Purdue finally got its first Big Ten road win last Saturday. So now, can they do it?

They get a golden opportunity on Saturday when they travel to Bloomington to take on their hated arch-rivals. There's a ton at stake for both team, neither of which has secured its ticket to the Big Dance yet. NCAA Tournament bids are certainly at stake today.

Here are the particulars on today's game:

Who: Purdue Boilermakers (13-10, 6-6 in the Big Ten) vs. Indiana Hoosiers (15-7, 5-6 in the Big Ten)
When: 2 p.m. ET, Saturday, Feb. 8
Where: Simon Skojdt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind.
Latest Line: Indiana is a 3-point favorite as of Satusday morning, according to VegasInsiders.com. The line opened at Indiana minus-1.
Poll rankings: Neither team is ranked in the Associated Press or Coaches poll.
Kenpom.com rankings: Indiana is No. 40, Purdue is No. 17.
TV: ESPN
Announcers: Bob Wischusen, Dick Vitale, Kris Budden
Radio: Indiana Radio Network
Announcers: Rob Blackman, Larry Clisby

Here are three things I want to see from the Boilermakers:

1. Sasha Stefanovic comes out on fire

Purdue's sharp-shooter, who leads the team with 50 made 3-pointers this season, needs to get off to a hot start for the Boilermakers to have a chance inside Assembly Hall. He's been lights-out and home and has struggled on the road, but now is the perfect time for that to change.

Stefanovic hit the game-winner on the road last Saturday, but that masked an otherwise awful night, where he was just 1-for-6 shooting prior to hitting that big final shot to give Purdue a 61-58 win. That's their only Big Ten win in six tries, and they really need him badly on Saturday to help get that second road win

2. Win the scrum inside over all 40 minutes

This is a great matchup on paper, strength vs. strength with these two teams. Trevion Williams, Evan Boudreaux and Matt Haarms have been owning the offensive boards lately, giving Purdue a lot of extra looks. That has to happen again on Saturday. It's good on good.

And that's why it won't be easy. Indiana's front line of Trayce Jackon-Davis, Joey Brunk and Justin Smith can be a handful on the boards, too. That's the one number that might most determine who wins this game. Win on the offensive boards, and that's a difference-maker.

3. Keep it close, let Indiana panic down the stretch

Indiana has been very good at home this year, beating three teams — Florida State, Michigan State and Ohio State — that were all ranked No. 5 or higher in the country at one point.

But the Hoosiers do have two home losses, to Arkansas (16-6) and Maryland (19-4), and there was a common thread in both losses for the Hoosiers. Each time, Indiana had a lead late but couldn't hold on. They tended to panic in the final minute of each game.

That might be an edge for Purdue if this game comes down to the wire.

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