How to Watch No. 20 Purdue vs. Rutgers
No. 20 Purdue travels to Piscataway for a Big Ten showdown with Rutgers on Thursday night. Top players, key stats, TV and radio information and more.
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Purdue and Rutgers have had some epic battles over the past few seasons and the two teams meet again on Thursday night at Jersey Mike's Arena. It should make for an entertaining Big Ten contest.
The Boilermakers head to New Jersey having won three straight games, including a pair of Big Ten victories over Minnesota and Northwestern. The Scarlet Knights have dropped three of their last four games and are looking to secure their second conference win of the season.
Here's what you need to know for Thursday night's clash between Purdue and Rutgers.
How to watch No. 20 Purdue vs. Rutgers
- Who: No. 20 Purdue Boilermakers (11-4, 3-1 in Big Ten) vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8-7, 1-3 in Big Ten)
- What: Big Ten Conference game
- When: Thursday, Jan. 9 at 6 p.m. ET
- Where: Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway, N.J. (8,000)
- TV: Fox Sports 1
- TV Announcers: Alex Faust (play-by-play), Bill Raftery (analyst)
- Radio: Boilermaker Sports Network — WAZY 96.5 FM (Lafayette/West Lafayette); WKJG 100.9 FM (Fort Wayne); WNDE 1260 AM (Indianapolis); WGBF 1280 (Evansville); Sirius XM Channel 139 or 196; View all listings: CLICK HERE
- Radio Announcers: Rob Blackman (play-by-play), Bobby Riddell (analyst), Wes Scott (producer)
- Purdue's 2023-24 season: Purdue finished with an overall record of 34-5, which included a 17-3 mark in Big Ten play. The Boilermakers won the Big Ten regular season championship for a second consecutive season and reached the National Championship Game of the NCAA Tournament.
- Rutgers' 2023-24 season: Rutgers ended the year with a 15-17 mark, going 7-13 in Big Ten games. As the No. 13 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, the Scarlet Knights were defeated in the first round of the event by No. 12 seed Maryland.
- Purdue coach: Matt Painter, 20th season at Purdue (458-207).
- Rutgers coach: Steve Pikiell, 9th season at Rutgers (140-130).
- Series history: Purdue leads the all-time series vs. Rutgers 16-6.
Rankings
- Associated Press: Purdue is ranked No. 20; Rutgers is not ranked.
- USA Today Coaches: Purdue is ranked No. 19; Rutgers is not ranked.
- KenPom: Purdue is ranked No. 19; Rutgers is ranked No. 81.
- NET: Purdue is ranked No. 26; Rutgers is ranked No. 90.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 2024-25 roster
- Key returnees (2024-25 stats): Jeremiah Williams (7.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.1 apg); Jamichael Davis (4.0 ppg, 1.9 apg); Emmanuel Ogbole (3.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg).
- Key departures (2023-24 stats): Aundre Hyatt (10.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg); Cliff Omoruyi (10.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.9 bpg); Mawot Mag (9.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.2 spg); Derek Simpson (8.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.9 apg); Noah Fernandes (6.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg); Gavin Griffiths (5.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg).
- Key newcomers (2024-25 stats): Dylan Harper (21.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.1 spg); Ace Bailey (19.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.2 bpg); Lathan Sommerville (7.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg); Jordan Derkack (7.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.5 apg); Tyson Acuff (4.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg).
Purdue Boilermakers 2024-25 roster
- Key returnees (2024-25 stats): Braden Smith (15.4 ppg, 8.6 apg, 4.8 rpg); Fletcher Loyer (14.0 ppg, 2.0 apg, 48.3% 3-pt); Trey Kaufman-Renn (17.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.3 apg); Myles Colvin (6.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg); Cam Heide (5.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 40% 3-pt); Caleb Furst (4.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg).
- Key departures (2023-24 stats): Zach Edey (25.2 ppg, 12.2 rpg); Lance Jones (12.5 ppg); Mason Gillis (6.5 ppg).
- Key Newcomers (2024-25 stats): Gicarri Harris (3.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg); Raleigh Burgess (2.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg); CJ Cox (5.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg); Daniel Jacobsen (injured, out for season).
Meet the coaches
- Steve Pikiell, Rutgers: Pikiell is in his ninth season leading Rutgers and his 20th year overall as a head coach. He spent 11 seasons at the helm at Stony Brook before taking the job in Piscataway in 2016. Pikiell enjoyed plenty of success at Stony Brook (2005-16), compiling a 192-156 record and winning four America East regular season titles. His teams appeared in the NIT three times, two CBI trips and earned a visit to the NCAA Tournament in 2016. When he arrived at Rutgers, the program was struggling to find its footing in the Big Ten. In his first eight seasons, the Scarlet Knights have made two NCAA Tournament appearances and made one trip to the NIT. Until the 2023-24 season, Rutgers had enjoyed four consecutive winning seasons from 2019-20 through 2022-23. A former guard at UConn, Pikiell has spent his entire coaching career on the East Coast, making stops at UConn (1991-92), Yale (1993-95), Central Connecticut (1997-2001) and George Washington (2001-05) as an assistant.
- Matt Painter, Purdue: Painter is in his 20th season as the coach of the Boilermakers and is one of the Big Ten's longest-tenured and most successful head coaches. He's led the program to five Big Ten regular season championships, two Big Ten Tournament titles and 15 NCAA Tournament appearances in his first 19 years. Painter is also a five-time Big Ten Coach of the Year. In 2024, Painter led Purdue to its first Final Four appearance since 1980 and first trip to the National Championship Game since 1969. Painter, a Purdue alum, played under legendary coach Gene Keady from 1989-93. He spent one year as the head coach at Southern Illinois (2003-04) before being named associated head coach on Keady's staff in the 2004-05 season.
Related stories on Purdue basketball
PAINTER 4TH ON BIG TEN WINS LIST: With Purdue's win over Northwestern on Sunday, Matt Painter became the fourth-winningest coach in Big Ten games. He trails Tom Izzo, Bob Knight and Gene Keady. CLICK HERE
BOILER BANTER: Over his last three games, Braden Smith has played as well as anyone in the country. Now that he's hunting his shot, he's an even more dangerous weapon. CLICK HERE
BIG TEN BASKETBALL POWER RANKINGS: Illinois picked up two big road wins vs. Oregon and Washington, Nebraska takes down UCLA and Indiana gets a victory over Penn State. How did it impact the latest Big Ten basketball power rankings? CLICK HERE
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