How to Watch Purdue's Game with Minnesota on Saturday; Gametime, TV, Point Spread

Purdue has dominated the series with Minnesota under Matt Painter, and getting another win on Saturday night will go a long way in staying near the top of the Big Ten standings.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – It's been eight long days since Purdue last played a basketball game, and that loss to Michigan still stings a bit. That taste can go away on Saturday night though, with a win over Minnesota. 

The Boilermakers have won 11 of 12 at Mackey Arena against the Gophers, including an overtime win a year ago. And with the second half of the Big Ten season getting ready to start, grabbing a win would be nice.

These two teams don't score a lot, so every possession will matter. Purdue is shooting only 30.4 percent from three-point range in Big Ten play, No. 13 in the league ahead of only Minnesota. They need to be better Saturday, and they need to do it without Sasha Stefanovic, who will miss his second of three games because of COVID-19 protocols.

Here's everything you need to know about Purdue's game with Minnesota on Saturday night: 

• Who: Minnesota Golden Gophers (11-5, 4-5 in the Big Ten) at Purdue Boilermakers (11-6, 6-4 in the Big Ten)
• When: 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, Jan. 30
• Where: Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Ind.
• Latest Line: Purdue is favored by 2.5 points according to the DraftKings.com website as of 1 p.m. on Saturday. 
• Poll rankings: Purdue is receiving votes in both polls, but hasn't cracked the top-25. In the Associated Press poll, the Boilermakers rank No. 37 and in the Coaches poll, they would be No. 36. Minnesota is ranked No. 21 in the AP poll, and No. 22 in the Coaches poll. 
• Kenpom.com rankings: Purdue is ranked No. 29 in the Kenpom.com rankings, and Minnesota is ranked No.31.
• Last time out: Purdue was beaten by Michigan 70-53 at home last Friday, its first game without Sasha Stefanovic, who tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss 17 days. Minnesota lost 63-49 at home to Maryland last Saturday, its first home loss of the season. 
• Series history: Purdue leads the overall series, 105-85.
• Last meeting: Purdue won the last meeting, winning 73-68 in overtime on Jan. 2, 2020.  
• TV: Big Ten Network
• Announcers: Dave Revsine and Len Elmore
• Radio: Purdue Radio Network
• Announcers: Rob Blackmon and Bobby Riddell

Here are three things I want to see from the Boilermakers in Saturday night's game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

1. Moderately disrupt Marcus Carr

Marcus Carr is one of the best scoring guards in America. He can beat you off the dribble or pull up and rain three-pointers from any distance. He's averaging 20.9 points per game, and has gone for 25 or more six times. He can't be stopped, but he certainly needs to be contained.

“It comes down to doing my work early,” said Purdue guard Eric Hunter Jr., who will be guarding Carr most of the night. “Picking up full court without reaching, making it hard for him to turn, making sure to take time off the (shot) clock. Then, he's really good in ball screens, so just being early and physical in ball screens.”

2. Get good looks at 3, then make them

Without Stefanovic, the other shooters need to step up and make shots. When they get good looks, they have to knock them down.

"We have good shooters on this team, but they just haven't been making shots,'' Painter said. "You need to execute, know what's going on and just play hard. When you do those things and stay within yourself, good things are going to happen for you.” 

3. Keep the turnovers under 10

Sure, Michigan is damn good, but it's also a fact that Purdue didn't play well last week, with 14 turnovers and a lot of bad shots. Purdue needs to take care of itself better on Saturday night against Minnesota.

"When we lose games, more times than not, we feel like we beat ourselves. I wholeheartedly feel that way about this team,'' Painter said Friday. "We have a young team, and we've talked about it. Let's gel, let's do things together. When you're taking inventory of ourselves, you try to reverse that and do it better next time.

"Just don't turn the ball over. Don;'t throw it to the other team. You have to be able to get a quality shot. We had 14 turnovers, but we also took six, ten shots that we absolutely shouldn't have taken. We have to be better than that.''