How to Watch No. 1 Purdue Basketball vs. Florida A&M on Thursday
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The No. 1-ranked Purdue basketball team closes its nonconference schedule with a matchup against Florida A&M on Thursday at Mackey Arena.
The Boilermakers look to extend their nonconference, regular-season winning streak to 24 games and improve to 13-0 for just the third time in program history. Their game with the Rattlers marks the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
"They're going to be physical, they're long and athletic, they're going to press," Purdue assistant coach Terry Johnson said. "Our guys have been pressed all year, do we need to work on it? Yes, we still work on it.
"And then let them know we still want to attack after that press. We don't want to stop and run a set if we don't have to. We want them to flow right into our motion and throw the ball inside and play with each other."
Here's everything you need to know ahead of the matchup, including game time, TV information and a look at Florida A&M head coach Robert McCullum.
How to watch Purdue vs. Florida A&M
- Who: Purdue Boilermakers and Florida A&M Rattlers
- What: The final nonconference matchup of the regular season for Purdue basketball before the team returns to Big Ten play.
- When: 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 29.
- Where: Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.
- TV: Big Ten Network
- Announcers: Connor Onion, Rapheal Davis
- Live Stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)
- Radio: WAZY (96.5)
- Radio Announcers: Rob Blackman, Bobby Riddell, Wes Scott
- Last season's records: Purdue was 29-8 overall, including a 14-6 mark in Big Ten play. In the NCAA Tournament, the team defeated Yale and Texas before losing to Saint Peter's 67-64 in the Sweet 16. Florida A&M went 13-17 and 11-7 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Meet the coaches
Purdue: Matt Painter is in his 18th season as the head coach of Purdue basketball. He owns a 396-192 overall record with the program, including a 196-115 mark in the Big Ten. With just four more victories, Painter can become just the fifth coach in Big Ten history with 400 career wins while at a conference school, joining Bob Knight, Tom Izzo, Gene Keady and Lou Henson.
Painter began his head coaching career at Southern Illinois, leading the team atop the Missouri Valley Conference with a 25-5 overall record during the 2003-04 season, dropping only one game in league matchups.
Florida A&M: Robert McCullum is in his sixth season at the helm of the Rattlers and has posted a 56-96 overall record with the program. He also served in head coaching roles at Western Michigan and South Florida, compiling a 140-217 record as a college basketball coach.
Three things to see from the Boilermakers
1. One final tune-up for freshman guards before the bulk of Big Ten play.
Purdue's freshman duo of Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer in the backcourt have answered the call during their first season of college basketball. Throughout the team's nonconference schedule, they've handled the press and limited their mistakes to help the Boilermakers stay undefeated.
When Florida A&M steps onto the court, Johnson says that their athleticism will present challenges, but nothing that hasn't already been presented before. The Rattlers' opponents average 14.5 turnovers per game against them entering Thursday's matchup.
Smith leads Purdue in assists and is second on the team in minutes per game behind Edey. Combined with Loyer, the two average 6.3 assists with just 2.7 turnovers per contest.
"It's going to help us because the league's going to be a little bit different this year," Johnson said. "There are a lot more teams junking up their defense, playing multiple defenses, and our guys have been able to handle the basketball.
"We have the saving grace of throwing the ball inside to big Zach, and that helps out a lot because they have to pay attention to their help, and that takes a lot of pressure off our guards."
2. Getting Zach Edey back in action after missing the team's last game.
Junior center Zach Edey appears to be back at full strength for the Boilermakers after missing the team's last game with an illness. A week between matchups allows players to catch their wind, but Edey hasn't stepped on the court for a game in almost two weeks.
Purdue looks to get back to its normal game plan of dominating the post and scoring inside the paint.
"We gotta get him back in the flow of the game," Johnson said. "We want to throw the ball inside to him and have a presence on the inside as well. And then we want to make some 3s too."
3. Takeaways from the nonconference schedule.
Purdue put together a strong resume to start the 2022-23 season, mounting wins over West Virginia, Gonzaga, Duke and Marquette before entering the thick of its Big Ten schedule. Following the team's matchup with Florida A&M, it will host Rutgers at Mackey Arena on Jan. 2.
"Just really think about how hard it is to win a college basketball game and understand what they've done has been special," Johnson said. "Enjoy it, because this is what you sign up for. As coaches, we're preaching to them over and over, and they've always been trying to do the right thing."
Related Stories on Purdue Basketball
- Zach Edey at Full Strength Ahead of Game Against Florida A&M: Purdue junior center Zach Edey has been a full participant in practice after missing the team's game against New Orleans on Dec. 21 due to an illness. The Boilermakers are set to welcome Florida A&M to Mackey Arena on Thursday. CLICK HERE
- Meet the Florida A&M Rattlers: Purdue basketball gets one last tune-up before entering the thick of its Big Ten schedule when the team welcomes Florida A&M to Mackey Arena on Thursday. The Rattlers have struggled early this season, sitting at 2-8 overall before their trip to West Lafayette. CLICK HERE
- Purdue Remains No. 1 for Third Straight Week: After a victory over New Orleans last week at Mackey Arena, Purdue basketball remained No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the third straight week. The Boilermakers are 12-0 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten play so far this season. CLICK HERE
- Matt Painter on Bringing the No. 1 Team to Mackey Arena: Purdue basketball played in Mackey Arena as the No. 1 team in the country for the first time in program history on Wednesday night. The last Big Ten program to hold the top spot in the national rankings in consecutive seasons was Indiana back in 1974-75 and 1975-76 when the Hoosiers spent a total of 28 weeks as the highest-ranked team. CLICK HERE
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.