How to Watch No. 4 Purdue Basketball's Game Against Hofstra
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The No. 4-ranked Purdue basketball team is back in action on Wednesday night, taking on Hofstra in front of a home crowd at Mackey Arena. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. ET.
The Boilermakers have started 8-0 for the second consecutive season after last year's team won their first eight games and rose to No. 1 in the national rankings. Against the Pride, this year's squad looks to improve on a 20-game win streak in regular-season nonconference matchups, which is the longest active mark in the country.
Hofstra enters the matchup with a 6-3 record, which includes wins over Princeton and Iona alongside losses to Saint Mary's, Middle Tennessee and George Mason.
"From a player standpoint, players respect other guys that can play," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "You show clips on these guys, it's pretty impressive. They've got a good team, they're well-coached. So right when they saw that [Monday] on film, I think a lot of antennas went up in our room."
Here's everything you need to know ahead of the matchup, including TV information, a look at Hofstra coach Speedy Claxton and three things to watch from Purdue.
How to watch No. 4 Purdue Basketball vs. Hofstra
- Who: Purdue Boilermakers vs. Hofstra Pride
- What: The second of a brief two-game homestand for Purdue.
- When: 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Dec. 7
- Where: Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.
- Stream: Big Ten Plus
- Announcers: Craig Combs, Alex Brophy
- Radio: WAZY (96.5)
- Radio Announcers: Rob Blackman, Bobby Riddell, Gary Kline (producer)
- 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. Hofstra went 21-11 and 13-5 in the Colonial Athletic Association.
Meet the coaches
Purdue: Matt Painter is in his 18th season as the head coach of Purdue basketball. He owns a 392-192 overall record with the program, including a 195-115 mark in the Big Ten. With just eight 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.
Hofstra: Speedy Claxton is in his second season at the helm of Hofstra basketball. This is his first head coaching position after spending 10 seasons in the NBA. He has a 26-13 overall record with the Pride, including a 13-5 mark in conference play.
Three things to watch from Purdue
1. No rush to get Mason Gillis back
Purdue was without starting forward Mason Gillis on Sunday against Minnesota, and the combination of Caleb Furst and Trey Kaufman-Renn made up for the deficit. Painter still does not have an estimate as to when the junior will be back on the floor, but he likely will not suit up Wednesday against Hofstra.
"It really helps out the coaching part of it when you have good players," Painter said. "From just kind of watching him walk and everything, I don't think he'll play in the game on Wednesday."
2. Another test for the backcourt
Hofstra boasts strong guard play which will test the Purdue backcourt, especially freshmen Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer. The Pride's top six leading scorers are all guards, led by senior Aaron Estrada. He's averaging 21.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game this season.
Behind Estrada, senior Tyler Thomas is putting up 12.2 points per contest. Both players are strong shooters who have each attempted more than 40 shots from behind the 3-point line.
"They have very good guards. Across the board, they have good players, but they have a lot of guys that can break you down," Painter said. "They have an elite guard in Estrada that's a very good player, can score it, can set up his teammates. Thomas is a guy that can put up 25 points on a given night, he can really shoot the basketball.
"It's going to be a challenge for us. We're going to have to do a good job of getting into them, not giving them space, but also keeping them in front of us. And that's easier said than done."
3. Continuing to show strong defense, effort
For the first time all season, a team shot more than 42% from the field despite coming away with an 89-70 win against Minnesota. The Golden Gophers put together a strong second half, scoring 43 points on 58.1% shooting, including a trio of 3-pointers.
The Boilermakers will look to get back to displaying high effort and strong defense against a team that excels at shooting the basketball.
"Knowing where we're supposed to be and just starting in the right spot," Painter said. "I know that's kind of a profound statement, but I always say if you start right, you have a better chance to end right. But if you start in the wrong place, you're at a disadvantage right away, all off of concentration. Nothing more."
Related Stories on Purdue Basketball
- Deep Purdue Frontcourt Shines in Absence of Mason Gillis: Without starting forward Mason Gillis in the lineup, Caleb Furst and Trey Kaufman-Renn each scored in double figures as Purdue cruised to an 89-70 win over Minnesota. The Boilermakers didn't miss a beat, improving to 8-0 by dominating the interior with a 41-21 rebounding advantage while scoring 44 points in the paint. CLICK HERE
- Zach Edey, Fletcher Loyer Earn Big Ten Weekly Honors: Zach Edey was named Big Ten Basketball Co-Player of the Week and Fletcher Loyer earned Freshman of the Week honors. Purdue is 8-0 on the season after posting victories over Florida State and Minnesota. CLICK HERE
- Purdue Moves to No. 4 in Latest AP Top 25 Poll: After victories over Florida State and Minnesota, Purdue comes in at No. 5 in the latest AP Top 25 poll. The Boilermakers are 8-0 to start the 2022-23 season. CLICK HERE
- Purdue Opens Big Ten Play With 89-70 Win Over Minnesota: Purdue had five players score in double figures, led by a career-high 31 points from junior center Zach Edey. He also set a career-best with 22 rebounds while freshman guard Fletcher Loyer finished with 20 points and a team-high eight assists. 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.