LIVE BLOG: Follow Purdue vs. Rutgers, Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal in Real Time
CHICAGO — Purdue basketball begins the postseason in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Big Ten Tournament against Rutgers at the United Center.
The two teams met back on Jan. 2 inside Mackey Arena, where the Scarlet Knights walked away with a one-point victory. It was the first loss of the season for the Boilermakers, who were ranked No. 1 at the time.
A win for Purdue would mark just its second win against Rutgers in the last seven games. The team that moves on will play the winner of a matchup between Michigan State and Ohio State.
Welcome to our live blog, where we'll keep you updated in real time with all the news and views as they happen, straight from press row. We'll add highlights and opinions as well. The most recent items are on the top, so just keep refreshing.
We do this every game, so make sure you bookmark BoilermakersCountry.com, our Sports Illustrated/FanNation site that provides coverage of Purdue basketball and more. It's all free too; there is no paywall or subscription.
Purdue basketball looks for a strong start this postseason but gets a tough matchup against Rutgers. Follow along down below for updates:
***All times central***
1:23 p.m., FINAL — Purdue advances to the Big Ten Tournament semifinal with a 70-65 win over Rutgers.
1:19 p.m. — Brandon Newman fouls Derek Simpson on a 3-point attempt. He goes 1-of-3 from the line, and Purdue has a seven-point lead with 21.8 left.
1:18 p.m. — Paul Mulcahy has four fouls for Rutgers.
1:15 p.m. — Instead of a fifth foul on Cliff Omoruyi, a jump ball is called while Zach Edey has the ball in his hands. Rutgers capitalizes with a 3-pointer from Cam Spencer. It's a six-point game with 39.3 on the clock.
1:14 p.m. — Mason Gillis gets a tough basket to fall right as the shot clock expires. Purdue has a 66-57 lead with just under a minute to play.
1:11 p.m. — Purdue calls a timeout after Braden Smith gets trapped in his own corner on an inbounds pass. The Boilermakers are struggling to get the ball past half-court. They lead 63-57 with 1:39 left.
1:09 p.m. — Zach Edey charged with a technical foul after the previous play for trying to get Paul Mulcahy off of Brandon Newman.
1:03 p.m. — Caleb McConnell picks up his fifth foul. Oskar Palmquist checks into the game for Rutgers as Fletcher Loyer heads to the line. Loyer gets both free throws to fall, getting his first points with 2:12 left to play.
1:01 p.m. — Rutgers now with eight fouls with 2:21 left. David Jenkins Jr. misses the front end of a one-and-one and is called for a foul in a scrum for the rebound. Derek Simpson knocks down both for the Scarlet Knights, and Purdue leads 60-56.
12:51 p.m. — Purdue leads 56-52 with 4:00 left to play. Rutgers has made just one of its last seven shots. The Boilermakers have made five of their last seven.
12:48 p.m. — Rutgers calls a timeout in the middle of a scoring drought that's nearing four minutes. Purdue is on a 6-0 run and leads 56-49 with 4:31 left to play.
12:45 p.m. — Cliff Omoruyi checks back into the game for Rutgers with 5:55 left to play. He has four fouls. On the same offensive possession, Purdue does a great job moving the ball before Braden Smith gets a floater in the lane.
12:39 p.m., UNDER 8 — Rutgers has five fouls with 7:52 left in the game and Purdue leads 50-49. Ethan Morton is heading to the line after the media timeout. The Boilermakers have hit 7-of-10 free throws.
12:37 p.m. — Cliff Omoruyi called for his third and fourth fouls on the same Purdue possession. He comes out of the game with just over eight minutes.
12:34 p.m. — Purdue is 5-of-8 from the 3-point line in the second half and has a 50-46 lead with 9:03 left to play.
12:31 p.m. — David Jenkins Jr. hits another 3-pointer. He's shown up in a big way here this afternoon with 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting off the bench, including three from beyond the arc.
12:29 p.m. — Who other than David Jenkins Jr. to drill a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down? He has nine points on 3-of-3 shooting. Purdue has a 44-42 lead.
12:25 p.m., UNDER 12 — Purdue has a narrow 41-40 advantage over Rutgers with 11:58 left to go. The Boilermakers are 4-of-12 from the field after halftime. Scarlet Knights are 6-of-11.
12:21 p.m. — Big-time 3-pointer for Ethan Morton. Purdue is just 4-of-14 from deep but has made two so far in the second half. The boilermakers lead 39-38.
12:16 p.m., UNDER 16 — All tied up 36-36 with 15:38 left to play. Outside of Zach Edey and Mason Gillis, Purdue has struggled offensively. David Jenkins Jr. provided a small spark in the first half with six points in nine minutes. Fletcher Loyer is 0-of-5.
12:12 p.m. — Purdue and Rutgers exchange blows here to start the second half. Mason Gillis knocks down his second 3-pointer of the game and now has 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting. All knotted up 36-36.
11:51 a.m., HALFTIME — Mason Gillis drills a 3-pointer before the end of the half, and Purdue goes into the locker room with a hard-fought 29-28 advantage. The junior forward has 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting. Zach Edey also has 10.
11:50 a.m. — Purdue calls a timeout trailing Rutgers 28-26 with 10.5 seconds remaining.
11:47 a.m. — An individual 6-0 run from Zach Edey gives Purdue its first lead of the day, 25-24. He makes back-to-back and-ones, knocking down both free throws. He has 10 points and six rebounds so far in the first half.
11:44 a.m. — Zach Edey gets a basket to fall at the rim despite a foul against Cliff Omoruyi. The ensuing free throw finds the bottom of the net, and Purdue trails 24-22 with just under three minutes before halftime.
11:39 a.m. — A 9-0 run brought Purdue within one point of Rutgers, but it still trails 22-19 with 4:28 left before halftime. The Boilermakers are 8-of-20 from the floor, and the Scarlet Knights have made just one of their last seven shots.
11:31 a.m., UNDER 8 — David Jenkins Jr. has given Purdue a spark in the opening period. He drills a pull-up jumper and is fouled. The Boilermakers are on a 6-0 run but trail 20-16 with 7:28 left to go in the half before the free-throw attempt.
11:30 a.m. — Mason Gillis knocks down a midrange jumper and Purdue is now within six points of Rutgers.
11:28 a.m. — Brandon Newman throws the ball away on a fastbreak, and Cam Spencer gets a transition basket on the other end. Purdue has five turnovers so far in the first half, and Rutgers has scored eight points off those mistakes.
11:23 a.m., UNDER 12 — David Jenkins Jr. gets a huge 3-point bucket for Purdue after Rutgers led by as many as 12. The Boilermakers now trail 17-10 with 11:00 left to play in the first half.
11:18 a.m. — Ethan Morton and Caleb Furst check into the game after the media timeout. But Rutgers continues to roll as Paul Mulcahy drills his second 3-pointer of the first half. Purdue trails 15-5.
11:14 a.m., UNDER 16 — Rutgers has an early 12-4 lead at the first media timeout. Purdue is just 2-of-6 from the floor with three turnovers. The Scarlet Knights are 4-of-5, including 2-of-3 from the 3-point line.
11:12 a.m. — Paul Mulcahy gets a 3-pointer to fall before Derek Simpson goes 2-of-2 at the free-throw line. Rutgers is 2-of-3 from the floor to start the game, and Purdue has three turnovers in the first four minutes.
11:10 a.m. — Cliff Omoruyi gets the first basket of the game. Zach Edey answers on the other end for Purdue in the paint. The Boilermakers are 1-of-4 to start.
Tipoff — Rutgers wins the tip, and Derek Simpson steps out of bounds on the baseline. Purdue has to break the press coming down the floor before Fletcher Loyer gets fouled before a 3-point shot attempt.
The Boilermakers get two attempts from beyond the arc on their first offensive possession, but neither finds the bottom of the net.
Purdue starters:
- Freshman guard Braden Smith
- Freshman guard Fletcher Loyer
- Junior guard Brandon Newman
- Junior forward Mason Gillis
- Junior center Zach Edey
The Quarterfinal ✋.
— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) March 10, 2023
F | Mason Gillis
C | Zach Edey
G | Fletcher Loyer
G | Braden Smith
G | Brandon Newman pic.twitter.com/mbj7xEHZBw
-----
Related Stories on Purdue Basketball
- How to Watch Purdue vs. Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament: Purdue (26-5, 14-5 Big Ten) tips off against Rutgers (19-13, 10-10) on Friday in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Big Ten Tournament at the United Center in Chicago. Here's how to watch the game, with all your TV information, top scorers, coaching bios and more. CLICK HERE
- 2023 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Schedule: The 2023 Big Ten men's basketball tournament is scheduled for Wednesday through Sunday at the United Center in Chicago. Here's the full schedule, with game times, TV information and updates on the results. CLICK HERE
- McConnell, Omoruyi Speak on Rematch With Purdue: Following a 62-50 win over Michigan in the 2023 Big Ten Tournament, Rutgers players Caleb McConnell and Clifford Omoruyi were asked about the team's upcoming rematch against Purdue. The Boilermakers lost to the Scarlet Knights at Mackey Arena on Jan. 2. CLICK HERE
- Trey Kaufman-Renn Seeing Patience Pay Off: Purdue redshirt freshman forward Trey Kaufman-Renn combined for 26 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the team's final four games of the regular season. After struggling to find consistency in Big Ten play, he's hitting his stride at the perfect time. CLICK HERE
-----
Keep up to date on everything at BoilermakersCountry.com by liking and following our Facebook page: Purdue Boilermakers on Sports Illustrated/FanNation.
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.