Meet the Opponent: After Loss, Purdue Looks to Bounce Back Against Iowa

Purdue basketball looks to shake off its most recent loss in a matchup against Iowa on Thursday at Mackey Arena. The Hawkeyes are spearheaded by forward Kris Murray, who ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring behind Zach Edey.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — After having some time to digest a disappointing 79-74 loss to rival Indiana on the road over the weekend, No. 1 Purdue basketball regroups for a matchup with Iowa at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday inside Mackey Arena. 

The Boilermakers faced off against the Hawkeyes three times a season ago, winning two games in the regular season before being defeated 75-66 in the Big Ten Tournament championship. 

This year, Purdue boasts a 22-2 overall record and a commanding 11-2 lead in the conference entering its only contest against Iowa in the regular season. The Hawkeyes are 15-8, which includes a 7-5 mark in Big Ten play. 

Iowa comes to West Lafayette riding a three-game win streak, each coming on its home court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes are 2-4 in road contests and 1-2 on neutral courts this season. They claimed victories away from home against Seton Hall, Rutgers and Clemson. 

In its most recent game, Iowa defeated Illinois 81-79 behind a career-high 32 points from junior guard Tony Perkins. He was 8-of-11 from the field and 15-of-16 from the foul line in the narrow win.

The Hawkeyes are spearheaded by junior forward Kris Murray, who is putting up 20.5 points per game on 50.2% shooting while also pulling in 8.5 rebounds. He is one of five players on the team scoring an average of double figures per contest. 

Murray is second in the conference in scoring behind Purdue junior center Zach Edey and also ranks fourth in rebounding. In 19 games this season, Murray plays an average of 34.5 minutes per game. 

Iowa leads the Big Ten with an average score of 81.5 points per game, but it also gives up a league-high 73.5 points to opposing teams. The Hawkeyes are 3-2 this season in matchups decided by one possession. 

They are led by head coach Fran McCaffery, who is in his 13th season at the helm. He has compiled a 258-172 overall record with the program, including a 123-116 mark against Big Ten competition. 

McCaffery previously served as the head coach of Lehigh University, UNC Greensboro and Siena, bringing each school to a postseason tournament. He has since led Iowa to six NCAA Tournament appearances and helped the team finish as the NIT runner-up during the 2012-13 season. 

Purdue has won six of its last eight games against Iowa dating back to the 2017-18 season and has won four straight at Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers lead the all-time series with a 25-17 record. The two teams met for the first time on Feb. 4, 1999. 

2022-23 Iowa Hawkeyes Lineup:

Projected starters

• F Kris Murray: 20.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 34.5 minutes. 
• C Filip Rebraca: 13.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 31.4 minutes
• G Tony Perkins: 11.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists,  28.5 minutes 
• G Conner McCaffery: 7.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 29.0 minutes
• G Ahron Ulis: 6.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 23.6 minutes

Key backups

• F Patrick McCaffery: 11.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 23.5 minutes
• F Payton Sandfort: 10.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 20.3 minutes

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