Purdue's Jaden Ivey to Start Against Minnesota; Eric Hunter Jr. Replaces Isaiah Thompson
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Ahead of No. 4 Purdue basketball's matchup with Minnesota on the road, coach Matt Painter revealed that he will put star guard Jaden Ivey back into the starting lineup.
Ivey, who missed a home matchup with Northwestern due to injury, still managed to score in double figures in each of the past two games. He will take the court alongside Eric Hunter Jr., Sasha Stefanovic, Mason Gillis and Zach Edey.
The 6-foot-4 sophomore was named the Big Ten Player of the Week after logging 18 points, four rebounds and three assists per game in the team's two victories last week. He scored a last-second 3-pointer to defeat Ohio State on Sunday at Mackey Arena in regulation, giving him a team-high 21 points for the contest.
Hunter, who took Ivey's spot in the starting rotation against the Hawkeyes and the Buckeyes, will remain a starter, leaving Isaiah Thompson to assume a role off the bench. Thompson has started all but one game for the Boilermakers this season.
"Isaiah's has been great for us," Painter said Tuesday. "But obviously, letting Jaden kind of get back in the fold here. Eric's done some really good things here in the past four or five games. And so it's a tough decision because I've got more than five people starting, but Isaiah has done some really good things. But you've got to make decisions that you think is best for the team."
Hunter has logged at least 27 minutes for Purdue in four of the last five games while scoring at least 10 points three times in that span. The senior has hit on 6 of 7 shots from the 3-point line dating back to the team's home win against Nebraska in mid January.
Thompson logged a career-high 18 points in an 83-73 win over Iowa on the road, but went 0-3 from the field and failed to score against Ohio State. He only registered a single rebound in the 81-78 victory.
The junior has logged less than 20 minutes in three of the last five games as Hunter has seen increased playing time and production for the Boilermakers.
"I talked to Isaiah about that," Painter said. "It's hard to take that when you've done good things. And now it's 'oh, I've started and now I'm not starting.' But you've also got to look at the big picture of things and now give us that punch coming off that bench and be ready to roll."
Purdue is scheduled to take on Minnesota inside Williams Arena on Wednesday starting at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be aired on the Big Ten Network.
Stories Related to Purdue Basketball
- JADEN IVEY NAMED BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Purdue guard Jaden Ivey, after a leading the team to wins over Iowa and Ohio State last week, was named the Big Ten Player of the Week. It's the first Player of the Week honor for his career. Ivey averaged 18 points, four rebounds and three assists in the pair of victories. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE RANKED FOURTH IN AP POLL: Purdue basketball picked up a win over Iowa on the road before outlasting a ranked Ohio State team at Mackey Arena, helping the team move to No. 4 in the latest Associated Press College Basketball Top 25 poll. CLICK HERE
- WHAT MATT PAINTER SAID AFTER WIN OVER OHIO STATE: Purdue basketball came back to Mackey Arena on Sunday and staved off a comeback from Ohio State, winning 81-78. Head coach Matt Painter took to the podium after the game to talk about the win. Here's a transcript of the postgame press conference, including video. CLICK HERE
- JADEN IVEY HITS IMPROVISED 3-POINTER FOR PURDUE: In a tie game with No. 16 Ohio State at Mackey Arena, the final shot of the game for Purdue was supposed to go to Zach Edey. But when Jaden Ivey botched the play, the star sophomore made up for it by taking the go-ahead attempt to lift the No. 6-ranked Boilermakers to an 81-78 win. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE STAVES OFF OHIO STATE COMEBACK: Purdue sophomore guard Jaden Ivey hit a three-pointer in the final second as the No. 6 Boilermakers held off a rally from No. 16 Ohio State, winning 81–78. The Boilermakers let a 20-point second half lead slip away before Ivey's heroics. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE TAKES DOWN IOWA ON THE ROAD: Purdue point guard Isaiah Thompson has been in a bit of a slump, but some hard work an a day of just shooting around with his dad like the old days paid off in a big way on Thursday night. He scored a career-high 18 points to lead the No. 6 Boilermakers to an 83-73 road win over the Iowa Hawkeyes. 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.