#6 Purdue (4-0) at #15 Marquette (4-0)

Tuesday night’s game between Purdue and Marquette features a top-15 matchup in Milwaukee after both teams picked up big wins on Friday night. Purdue moved up to 6th in the country after their win against 2nd-ranked Alabama, and Marquette moved to 15th after going on the road as underdogs and taking down Kevin Willard’s Maryland Terrapins by four. This is another early season test for both teams.

Purdue is riding high after their controlling victory against Alabama on Friday. They were home underdogs, something they hadn’t been in several seasons. Tonight, they travel to the Fiserv Forum as 5-point underdogs to a Marquette team that is playing good basketball right now. Purdue is too, however. Trey Kaufman-Renn was the story on Friday night scoring 26 points and dominating what was expected to be a daunting frontcourt defense for Alabama. Freshman CJ Cox had a personal 9-0 run in the second half to stretch the lead out and the Boilermakers never looked back. Purdue has continued to get big games from its ancillary pieces with big games from guys like Cox or Myles Colvin. The striking thing about this game was that Braden Smith did not shoot it well. He had just 10 assists and 1 turnover, but he was 6-18 from the field and they still beat Alabama by 9. This Purdue team appears to be better than we have given them credit for, but going to Marquette and getting a win will not be an easy task.

Shaka Smart’s teams always play with energy. This team is different from his teams in years past because they lack an interior presence. Ben Gold is their nearly 7-foot big man who averages just over 3 rebounds a night. He is not a player that any team is afraid of. However, based on the first two weeks of the season, Marquette has the National Player of the Year in Kam Jones. He is averaging 24 points a game on 64.9% from the field and 54.5% from beyond the arc. He lit it up at Maryland on Friday night and carried them to victory in a game that two of their supporting scoring options, Chase Ross and David Joplin, combined to shoot 4-18 from the field. This Marquette team competes and relentlessly attacks on both ends of the floor, which puts them in these positions to win games that they probably shouldn’t. This is Marquette’s first home game against a quality opponent, so the Golden Eagles should be ready to go for it.

Outlook for Purdue:

Based on Friday night, Purdue should be able to play through the post again with Kaufman-Renn because Marquette does not have anywhere near the same interior presence that Maryland has. Purdue should also be able to run ball screens to attempt to get Gold or Parham switched on to Braden Smith. Purdue is going to need to continue to dictate the pace of the game as they did on Friday night because Marquette is going to attempt to speed them up and get them to take shots and commit turnovers that they wouldn’t normally commit. Smith is seasoned enough to not fall into that trap, but it is the less experienced guards that I am worried about in this game. Purdue will also need one of Cox or Colvin to deliver another good performance if they want to come out with a win against the Golden Eagles. Tuesday night’s game could be a letdown spot for Matt Painter’s squad.

Outlook for Marquette:

Kam Jones is the real deal. I am not sure if Purdue has anyone that can guard him, let alone slow him down. Marquette is going to attempt to control the pace of this game because the way that you beat this Purdue team is by making them play in a way that they are not accustomed to. Expect Jones, Chase Ross, and Stevie Mitchell to turn up the pressure and attack the Purdue guards off the bounce all night. David Joplin will be the X-factor in this game. He struggled on Friday, as he has to start the season. Joplin is shooting just 31.3% but Purdue does not have a great matchup for him. He can space it out and shoot the three and also get downhill and score at the rim. Joplin should be in for a huge bounce-back game against Purdue. Marquette will need to continue to compete on the glass with their guards and Joplin rebounding down. If Marquette can control the pace of the game and keep the rebounding battle within reason, this will be a tough game for Purdue to go on the road and win.

The Final Word:

Purdue won’t be the 6th ranked team in the country for long. Matt Painter’s team is good, but this is much higher than where they belong. Shaka Smart will have Marquette ready to go and play with lots of energy, which will throw off the pace that Purdue likes to play. Kam Jones is the best player in this game, if not in the country, and Purdue has nobody to guard him. David Joplin has a great matchup that should get him back on track after a rocky start to the season. Purdue will need to shoot it great and get an A+ performance from one of the bench guards again if they want to come out of the Fiserv Forum victorious. Fully expect Marquette to take care of business on their home court on Tuesday night, with the paths to victory for Purdue being a total domination on the glass or an elite shooting performance. The Boilermakers do not have that kind of interior presence and Marquette plays too hard to allow that to happen. Shaka Smart might go play for his team before he allows them to get outworked on the boards. Marquette wins a great, high-scoring game in Milwaukee on Tuesday night.