Top-seeded Purdue finally makes its appearance in the Big Ten tournament when it takes on Michigan in the first quarterfinal. The Boilermakers are looking for a little revenge after falling to this same opponent at Ann Arbor a few weeks ago. The Wolverines were able to overcome their traveling issues by whooping up on Illinois in the previous round. Both teams have split the last six meetings against each other.
Tipoff is set for 12:00 PM Eastern time and it can be seen on ESPN and online with WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
No. 8 Michigan (21-11, 10-8 Big Ten)
The Wolverines are considered a lock by most projections, hovering at around a 9 or a 10 seed. They certainly didn't want to pick up an ugly loss right out of the gate, but they had plenty of other issues to worry about before their tipoff against Illinois. The team's plane crashed off the runway when it decided not to take off in the midst of high winds. All players and personnel were OK, and the team eventually made it to Washington Dc.
Michigan took down Illinois 75-55 wearing just their practice gear as the team's uniforms will still be trapped in the crashed plane. Derrick Walton Jr. (14.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg) led the way with 19 points, and it was his fourth consecutive game with 15 or more points.
No. 1 Purdue (25-6, 14-4 Big Ten)
That lone hiccup against the Wolverines was the Boilermakers' only loss in the last nine games. It's always been a little shaky for Purdue away from home this season, but they've generally made the clutch efforts to win the majority of them -- they have a 10-4 record away from home. For Purdue to become dominant anywhere they play, they must pick up their offense -- the season average has dwindled to 75.8 points in the last five games.
The team has plenty of offensive firepowers, including Caleb Swanigan (18.7 ppg, 12.6 rpg). He recorded a double-double of 20 points and 14 rebounds in the regular season finale against Northwestern.
All Big Ten Tournament games take place at the Verizon Center in Washington DC this week. Purdue opened up as a 1-point favorite, and the O/U is set at 140 points. The Boilermakers are 17-9-2 against the spread this season.
